Well, I at least meant to do you the favor of closing out this blog after having you all as my two-year pen pals in Bolivia, but my hope was to get all my pictures on-line to show you before doing so.  So, finally I have been able to do that at least for the pictures that I took during the trip with Hannah and everyone else in Peru.  The link is:

http://picasaweb.google.com/leatherbury.meagan

So I have been home for exactly a month and one day today.  Since I had the luxury of intermitent cell phone and internet access, as well as trips to the "big city" every month, I am not suffering, as some might suspect, much culture shock.  I found it hilarious and very fitting that a week after I got back we experienced two separate water-outage incidences in my parent`s house due to neighborhood water-main breaks.  They were talking on the news about boiling your drinking water, and I felt very at home.

I do think it is interesting some of the things I did take notice of after getting back.  They were:

1) the sound of song birds

2) how incredibly loud resturaunts are and the surprise at actually having to wait to be seated

3) how many times waiters will come to your table to check on you at a resturaunt

4) how many places have sidewalks

5) the smell of perfume

6) how expensive produce is (wah!)

7) tv with way too many channels than can be flipped through

8) houses with grass in their yards...GREEN grass

I`ve also noted some changes that others are probably noting now due to rising gas prices - a lot less cars on the road than I remembered.  Another heartening change I have noticed is how much more emphasis I am seeing placed on environmental issues in the media.  I see news stories and articles in the paper much more than I remember from two years ago.

At any rate, there are so many things that I missed about here while in Bolivia, and so many things I miss about Bolivia now that I`m back in the states.  Thankfully I am living with my parents and have a lot of friends around that are helping ease the transition.  It`s been a great 28 months getting to write you all and knowing that you were sharing in my experience.  I guess now comes the time to close this journal down, but hopefully keep in touch with you all in a much closer proximity now.

Love,

Meagan