To Filter or Not To Filter

We are getting packed out of here in a 20-ft container. It's a lot of stuff and it isn't. But packing myself or not, there is still a lot to go through, decide whether to sell, chuck, keep, foist upon friends.

And there they were in the bottom kitchen drawer: some extra Brita filters, unopened. To go with our Brita filter pitcher, of course.

And then it struck me, after nearly 20 years of filtering my water for the deposits, for the taste, for the I-have-no-idea-why-but-it's-best: Do I really need to take the filter with me? Do they even have them in the US? And I didn't have an answer. I never used them growing up, but maybe people have started filtering their water since I left? How will I feel about blithely filling my electric teapot (gee, I hope they have those there!) from the tap, or pouring myself a cup of cold water and downing it without a thought? Or maybe they do have them and I should take it? Yes, truly clueless.

The reality of just how long I've been gone and how little I know about the foreign place whose passport (my only one) I hold hit me like a load of bricks. There was nothing for it. I fired off a query on Facebook: Do I need a Brita filter in the US? Hoping my friends rescue me from this conundrum!

Homeward Bound

After nearly 19 years abroad, I'm heading back to the US of A. It's an intimidating prospect. Absolutely daunting. This blog aims to give me room to vent, philosophize, seek help acclimatizing, provide insight to other returnees, and perhaps inspire "ordinary" Americans to look at their world differently. We'll see whether it accomplishes all that. But for starters...

Perhaps a few positive aspects about returning? I'm looking forward to...
The low price of peanut butter... the ease of getting things done in English... being closer to family.

I wish I could say "not feeling like a foreigner" because unfortunately, I'm sure I will still for quite some time. Do they have rehab for returning expats?

A few things I'm not looking forward to...
The potential for gaining weight... becoming complacent... the effort and expense of traveling outside the US.

Let the countdown begin! 20 more days to liftoff!




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Are you a returning expat with clues for the clueless? Speak up and help out a fellow returnee!