Katie (my ex-girlfriend and current friend) has a post from when she was back in the U.S. after almost a year abroad listing the "Weirdest things so far." Many of the things that will be strange for me are on her list.

*Drinking fountains, with water you can drink out of

We can drink out of the ones at school but not elsewhere.

*You can drink the tap water

Yep. I've had a little bit, but it probably contributed to my mild digestive difficulties.

*Dollars are bills, not coins.

Yep. Single coins here as well. I read that if the U.S. managed to get us to adopt them we'd save a lot of money because the coins last much longer.

*Free refills

I guess. We don't have them but I hadn't really noticed. Today at Pizza Hut I noticed not being able to get free drinkable water.

*Cars that stay in their lanes

Hell yep.

*Cars that stop for pedestrians

H few do. We give them a thumbs up. Brazilians are all about giving each other the thumbs up. It rubs off.

*Driving for the first time in a year

Will probably be long enough to be a bit weird.

*Grocery stores

We have those.

*Even small children speak English

Yep.

*No one cares about football, of the soccer variety

Yep. Unless I run into a few grad students I know in History (and one in Comp Lit).

Though of course I'll have been gone for a much shorter period.