Countdown til America!

Here it is, less than a week left in Cairo, and I am oh so ready to come home. Although this has definitely been a summer to remember, I’m ready for it to be over. I’ve already packed most of my belongings, save for the things I will need in the next few days.

Given the current state of airline regulations, I’ve been very careful to balance out my baggage weight. I am allowed 2 checked bags weighing no more than 50lbs (23kg) each, and a carry-on weighing no more than 40 lb. I don’t think I’m going to have much of a problem with the 2 checked bags, but my carry-on may pose a slight problem: I packed all of my books in it. I came to Cairo with about 10 books, I bought about 6 more when I was here, and then I have about 5 more textbooks that I got here. I’m bringing a library home.

I know that once I get back home, I’ll definitely miss some things about Egypt. But at the same time, I think that the things I miss about the US outweigh the things that I will miss about Egypt. But who knows? Perhaps I really will miss tons of things about this country and all the crazy experiences we’ve had here!

Anyway, the purpose of this post is just to say: Here I come America! With tons of luggage, photos, and memories!

On another note, I’m thinking about how my life will be different when I get back home. One of my main concerns will be my ability to eat food. It has taken me all summer and two rounds of hardcore antibiotics to finally adjust my stomach to some the food here. I worry that my poor little digestive system will decide that it doesn’t like the food in the US too. But, I have hope that it will forgive me, like the food, and not punish me for the things I put in it this summer: namely, unsafe food.

I’m also wondering how I will adjust to the different clothing standards in the US. Will I see a girl in shorts and a tank-top and think “That girl needs to put more clothes on!”? Will I be too cold to wear shorts? Will I be too self-conscious about showing my shoulders in public? Well, in all honesty, I don’t think my reactions will be that extreme, but I do wonder about me feeling cold in all of the hot weather. I’ve become somewhat accustomed to winter-wear in the 100 degree heat.