You know you're in the U.S. when......

*Note: this is a very special edition of the "You know you're in a foreign country" series, based on my thoughts and observations upon returning to the U.S after 13 months.

You know you're in the U.S. when.........


*Starbucks is around every corner
*You walk 10 blocks to and from a restaurant(in the evening) and don't pass a single other pedestrian.
*You have ice in every beverage....without asking! Or anyone scolding you about getting sick!
*You're walking down the street and everyone says hello or good morning to you.
*A stranger is passing, greets you, asks how you're doing and you're so surprised that you can't respond until after they have already passed.
*You're no longer used to AC and are cold in almost every building.
*You walk into a store and are stunned by how neat and orderly everything is and how wide the aisles are.
*You get super excited about having a good hamburger(and you don't even like meat that much).
*You can have Mexican food at a restaurant where there are REAL Mexicans and they don't cook the fajitas in soy sauce.
*You can buy corn chips, salsa, sharp cheddar, Hot sauce, non-fish flavored potato chips, etc.
*Every family owns at least two cars and lives in a home large enough for several families.
*You're overwhelmed by all the young Yuppies and their wealth.
*Everything and everyone is soooo clean.
*You can walk down the street in sandals and your feet aren't dirty when you get home.
*There are no wild dog packs roaming the street
*There are no people walking down the streets drinking beer or riding the buses drinking beer or sitting around drinking beer.
*Almost everyone has perfect teeth
*Buses go by and there's hardly anyone on them
*Almost all of the pedestrians are people walking or running for exercise, not to get from one point to the other.
*You don't hear the screech of the buses outside the window or the barking of the wild dogs or the yelling of the man selling fresh milk and cheese from the trunk of his car(straight from the farm).