I have always had this little fantasy of going into a coma for a year, then waking up and getting to read all the old Time Magazines. Or newspapers, or watch the TV clips or what have you. And with a month left to go in Jordan, I realised I’ve kind of achieved this sans the memory loss or brain damage. 

Last weekend in Tel Aviv (in addition to feeling distinctly less beautiful than just about everyone on the beach there), I was skimming through a magazine and saw a fashion spread with this Q&A with some girl. “What trends have got to go?” the magazine asked. “indian pants, leggings, tunic shirts, flat sandals,” it answered back. Great, I thought— everything I’ve been wearing for the last 8 months. I happily bought myself another pair of these harem pants a few weeks ago— with some boots and a light cotton blouse, it’s great for camel riding. Just saying.

Beyond fashion- to which I’ve admittedly never paid too much attention in the US- I really don’t know what’s going on over there. I know the shit is about to hit the proverbial fan in Congress. I know the south was having some bad weather for a while there. I get daily weather updates from my mother in Las Vegas. I heard recently that America’s debt is something like triple that of France, UK & Germany combined. But going back, I’m not going to know all these new jokes and cultural references that have emerged since I’ve been gone. Whatever inside jokes I had with friends via the internet back home, those have been replaced by lame-ish Arabizi jokes (“estanna shway… y3nni shut the hell up.”)

I started listening to NPR’s “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me” again recently, for the first time in months. And of course there are things that are just funny, but a lot of it I didn’t get. The thing that struck me was when they started making fun of some politician or other, even started poking fun at Obama, I instinctively nearly turned it off. It was strange to hear people openly criticising people in power. Making fun of their sexual escapades, the way they dress, the way they speak.

The point is, in some ways I’m approaching going to America with as much curiosity as I did when I came to Jordan. A change of scenery is certainly always good for that. I am worried about the reverse culture shock, but not as worried as I used to be. I’m making plans to try to keep myself engaged and interested over there. I don’t want to go there and wonder “what the fuck did I come back for?”

I’m ready to start something new, at least for a while. And whatever it is, it’s only temporary.