Linda in the Arboretum

I've been back in the U.S. for about two weeks now. Despite, or perhaps--on account of--not being in this country for a year-and-a-half, it's been a comfortable transition. There have been previous times I've returned to the U.S. and found that it just wasn't the place I wanted to be at that particular moment. That's how I felt in late 2003 when circumstances compelled me to make a premature visit back to Seattle.

I'll be in Seattle off-and-on, mostly on, throughout this summer. It's been good to call on friends and family members and not have the time restriction I've had each of my visits over the last several years. All my visits over recent years were for a period of about one month in the country. Over those trips, my time was limited. I was booking stays, meals--even coffee with friends--well in advance. I'm taking it far easier this time around, just calling on people here and there as I feel.

Though I feel comfortable and at ease being in America this time around, there are things that I observe which--even two weeks after my arrival--still stand out in my mind:

• I'd always thought it a little condescending how so many visitors from the rest of the world first comment on how fat Americans are when relating their superficial impressions of the country. However, the truth is, that fact has really stood out in my mind going about town here. Walking down the street, every day I notice how plump such a percentage of the population is here.

• I can't believe the services offered for free by the Seattle Public Library. I'm not one of those bookworms who was in withdrawal for good books written in my native language while living abroad. However, I'm enthralled by what a great institution it is, available to anybody living in the city. The library system has all the titles I could want to check out. Placing a hold on a popular title and having the book transferred to my branch of choice is free. All branches have fast, free wi-fi. I've found the Central and Capitol Hill locations to be comfortable, convenient places to focus and get things done, such as writing my monthly article for World Vision magazine.

• I look at newspaper vending machines around the city and see such devices as something of the past. Who pays for a paper version of the newspaper when all the same content is freely available online? Who would put two quarters into a such a box to get their news?

  I'm sure my perspective is stilted by reading online news from Urumqi over the past several years, but I just can't imagine those old, blocky newspaper vending machines surviving many more years.

• It's still weird to walk down the street and hear English spoken. It should be obvious that I'll hear that language everywhere in this country, but I've spent so much time in areas where few people speak the language well, hearing normal American English yet seems strange to me. "Wow, that little kid speaks American English perfectly, with no trace of an accent. Oh, yeah. Of course. I'm in America. Duh."