It's been five days since I returned to the USA, and I knew even before landing that it would be a strange experience. Eleven months was the longest I was ever away from the country, and by far the longest I was away from family and friends. It's hard to say if some of what I experienced was due to repatriation or from jet lag, but it was a bit surreal coming back. Here's a list of observations in no particular order of importance:

Americans are fat. There is no other way to sugar-coat this statement. As a nation, we're fat. In Seoul, it's so unusual to see someone overweight that when you do you can't help but note it. I remember driving once with a colleague and an overweight Korean girl walked in front of the car and we both turned to each other and nodded, thinking "what happen?" I'm not telling you anything that as a nation we don't already know. According to the latest statistics 65% of American are classified as overweight. This problem is never more apparent then when you've been away from it for a while.
Along with being fat, Americans wear clothes that are too big for them. I'm not suggesting switching to jeans so tight you can tell whether one is circumcised or not (as with many Korean boys), but at least wear something that doesn't make you look as if you're swimming in fabric. I'm going to channel my inner Clinton Kelly from What Not To Wear and say that your best friend is a local tailor. People would actually look less fat if they wore better fitting clothes. I'm not suggesting paying for custom fitting garments, but have the legs tapered a bit, or go down a size or two so that the clothes aren't so baggy. And stop wearing clothes that belong in the gym. I don't think I've ever seen a Korean wearing sneakers outside of the gym.
American supermarkets are like a trip to mecca. My first trip to Hannaford's was surreal. To walk into the produce section and see every available product out there was awe-inspiring. As I noted in many past blogs, grocery shopping in Seoul is frustrating. Finding herbs, certain vegetables, spices, cheeses, and fruits is difficult. In Seoul, you buy what is seasonable. When strawberries are out of season, that's it. No more strawberries. Products not grown in Korea are rarely brought in, such as limes. Koreans make do with what they raise. There's no lack of ginseng or bok choy, but finding green beans is not possible.
Not understanding the language can be a blessing. As with text that cannot help but be read upon looking at, conversations cannot helped but be heard. Since I do not speak Korean, conversations that occur around me are incomprehensible, and hence dialogue becomes background noise. I never realized how much I appreciated not having to listen to conversations until I arrived home. Granted, sometimes what other people say can be quite amusing, but listening to two men in McDonald's talk about how Obama is a Muslim and Hillary is card-carrying dyke isn't the most conducive to one's inner peace.
Trees are great. It's so wonderful to see so much greenery again. Seoul is the proverbial concrete jungle. Where we live in Seongnam isn't so bad because we have a great park near us where one can commune with nature, but inside the city limits, it's rare to see trees. Unlike Japanese cities, the Koreans haven't mastered the art of tranquil public spaces.
Bread is everywhere. Before arriving home, I rarely ate bread. I never bought it, and when I went out to eat, it was never offered. The first thing they give you in a restaurant in the US is a basket of bread. Most menu options for lunch include sandwiches. We're a bread culture (refer back to #1) and it's difficult to avoid eating it. Don't get me wrong. I love bread. LOVE IT. But it does make me feel bloated and my system right now is having a hard time adjusting to American food.
I have to tip? Wow, I don't miss that in Seoul.
I miss walking. Though it's a pleasure driving around in Maine, I realized that I haven't walked more than hundred feet at any given stretch since arriving home. In Seoul, I walk everywhere. It's a 10-minute walk just to the metro, and then once inside, you walk long corridors, and up and down hundreds of stairs.
I can make phone calls. This thought didn't occur to me until last night when I was sitting out on the deck and realized I can just call people I haven't spoken to in ages. In Seoul, everyone texts. I don't call home at all because of the cost, so I usually Skype or use FaceTime. In Seoul, everyone uses an app called Kakao. I text everyone, even people who live right above me!
I can say "Excuse me" and people get out of my way - they even apologize and smile. In Seoul I could scream and maybe someone would look up, but they certainly wouldn't move. If you want to pass someone in Seoul, you just push by them. I'm not used to that notion nor will I ever get used to that notion.

Ten is a nice round number so I'll stop here, but one final note. Breathe deep, Americans. The air quality here, especially in Maine, is so wonderful it cannot be put into words. Seoul is far from awful, but on bad days, it's terrible. It can get so bad you can feel the yellow dust on your teeth. The cobalt blue skies here in Maine are rare days in Seoul. Take a moment to appreciate them. Go outside - take a walk, say excuse me, and eat less bread.