All-American Weekend

At the Yankees's game
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I returned to the United States in the middle of last week... arrived in Philadelphia and when the immigration officer said "welcome home" to me, I felt pretty excited for the first time. It's kind of strange to be back.  Everyone was speaking English!  I knew exactly how everything was going to work!  And everything looked so new and nice and clean and... well, normal. :)  I think I missed the familiarity of things more than anything else really, and it also helps not to have to think so hard just to communicate with people. I think I will be ok being back; I was a little afraid that I would freak out and need to return immediately to South America, but so far I am doing ok. I stayed in Philly with Mom and George for a couple of days before returning to NYC.  We had a nice time and they eased my transition back to reality, which was really nice.

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I got back to NYC on Friday to somewhat of a nightmare at my apartment -- a two inch thick layer of dust covering everything (ok, I am exaggerating, but still it was dusty) because they were gutting the apartment next door.  So, knowing that my dad, stepmom, sister, stepsister and sister-in-law would be arriving about 2 hours later that afternoon, I quickly unpacked and cleaned up and prepared for what ended up being a really fabulous re-entry to the great city of New York.

Dad's favorite subway stop
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We baked and broiled at the Yankee's game on Saturday -- 95 degrees made worthy after seeing A-Rod hit his 500th homerun on the very first try. I shared an italian sausage with Erin, had cheese fries, a beer and some peanuts.  We visited some of my very favorite spots this past weekend: Beyoglu on the Upper East Side, Tamarind in Flatiron, Norma's at Le Parker Meridian, The Banshee (my neighborhood pub), Cipriani Downtown, Cafe Noir in Soho, Carl Schurz Park, Central Park, The MET, The Guggenheim, and so much more!  It was a beautiful weekend in New York and couldn't have been a better way to welcome me back.

the stadium
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Now, off to Lake Winnipesaukee (in New Hampshire) with the other side of the family for a week.