Living in America- 1 year On.
2018. Happy New Year America. It’s been hard and I am still learning to live here. And there are things I have discovered.
Look I never put much thought in opening doors in other countries. I just randomly pushed every door. Unless there was SIGN on the door that said “Pull” or “Push”.
But here it seems the rules are strict. You _____ to enter and ____ to exit and I still haven’t grasped it. Push to enter ? Pull to exit ? or is it the other way around ? Bah!
Till then I can continue to amuse the locals I guess.
American Paper : Did you know the mail here is very sharp ? Seriously.
I grew up in India, lived most of my adult life in Hong Kong and have travelled and worked around the world. I worked in an office and I opened mail, carelessly all the time.
But boy oh boy 2017 in America was the 1 year in my life that I received the MOST paper cuts. I constantly cut my fingers with the mail I opened.
What is it with this razor sharp paper ? Don’t we have enough violence in the world ?
American Hair: Ok ok this just might be Kirkland ( Greater Seattle) hair.
I walk a lot. As a couple we walk where ever we can. 2 miles to Safeway ? Lets walk ! It’s probably the Hong Kong influence in me and my husband’s English genes.
Anyway for the past 1 year the 1 thing I find on the road are hair ties.
Not dog poo (thank god) but hair ties. Not torn ones but complete ones!
I am NOT joking. Within a 1 mile radius you will find at least 7 hair ties. I mean how can you not know when your pony tail has come lose and your hair is whipping your face as you are on your run ?
My husband even said ‘maybe its from dogs’. You know those handbag dogs with fancy hair styles ? But I haven’t seen any dogs with hair-clips, bows or hair ties.
My only explanation is people in Kirkland WA have VERY silky hair!
There you go , the mostest first world issue of All first world issues in a first world country !
American Pronunciation: I probably shouldn’t lump this observation as ‘American’ pronunciation because it is only some people, but I did anyway. You know, artistic license and all that!
So here goes; 3 words that take me right back to India.
That takes me right back to the streets of Bombay. The local Marathi man on the street, ‘son-of-the-soil’ pronounces police (po-lees) Powh-liss.
And when I heard ‘aks’ instead of Ask, I thought I had gone right back to Goa, India.
And then the last one is Nervous. I was watching Homeland Security or Border Security JFK and the customs officers were all so Nair-Viss. I was like WHAT ! You too ?
I thought school girls in Delhi were the only ones who were oh so Nair-viss. Them and customs officers in New York apparently.
It’s the ‘Viss’ (hiss) as opposed to the ‘Vous’ that annoys me !
And so life and learnings of a recent immigrant continues, and the feeling that I will never solve the hair tie mystery.
Hahaha, I can’t stop laughing at my desk as I read this blog. Love it!
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