Honky-Tonkin'

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(My TEFL teacher taught me that a very common form of culture shock is when people start to desire things that are only from their own culture/country and everything else seems inferior. That's where I am right now, so please don't be offended. It will pass.)

Chattanooga

Grocery shopping with my mom was incredible to me, because I'd forgotten how big American stores are. There's so much variety! There's so much space between the isles! And people actually get out of your way when you need to pass! In the UK, it's a small, tight fit, and people won't get out of your way; they just stand there and expect you to either get around them or just wait until they move. And that man actually stopped when he saw that we both were heading for the same spot, and he said, "Go ahead," with a smile! I turn to Mom and say, "That would not have happened in England!"

I spend about three days at my mom's house and three days at my dad's house. Being with my family for Christmas is so nice, because I'd been extremely homesick and missing all things American.

My mother let me borrow her car for my visit to Nashville, but it breaks down about a mile from the house. (Which makes me feel guilty, of course, because I am the one driving it when it dies!) My sister is kind enough to let me use hers. (Thanks, Rhiannon! I love you, and I owe ya one!)

Murfreesboro

Before I moved to London, I lived with my friend, Rebekah, in her house. She was the main person I wanted to visit. I'd missed her sooo much! She was more than a roommate, more than a friend; she was a sister.

As I pull into the driveway, I notice that the house looks the same. Inside, it smells the same. I LOVE the way it smells! It's a comforting, home-like smell that relaxes people. And Rebekah is still her same, beautiful self! We laugh and jump and hug each other. Then, we're out the door for some honky-tonkin' in Nashville. I've been waiting for this night for a loooong time.

Nashville

The night is warm, and my arms tingle with the freedom that comes from the absence of a heavy winter coat. We walk down 2nd Avenue and Broadway, where all the honky-tonks are, where musicians come from all over the United States with their dreams of making a name for themselves in Nashville. Guitarists and banjo-ists sit on every corner, strumming and singing for coins.

Jack's BBQ for dinner! It's famous for its oddly-shaped sign out front, which I've seen in a couple of country music videos. My favorite barbeque joint in Nashville, Jack's is this old hole-in-the-wall with real smoked barbeque and different sauces from various regions of the U.S. I wish I could say the Memphis sauce was the best, but it's actually the St. Louis. If you've never had St. Louis BBQ, you're missing out. I could drink a big frosty mug of that sauce.

After we eat there, Rebekah and I pop in and out of a few bars, having a beer, dancing, and listening to the bands play. In London, we'd have to pay a cover charge for each place we entered, and tonight would have cost a fortune! But since we're in Nashville, the Music City, we don't pay a darn thang!

Everyone is so friendly! The doorman who checks people's ID's chats with us. Tourists on the street who are just in town for the holidays start a conversation with us. Anybody we are standing near would smile and ask a question and talk to us. A Nashville Predators' hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings let out, and now we are overrrun with yankees. Not that we mind. They tip back the beers and sing and dance with us, all the while proclaiming, "We always love Nashville!"

I'm on top of the world. It's so good to be home.

We go to Coyote Ugly and wind up dancing on the bar, which is mostly my doing. Rebekah is like, "Alicia, I'm gonna kill you!"

We go to some dance club near B. B. King's and spot Billy Ray Cyrus. He's playing at the Wildhorse Saloon tomorrow night. And he's practically sitting on my coat, which I'd placed near the DJ stand to keep it safe. Whatever.

Unfortunately, jet lag creeps in, and I have to call it a night by 11:30 (which is 5:30 a.m. in London). I'm so exhausted, I feel sick to my stomache. Rebekah is a good sport about it, so we leave. She's a good friend.

Murfreesboro

Lying on the familiar mattress, my body is relaxed, my brows unfurrowed and my jaw unclenched for the first time in months. I fall asleep in my old bedroom, still sniffing the soft scent of the sweet Glade Plug-in I stuck in the wall six months ago. It feels like I've finally come home.

I wonder, why did I ever leave this place?

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