Ladies and gentlemen, we have re-entered the country. Despite my longish hair (I can hear my father from here - “you look like a terrorist”), bloodshot eyes from a sleepless night on the flight from Sydney, and a passport full of random stamps, we were waved back into the 50th state with a warm “welcome home” from the customs agent.
It's wonderful to be here, and also somewhat bittersweet. Andrea and I haven't spent more than two straight weeks in the US in more than three years – so there is excitement but also some sadness that this chapter of our overseas life has now ended.
Luckily, Hawaii is a brilliant place for such a re-entry because as far as US states go, it's actually more of a halfway house. We are over 2,000 miles from the mainland, the people are different, the food is different, and there is a natural beauty to these islands that's almost impossible to beat. And as far as I can tell, nothing stressful has happened in Hawaii since December 1941.
At the same time, we are back on the US dollar, we've already rejoined car culture by driving absolutely everywhere (stay on the right Brian, stay on the right Brian), and we are enjoying the local bounty – we've had homemade salsa and chips from the Big Island, beers from Kona Brewing Company, and some amazingly fresh opah fish on the grill – and it all feels great.
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Enjoy some poi and say hello to Dog the Bounty Hunter for me.
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