So, the flying was fine, that baby was fine, even security was not as bad as aniticpated, even though they did make me take the baby's slippers off twice in St Louis. I don't think I was quite prepared for the shock of how much everything had changed. I had never been to my mother's condo and I think she has been there for over 10 years. It is quite a nice little place she has, but I didn't recognize anything really. My old school, the shopping mall, the major roads, even downtown is all different.
But it all seems to be fast food places. It is really weird, there are restaurants everywhere, and my mother drove me around town pointing out all the places she and her friends eat. I went out for lunch 6 times in two weeks, which I NEVER do, and it was getting to me a bit. Especially since the quality of the food was questionable in most places. Everything is protein, fat and carbohydrate. I had to balance it out with lots of salads made at home. :-) I can really understand why Americans are the fattest people on the planet.
I don't know how the economy can support all of these eating establishments. It was surprising, like the Osaka Sushi bar and Steak house, or the nice cafe we went to (Garden of Eat'n) where I ordered the Greek salad, and got tinned olives and grated feta on an iceburg lettuce base. :-)
So, there were lots of high points. My mother getting to see the baby, and how happy that made her. I have little snippets of memory like Baby holding up her arms to Grandma to be picked up, and the Budweiser beer mats which were Babe's favourite toy; the little table that helped her get walking, and my mother's amusement at the bum shuffle little one does. :-) Grandma got to be Grandma and bought things for grandkids, and show off the baby to her friends.
I did get a bit stir crazy and had to get out for a walk at Washington Park. It was beautiful weather the whole time we were there, and the autumnal colours are quite pretty. Baby and I played in the play park with some little Illinoisians, and then went for a long walk.
We visited lots of friends and family.
Uncle Bob
Aunt Edith
Edna Jayne
Cousin Libby
Aunt Norma, Leo and Hunter
Cousins Theresa and Russ at Mac's Fire and Safety.
Abraham Lincoln
Susannah and her lovely family
They do Halloween BIG!
I am left feeling like I had a nice time, and I am glad I went, although I realized how much I actually like my life here in Manchester. I often complain about some aspects of city living, but I like that we can walk just about everywhere we need to, that we have some public transport, that the area we live in is ethnically diverse, and there are good shops to buy quality food, even if we can't always afford it. :-) Things are slightly more expensive here, but it is home now, and I think I finally realized that. I feel really American at heart. I have qualities that my friends think are American, like my frankness, or lack of decorum. :-) My ideas about personal liberty, and the ideals that America was founded on, but based in a 21st C realism. America is not the land of the free for all of its ideology. I noticed huge race issues in the areas I was in; and political divisiveness since I was there for the election - and I voted! I noticed huge class differences, but the ideology that working class midwestern Americans hold mean that they don't even know they are working class. The American dream means everybody expects to have their share of the pie eventually, but they don't control anything. Most people are just living their lives, which was nice in a personal sense, but odd in a political sense. Especially since so many of my friends are very political and all of the personal choices we make have political consequences. America is more about religion than politics, whereas the British would think religion a private thing, or even an odd thing. :-) The Americans I met were really quite nice and chatty, and there is a lot more stopping to say hello to people, even strangers, than you ever get in Manchester. Partly, that is urban differences, and partly cultural differences.
There were nice bits and weird bits. But this is my home. It was nice to catch up with people, and to slot right in with some people, like we haven't seen each other in weeks rather than in nearly 20 years. It was nice to meet new people, and see my mother enjoy the baby. And it was nice to come home again.
I will probably post more, as I have the time, and things occur to me. But that is probably way more than enough for now.
