things have changed

in america.

and this will be very evident to me when i return (in five months!). but i am curious as to exactly what has changed. some things i guess i'll expect (i've heard about a singer named lady gaga?) but others will certainly surprise me.

so i've been asking some friends lately what they think will be the biggest surprises to me when i return. their answers have been funny.

my friend janet says that the phones will be the surprise to me. that they have become very high-tech and that people are overly dependent on them. she says she can even deposit checks using her phone!

my friend jessi told me that the economy/job market will be a noticeable change. she says it's still really hard to get jobs and that people spend a lot less money now than what they used to.

and she said the other thing that would surprise me is the curly lightbulbs that congress has mandated everyone to use.

the curly lightbulbs are also popular here, but they are not required by the government. and jessi told me about the special instructions in case one breaks, that you should evacuate the room, don't vacuum it, etc.

this was funny to me, because when one burns out in ghana, you just throw it as hard as you can into the adjoining field, so it WILL break. and then the little barefoot children walk through that field...

so perhaps the surprise to me will be just how regulatory america is, at least in comparison to ghana.

anyway, this is a topic that's very interesting and entertaining to me. what do YOU think will be the most surprising way that i will notice america has changed?