Americana

USA reverse culture shock stream of consciousness... immigration easier than expected for my colombiano (how long are you staying? no plans to move here? okay. stamp, stamp. bienvenidos), less sweltering than augusts remembered but we've stayed mainly in the shade, microwaving homemade chocolate chip cookies, Spanish is the official language of San Antonio, TV!, A/C, fast internet, drinking from the tap and flushing the toilet paper feels so wrong, bluetooth everything, love handles is a lot nicer sounding than fat rolls, next to no one out on the suburban streets, so many nice new cars, that big blue sky, amazing Texas clouds, sibling love and bickering, bladi met my 93 y.o. grandma virginia gonzales and danced with her in the kitchen to buena vista social club, highways, packaged foods, refrigerator, washer/dryer, everything is so convenient, lawn mowers, fresh cut grass smell, old photo albums, "queso" meaning melted yellow cheese, chips, dips, cheesecake, toys, hand-me-downs, hugs and the heat, my god, the heat! Y'all.Second Round.Childhood haunts. Permed hair in photos, my old schools, Deep Wood Elementary, Chisholm Trail MS, RRHS. From a distance. Screens are like crack. jjjjj key on my new Dell laptop keeps popping off. J! Jade feliz. So much of everything! Driving again is fun. I remember how. Though I can get lost in Austin. So many carreteras, so many lanes. So much deep fried goodness. Splenda - noooo! Gimme panela. I miss the lake. I am grateful to be here. Department stores. Parking lots. Get us away from the TV. Sudden showers. Scattered thunderstorms. Cool, Humid, this is not the August weather I warned Bladi about. Sunglasses, screams, running, playing. Dharma yoga save me. Round Rock. Dell HQ. Overpasses. Underpasses. Big freezers. Ice machines. Ice. See y'all later.