There's no place like home

I've been home a full week. I guess you could say I've been on a serious high because the second that plane landed at JFK I haven't been able to stop smiling and telling everyone how happy I am. The amount of energy and passion for life I've been feeling this past week is unmeasurable, barely describable and hopefully repeatable. Coming back to an apartment filled with delicious homemade food, a brand new big bed, hot water and no Chinese roommates has just been heavenly.

In typical Schu fashion, I didn't waste any time seeing friends or getting my life setup. I met with a headhunter Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after arriving home, bags still completely packed, jetlag in full effect, and ended up getting a job offer from this particular headhunter to work for her! WOW! It was so exciting and just added to the enormous amount of confidence and passion for life I have right now I couldn't have planned it better myself. Friday night was "schUSA" aka "Party in the schUSA", aka my welcome home party, hosted by CB. It was such a blast. All of my friends came, one of whom surprised me with an adorable t-shirt with a giant picture of my face on the front, and "party in the schUSA on the back." I knew I was excited to see all of my friends, but I really can't describe what it felt like after months "alone" to have so many people around me who know me so well and who were excited to see me. It made me so excited to be back in a familiar, comfortable setting, but also to turn over a new leaf here as a young professional (hopefully).

It hasn't really been long enough for me to process the past 9 months and feel nostalgic and really reflect on my time there, but I have definitely noticed some major differences and ways I have been affected by this past year:

1. I am SO patient. Literally when something goes wrong, the people around me are freaking out, screaming at each other, sweating, turning red, and I am totally calm. No pasa nada.
2. I've forgotten how to take the subway. Why can't I swipe the metro card right the first time?
3. Barnes & Nobles and Duane Reade are dreamy places that I walk around in for hours because I can't believe the AC capabilities along with the plethora of things they sell.
4. I can relate to people I met in Malaga who have visited New York and talk about it as, "the center of the world."
5. Grand Central is the meeting place for all good looking, corporate people in the tri-state area. Serious eye candy.
6. I look forward to leaving and entering my building every day so I can hang out with my doorman and speak Spanish.
7. New York is SO EXPENSIVE. Like I kind of am starting to miss the chino store where I was able to furnish my bedroom, kitchen and bathroom for 5euro.
8. New York is SO OVERCROWDED. Last Saturday night every bar on the LES had a 30 person line to get in and NO AC!

So all in all it's been a pretty seamless transition. I've had a few interviews already, and started my Portuguese classes and joined the gym. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my friends and seeing my family next week for Father's Day. Also, after much encouragement from friends and family, I've decided to continue "blogging," but please never refer to me as a "blogger," it sounds really lame. "An Offshore Account" will eventually retire, and I will start a new blog about my life in New York. You can expect a similar writing style and posts, such as restaurant reviews and quotes, but slightly racier content...