Well, I'm home. In total, the plane ride was about seven hours. I landed in Salt Lake Thursday night at about 4:30 pm. As I neared the escalator that takes you down to the luggage area, I peeked around the corner to see if I could see my family and heard my mom yell, "There she is!" As I stepped off the escalator, my little sister (who is now taller than me) ran in front of the group to give me the first hug, then my mom came, then my dad grabbed on to me and started bawling. The moment was nothing like I had ever imagined it. I was happy, but it felt surreal, as if it weren't really happening. My brother hugged me next, we grabbed my suitcases, and they took me outside to the cold winter air. Less than four hours later, I was released as a full-time missionary. Taking off that plaque was like finally accepting the reality of coming home. El Salvador feels very far away.
There are some weird things about coming home...
#1: My house is bigger. It didn't actually get bigger, I'd just forgotten. It is a bit bigger than a typical house in El Salvador.
#2: My family is bigger. My siblings and cousins have grown a lot.
#3: The shower has hot water. The first time I took a shower at home, I had to re-figure out how to work the hot water.
#4: The toilet flushes. Not only that, but you don't have to throw the hygienic paper in the wastebasket.
#5: I can't speak in straight English. Other ex-missionaries have told me it will take a week or two to remember all my words in English again.
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