I’m finally getting all of my plane tickets together for coming home for Christmas! I can’t wait to see everyone and enjoy a few days of American conveniences! I’m afraid, though, that there may be a few cultural differences that I need to keep in mind while I visit, so I’m just getting some thoughts together:
1. No one will ask me to marry him, or his brother, or his cousin, or his best friend…or her husband!
2. When driving it’s probably a good idea to stay on one side of the road instead of the middle.
3. When I see an African American, they probably don’t speak French/Bambara/Songhai, so saying “Bonjour/Ani Sogoma/Ni nda Hoy” would be weird to them.
4. Don’t hurt myself when going through the drive thru by handing money with my right hand. It’s ok to use my left hand.
5. Everyone around me will be able to understand English, so talking about people to their face is probably a bad idea!
6. Don’t honk at people just to let them know I’m going to pass them. Americans view honking as rude.
7. Eating macaroni and cheese with my hands is considered bad table manners.
8. If I need hot water, just go to the sink and turn the faucet to the left. The water mysteriously turns hot without putting it on the stove.
9. When I go to use the oven, don’t panic when I can’t find a gas bottle to turn on.
10. I won’t have to carry a water bottle with me everywhere I go.
11. Get used to the fact that not everyone I see is going to want to greet me.
12. Don’t tell the cashier at Wal-Mart, “Oh, $40 is expensive. I’ll give you $30.”
13. Carrying things on my head will only draw attention to me.
14. People like to hear the word, “please” instead of just saying “Give me the keys.”
15. If I get pulled over by the cops, telling them my father is going to beat me probably won’t get me out of a ticket.
16. The airport will screen my bags before I get on the plane.
17. No one will look at me strangely if I eat a sandwich for lunch.
18. Don’t pass judgment on someone because she is wearing pants.
19. It’s not necessary to do a “scorpion check” before going to bed every night.
20. I can drink water straight from the faucet.
21. I will be cold.
22. I won’t have to search for a flashlight so that I can find my flashlight.
23. A loaf of bread won’t go bad the day I buy it.
24. No one will be impressed that I can speak his language.
25. I will need a prescription to buy medications.
26. Don’t freak out when I get on the scales. It’s just in pounds, not kilos!
27. I must get out of my car to pump gas. No one is going to come do it for me.
28. I should check the mail box on a daily basis instead of a weekly basis.
29. If someone says, “I’ll meet you at 3:00.” They mean that they will meet me at 3:00.
30. No one will say, “Oh you live in Athens…that’s a real place?!?!”
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
