Home.

This week I went from playing with baby elephants in shorts and a tank topto long underwear and crusty old gray snow.

And yet, it is so good to be home. The seven weeks of travel were absolutely delightful and filled to the brim with people I love dearly and see rarely. However, having all of my belongings tucked away where they actually belong? Hiding the suitcases from sight? Waking up and having a hot cup of home brewed coffee in my reading chair? Wonderfully welcome after many weeks on the road.

Also welcome were a few changes that happened during my weeks away. Turns out in my two month absence, our city went from being a podunk train stop in between booming metropolises to the big time. Not only did the city welcome its first Watson*s (pharmacy/drug store with delightful amenities like razors and lotion that actually soothes dry skin), but it also welcomed Pizza Hut.

Yes, Pizza Hut. A real one. As in a beautiful shining oasis of cheese in the middle of a desert of Chinese cuisine. Before departing a few weeks ago, my teammate Mark mentioned seeing a sign advertising the coming of pizza hut. All of us doubted the validity of the report. We believed he had seen the advertisement, but figured some random Uncle Wang had borrowed the pizza hut logo to advertise for his new shop. Intellectual property rights and logos? Not respected so much in these parts.

But sure enough, it’s the real deal. Right smack downtown. And as if that’s not enough, there’s a shiny new grocery store directly below it. That sells previously unseen items like avocados and pasta, and–get this–real American ice cream. Our lives will never be the same, and the end of times is quite possibly coming.

The other great change to our city? The return of the Wus, complete with the newest member of the family. It’s shaping up to be a good semester round these parts.