Settled in the States

We are back in America now.  At the end of May we flew to Illinois where we spent two days with my folks in Rockford.  Now we are in Minnesota at our new home.  We are settled in well, and looking forward to our time in America.

It has been weeks since we felt settled.  It has taken a lot of work to get to this point.  This morning I woke up in my own home without anything urgent to be do for the first time in weeks.  To celebrate our move, we all went out to the Mall of America.

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I had forgotten just how huge that place is.  I have been to four malls that claimed to be the largest in their respective countries.  Sofia, Bulgaria's Paradise Mall combined with Lodz Poland's Manufactura and Port malls still can't compare with the massive shrine to consumerism that is MOA.  Our girls were in awe at this gigantic structure jam packed with people from all over the world.

As we entered the rotunda area, we saw a group of about 200 people walking across the stage to receive certificates one by one.  At first we thought it was a graduation of some kind, but when I recognized the certificates they were handing out I realized that it was a citizenship ceremony.  What better place to become an American than at America's largest mall?

We spent a few hours there; rode a few rides; picked up a few purchases; and all had a healthy dose of culture shock.  It was fun.