Home in Ohio - Part 1of Holiday Home

Once a year, every year, since I started living abroad, I have visited home and this year was no different. Of course, I was motivated to come by the prospects of being in my friend's wedding, getting to eat my way through New York City, and seeing my family.

Tyler and Me

I spent the first week back in good ol' Medway, Ohio with my Dad. It was as usual. I went shopping, visited the family, etc. I also went through all my old things in the back bedroom and thought of what it would be like to have this stuff out of boxes. And of course, I got to see one of my nephews, Tyler. He is my brother's son and two years old. He didn't know what to think of me but hopefully he had a fun few days of being spoiled!

Being in Ohio this year was like a breath of fresh air. The contrast of Ohio and Moscow are huge. I liked seeing all the green grass, the traffic moving quickly along, the friendly smiles, and excellent costumer service.

But being at home also makes me realize every year why I don't stay. Many people don't understand how wonderful their lives really are and don't appreciate the things around them. They live in excess and eat way, way too much food. I know that if you haven't left the United States then it is harder to understand why I am writing these things. I just don't want to get caught in that same trap. It appears that people in Ohio just sit and eat. The motivation/ambition factor is really very low. Don't people want to make their lives better? I understand there are obstacles and difficulties, but you gotta keep your eyes on the prize and look past that. And I won't accept that people's goals are to just live above poverty and shop at wal-mart, even if they aren't motivated by the same things as me. There are other kinds of motivation that lead to success. But I realize that my negative thoughts do not apply to everyone in Ohio, perhaps just to the people closest to me.

After that little rant, I would like to say there is no other place I would rather live than the US. But when I come back, I am going to bring back the things I have learned from Europe and Asia. Things like; don't waste your resources, there is never a reason to be impolite and rude, and taking an interest in things you don't understand can lead to amazing experiences.