It’s been loads of fun having Stephen and Ilyas here with us in Alabama. We’ve definitely had some cultural moments, many of them having to do with food. On the way home from the airport, Ilyas asked for “chips” at McDonalds, and when they said they didn’t have any it took a minute to realize they are called “fries” here! The all-you-can-eat buffet was a first, Ilyas said “I’ll never need to eat again”, but Stephen asked “can we come back tomorrow?” They think American cities are very spread out, have an awful lot of restaurants, and that it’s strange that people drive everywhere, but they’ve definitely enjoyed the price and quantity of the food here. Better go now… it’s time to eat.

Today Jessica’s folks are driving us down to Chattanooga, where we’ll stay the night and get to see what Daniel excitedly calls “the big aquarium”. After the fish, we’ll meet Seth’s folks who will take us the rest of the way to Alabama for the next phase of our trip. Wow, our parents are nice people!