Arriving in US

Back in the US (well, the Detroit airport, anyway)! The flight across the Atlantic seemed twice as long on the way home as on the way there - of course, we got business class on the way there...

First impressions: clean, spacious, well-maintained facility; dependable electricity and toilet paper; clear paths to follow to get through border patrol, customs, baggage collection, and baggage re-check (I love computers and hand scanners - so much more efficient than waiting for folks to handwrite stuff and find a scrap of carbon paper every darn time). Much more diversity of people here than Nigeria(asian, indian, etc.), though I admit I can't yet see the subtle differences among the African tribes (Tiv, Fulani, etc.). It surprises me how much more casual people are in how they dress (mostly shorts or jeans, baseball caps, t-shirts), mannerisms (louder talking, slouching, bigger gestures, more joking around between gate staff and customers) and WAY more kids and casual travelers (probably folks on vacation) instead of business purposes than any non-US airport (Paris, Lagos, Abuja, Amsterdam). I still can't find my traditional airport soft pretzel, though. :(

Did I mention electricity? And outlets almost everywhere you look? I searched for an outlet in the Lagos airport yesterday; I could only find one by noticing a guy sitting right next to a standing a/c machine and plugging in his computer behind it. That's it. I love having outlets available and being able to assume they'll work around the clock.