And...

After living at camp's bizarre pace for so long, being thrust into the "Real World" maelstrom of adult noise and indulgence is making me giddy.

For example, television. I haven't watched TV in at least a month. I'm home in the Roch for the night and I just turned it off because it was too much stimuli. Honestly, has TV always been this loud and garish? And have their always been this many commercials? I can't handle it right now.

Also, I just ate a delicious fillet. This should be a glorious event. However, this bloody slice of heaven is presently churning in my stomach. Could it be that my entrails cannot handle the richness of anything fresh and non-GFS? Or am I finally suffering the Black Plague that has taken over camp?

It sounds ridiculous, but my house is giving me sensory overload right now. The carpet is too plush, the bathroom is too bright, the air conditioning is too cold. Everything is clean and where are all the bugs? My bed is large, soft, and squeak-less. Nobody is hollering for a Band Aid. No rattling golf carts or walkies. It's eerily quiet, yet strangely grating at the same time.

Apparently coming out of the bubble requires gradual assimilation. It's a good thing the Internationals don't go home often because they'd probably fall down dead.

Back to the plague. Oh, that old plague. It struck Artichoke Land yesterday after lunch. No seven-foot projectile vomit records, but we did run out of Tums, beds in the Health Center, and vessels to puke in. Someone also upchucked in our garden and diarrhea-d on our path.

It's gross, but also hilarious so it works out.