I went back to the US to visit my friends and family for Christmas. Manila-Japan-Detroit-Tampa, then Tampa-DC, DC-Tampa, Tampa-Detroit-Japan-Manila, again. Ten plane rides in under two weeks, and I only missed one of those flights! A-. Upon arriving in Detroit, my first point of entry to the US, I went straight to the newspaper stand and purchased a copy of US Weekly, People, In Touch, and Okay magazine. I then went to Chili's, ordered a cheese burger, and indulged in two great American past-times: greasy food and celebrity gossip. It was as satisfying as it sounds. Being back in the US was delightful. At customs, when lines filled up, another booth opened, and a woman shouted for everyone to "get moving people! a new line's open right here!" Efficiency! Going through customs when I arrived back in Manila, I lost my custom declaration form somewhere between the customs booth and baggage claim. Therefore, I could not submit the forms to the officials checking them on the way out. They looked at me for a minute, shrugged, and let me pass. It was such a pleasure to breath fresh air, walk on clean sidewalks, use a credit card anywhere for anything, eat good pizza, and sleep noise-free at night. It's an adjustment to be back, I didn't leave my apartment for a good 12 hours once I returned. Slowly, I'm working up the stamina to brave Manila, and all its glory, after exposing myself to such a delicate existence back in the first world.