Warning: I wrote this blog post over the course of several weeks, as I kept forgetting about it, writing parts, getting distracted, and never finishing. So this may be one of the least cohesive posts I've written, but now it's done! So that's that.
Ah. So long, so sorry. I got back into the US at the end of July and I'm not really sure what happened to the last 8 weeks. I wrote once on my blog and outlined some of the things I wanted to do while I was at home and then the next day I deleted it because I didn't want to turn my blog into a stupid to-do list. Especially a to-do list of things that most people who read this don't actually care about. If I had an awesome to-do list like Get Gnarly with Charlie, that would be a different story... So maybe I should just write some things that I noticed are new/different. One thing for sure is that I had to readjust myself to the humor at my dad's bike shop. Everyone there has a pretty good sense of humor, but it often involves a heavy dose of sarcasm and a fair bit of strange voices and obscure references to customers or famous people that I am not used to. I think I've managed to adjust adequately, but it was a steep slope.
Other cool things about being back in the US involve riding my old bicycle, which was superbly upgraded by my dad while I was away. And in addition to riding bikes, riding bikes in Ames is soooo easy. There are so few people here that I can ride much faster, especially late at night, because there are no people, cars, trams, cobblestones, or complex intersections. Also I have enjoyed a lot of good American traditions like drive thru Mexican food, bourbon whiskey, and tequila. Not like these things don't exist in Germany but it's just so much more plentiful here.
That being said, I am very much looking forward to my return to Germany. Erika and I have done long-distance stuff for so long that you would think we would be used to it by now. However, that is not the case and the last few weeks especially have seemed to last forever. My brain won't let me be in Ames peacefully and as a result I have been slowly piecing together all sorts of items to take back with me. A few more bicycle related accessories, a few more documents, and hopefully a goddamn internship waiting for me in February would be perfect.
Did I mention I still haven't found an internship yet? I am not sure if I am just terrible at applying, or that I'm applying for positions out of my area/qualifications, or if I just have bad luck. Maybe some of both? One of the lazier people I know recently picked up an internship, so what does that make me?
