Surprising

It is always interesting to me what surprises me when I step onto American soil. This trip has been no different--and I haven't even been here a week.

--hearing English--I still find myself turning my head instinctively at times to see if it happens to be a tourist or who might be speaking English-forgetting that the vast majority of people here speak English relatively fluently
--speaking English--"I need to find a wedding for my brother's dress."--as the table around me started laughing, I couldn't even figure out what I had said wrong-I did eventually figure it out, it just took some time
--road construction--since when has the entrance ramp to go North on 35 from 185th been on the right side of the road instead of the left
--expansion--where did that Rainbow Foods come from? I can't use the same landmarks anymore because they aren't the same. I have come to expect this in Romania where we still refer to a corner as the 'Budapesta' even though it hasn't been there since I arrived, but having it happen in Lakeville is a bit strange.
--time--it used to be that I would struggle through an hour drive, but after traveling for almost 12 hours, it seems like an hour just isn't long enough to get the car to the right temperature and find the right radio station
--heat--since when did the temperature in MN get up past 100? and why wasn't I notified that it would suddenly drop to 80 necessitating warm clothes
--trust--at least for me (in Romania), I wouldn't even consider leaving my laptop unsupervised while I ran to refill my drink (especially since you don't get refills in Romania), it seems to be pretty standard to trust people and to leave your things alone
--gas prices--$18 buys a monthly transportation pass for me so to pay $42 to fill up a car is a bit of a shock! Compared to prices in Europe, I know this isn't much, but I don't buy gas in Europe.
--driving--I sat at a red light the other day--waiting for the turn signal--a honk from the car behind me reminded me that it really is ok to turn right on red-most of the time.

Change--I guess after a year, I shouldn't be so surprised that things have changed, but I still find myself caught off-guard.