Originally Posted by pompousjohn

I have made the decision that after 11 years living abroad in the Caribbean, I am ready to move back to the states.

Life has been good, but I want to

1) Hold conversations in English on a daily basis
2) pay less than .29 kw/hr for electricity
3) be able to count on running water, and HOT SHOWERS any time of day or night
4) Not have to wonder if my battery backup will run my household appliances for the length of the daily blackouts here
5) get a faster internet connection than 1.5 down, 756k up. (and pay less than 200/month for it)
6) be able to stop at a red light without being mobbed by unwashed beggars and vendors.

And a lot of other things I just don't want to deal with anymore.

What are the big changes to life in the USA over the last 11 years?

What are likely to be the biggest adjustments?