Halfway there

Well, I made it to the LA airport. I suppose that's half way there. I was so happy to leave Taipei. In fact, I couldn't even wait to get out of the aiport. I felt like people kept invading my space amd trying to take advantage of me (it's cultural). The flight was enjoyable - I sat and watched movie after movie. I recommend "The Love Song of Bobby Long" starring John Travolta and Scarlett Johanasson, which I had not heard of, but which made me cry.

Well, the US government still has me listed as a student, so I had to go sit in a waiting room with a bunch of suspicious looking characters. The customs people were all very jovial, which suprised me. The guy suggested i always leave extra time for transit, because he says it will be years before I get cleared out of their system.

Being in the US is more of a shock than I thought it would be. I think part of it is that I have so many different memories of trips coming and going through here. All the corners our groups were shuffled into and told to stay. The bad memories of group travel and unfamiliar jetlag. Just the fact that everyone around me is mostly caucasian and mostly speaking English is startling. Every interaction I have had with the counter staff and store clerks has seemed so friendly and personal. After Taipei, everyone in LA seems down-home friendly!

I'm still anxious to be back in Canada. I almost laughed when they told me there was a problem with my student visa, because I felt like saying "I spent four years in this country - you couldn't pay me to sneak back in!" In Canada everyone will be even more polite, and no one will invade my personal space, or so I hope.