Monday, Oct. 3rd, 12:29 p.m.
And life continues to rage just under the surface of control.
But things are great!
First of all, I HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE! :) :) :) I'm staying with Yoav in his flat; there is an extra small (extra as in there was no one in it, and small as in extra small) ROOM for me, which is unbelievably fantastic. The apartment is great, the kitchen is FABULOUS and fully-equipped - baking ingredients, lots of saucepans and good knives and pots, the bathrooms are clean, the water is hot, and the people are AWESOME -- kind, fun, funny, and friendly. I'm SO THRILLED that I get to live here ...
Secondly, it's just nice to be back in the States. It is sooo weird to be able to eavesdrop on the entire world; people on the bus talking to their mothers, bikers on the street talking about their wives, couples in airports arguing ... it's VERY strange. I have it every time I come back from being abroad, and every time it's like new.
Other great things:
• I got a new, cute flip-phone that is quad-band, meaning it will work in North America, South America, Europe, and down under, which is perfect for me. Plus it's pay-as-you-go, no plan (also good for me with how much I travel), pretty cheap, and it's a great number. Did I mention it was a flip-phone, and I've been craving a flip-phone for running on 2 years?
Cultural observations upon second return from abroad:
You know, if it weren't for black people, you'd never get whistled at in America.
I noticed (for a second time) the incredible preoccupation that American TV has for fear and gruesome-ness. All the shows on TV are about death and/or serial killers; cop shows with grisly scenes of babies in dumpsters; or suspense shows with thin plots, violence, and lots of young women in tight shirts.
I again had the thing where I walked into a grocery store and was completely and utterly overwhelmed. Yes, Albertson's brought me to my knees. It's just that you can buy ANYTHING there! Peanut butter, good Asian rice, taco shells, corn syrup, dental floss, radishes, a thousand different types of yogurt, you name it. It's both amazing and intimidating.
America is expensive. It's really expensive. And people are rich ... they have a lot of stuff. I don't know how better to explain this other than to say every other person pulls out a cell phone with a camera on it while listening to their iPod and trying to locate the nearest wireless signal. I am, of course, one of these people, but the sheer wealth of the U.S. is apparent even just from coming back from Argentina.
I suppose the biggest thing, though, is the sheer convenience of the United States. Things are just more accessible, and convenient. It's astounding, for example, that you can do things like laundry and grocery-shopping on a Sunday.
Language spot:
English expressions I had complete forgotten about:
- Close but no cigar
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Water under the bridge
- Smooth as a baby's butt
And a joke to end with, courtesy of my Uncle Chris:
> MOTHER SUPERIOR CALLS ALL THE NUNS TOGETHER AND SAYS
> TO THEM, "I MUST TELL
> >YOU ALL SOMETHING.... WE HAVE A CASE OF GONORRHEA
> IN THE CONVENT."
> > "PRAISE THE LORD" SAYS A BLONDE NUN AT THE
> BACK.
> > "I'M SO TIRED OF CHARDONNAY."
