Beat the Seat

New Braunfels, TX -- Just so you know: I do NOT have the swine flu. Nor does anyone that I know... however people that I know that knows someone that knows someone that knows someone has it. But in my particular area there has been no great threat, and I, as far as that is concerned, am healthy and good to go.

Well, I've made it to the great state of Texas, US of A.

Friday morning, the arrivals started at 5:20am... I had gotten about 2 hours of sleep, and got up and packed away my bed and that... many kids came by throughout the morning and said their goodbyes. Two of the girls left notes/letters for me, which were tear-jerking, of course.

Anyhow, I started my journey at 10am, travelled to Perote, to Veracruz and then up to Reynosa. On the ride to Reynosa, we had to get off the bus at like 4am or so for a military checkpoint... and they checked all of our carry-ons for explosives. We were all a mess... sleepy-eyed and messy-haired, wobbling off the bus with our stuff in hand.

From Reynosa came the tricky part. There, you take another bus to McAllen, TX... We inch across the bridge, and I saw the border sign that "here" is the States, and "here is Mexico", and the bus slammed on the brakes, and I was still on the Mexican side while the peron in front of me was in the States.

Anyway, when you get to the immigration point and you have to get off the bus, take all your stuff, and go get in line and catch the bus on the other side. But I was carrying 2 very full suitcases, my laptop thing, a bookbag, and then a bag with my lunch, snacks, etc. Oh, and my purse. The customs guys were impressed that I could carry it all. And I did it with style!

And then, of course, from McAllen to San Antonio in Greyhound and then to New Braunfels, arriving Saturday at 8pm. The journey wasn't too bad... I found people to chat with along the way, and one American girl who I helped out who didn't speak much Spanish.

Going to church with the Briles on Sunday was really nice... interestingly enough, there had been a missions conference that same weekend... Anyway, I found it very refreshing to go to church here, even though it wasn't my home church, it was kinda like, I guess I am home.

And apart from that, I got to hang out with my uncle some, and pick up a few things that I had to leave behind... like contact solution, and body soap, etc.

Yesterday, I hit the tired wall, as I call it. I slept hard for 2 hours and then was just kinda like Eh? for the rest of the day, and slept good last night. So, anyway, here I'm getting logistical stuff taken care of, and trying to get back into the realm of American social customs and ways of doing things.

It's weird to go to stores, with a ton of people and carts (and those stocked high with food) and thousands of aisles with millions of choices. Dizzying, really. The occasional observer might find me randomly staring at things, and if you ask me a question that doesn't have to do with either Mexico or Japan, and more likely has to do with a preference for this or that... my answer will probably be 90% of the time, I don't know... and this will be preceded by a long pause.:)

This is all expected, and within its time will go back to "normal"...I also feel the compulsive need to say goodbye to every single person and handshake/kiss them (as the greeting is in Mex) and chitchat before leaving. And I don't think that you do that here. But I'm afraid of offending, haha!

It's just mental things, like being prepared an hour beforehand to shower so that I can light the water heater.

I forget that you have to wear seatbelts, and the Briles' car keeps beeping like 3 minutes after I get in the car that I need to put my seatbelt on. And that's in the passenger seat!! I beat the seat belt beeper thought today for the first time!