Travel Day Misery: An American Expat’s Two Homes
It is my travel day of misery. If you are reading this, I am at the airport in Tampa, waiting for my flight home from home. Yeah, that is the conundrum. I am leaving after five weeks with my kids and grandkids, in the country I grew up in, to return to my adopted expat home of Brazil.
My travel Adventure
It is an odd feeling. I miss my wife and son in Brazil, so I come back to my original home to see the people I miss here, only to miss them again when I leave to go home. Apparently, at this stage of life, I have managed to make myself homesick in two countries.
I can look at my kids, see the people they have become and all they are doing, and feel proud of them. That makes leaving a little harder, but it is a good problem to have.
I will be in Tampa for about six hours before my flight. I go to the airport early because I am less anxious watching people than sitting at home waiting to leave. I will then have a 7.5-hour layover in Miami, one of the most miserable airports I know, before boarding my flight to Brazil around midnight. I should land in Rio by 9 a.m., Wednesday and then it is back to normal.
The last ten days, I watched a Patriots game with my son before returning to my daughter’s house for the final week. We spent our evenings talking and watching TV, which was great. Sometimes the best part of a visit is just being together without having to do anything special.
To wrap up the adventure, here are a few oddities and observations from my time here.
I went to three Starbucks in the last week. None of them had coffee. They had run out. How is that even possible? It’s like going to a bakery and being told they are out of bread. I settled on Dunkin Donuts coffee.
I saw a woman in Target with toenails so long she could climb a tree like a spider monkey. I have no idea what practical purpose those things serve, but I admire the commitment.
I have written several times about my distaste for the book Atlas Shrugged. I was in a thrift store with my daughter, looking through the books, when I found three copies of that literary trash sitting on the shelf. What are the odds? Apparently, even the thrift stores can’t get rid of it.
Two grandkids can keep you very busy. It was fun watching them play, go to school, and attend swimming lessons. The 3 a.m. “I want out!” routine, however, I could have done without. There is a reason grandparents get to hand the kids back.
I ate a lot of pancakes. You can’t get them easily in Brazil, so I made sure to get my fill while I could. Some people bring home souvenirs. I bring home memories and an adequate supply of pancakes in my stomach.
This was a good time of year to visit Florida. The temperatures were reasonably comfortable, which made a nice change from the usual Florida experience of feeling like you are living inside a damp towel.
I did see a guy in a G-O-A-T shirt, of course I thought he was a Tom Brady fan until he turned around and it said, God Over All Things. It was ironic since he was screaming at his girlfriend or wife in the parking lot. Maybe a bad choice of shirt.
I saw a woman in Target fully dressed as Buzz light year, shoes, shirt, socks, hat, even the watch band. It was a bit odd, but this is Florida and you just never know.
This is a cool hat I saw shopping with my daughter. I wanted to get it for her but I got the stink eye.
The door on a store we went into said pull but we pushed it to go in. I mentioned this to the guy at the counter, he said “It swings both ways” I wanted to respond but I got the stink eye again.
My daughter’s neighbor goes in the pool topless. That was a bonus. I will leave it at that.
I watched the entire Big Bang Theory series again. I don’t get it in Brazil, so I took advantage of the opportunity. Some people use a trip home to visit museums or historic sites. I binge-watched a sitcom. We all have our priorities.
I am looking forward to sleeping in a real bed again. I have been using an airbed, and it is actually very comfortable, but it is still not a bed. There is a difference, and I am ready to rediscover it.
I am also looking forward to normal room temperatures. My daughter keeps her house around 65 degrees. I had shrinkage. See? I can work a Seinfeld reference into just about anything.
And with that, my American visit comes to an end. I will miss the kids and grandkids, the time together, and the little things that make coming home worthwhile. But I am also looking forward to seeing my wife and son, getting back to my routine, and sleeping in a room where I don’t need a sweater.
Home is a funny thing. Sometimes you leave one home to return to another, and somehow both are yours.
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