Saturday, September 29, 2007

Turn the volume down, please

Basically since I met Sweetie, every chance he gets he comments that Americans are loud. And, unfortunately, this sometimes proves true. Like the time we were having dinner in an upscale restaurant which was still completely empty (it was 7PM - early for dinner by Israeli standards). The hostess seated a table of 3 right next to us - one American and two Israelis. The American was SO LOUD. I could barely think. There was no reason for him to be talking that loudly.

Anyway, Americans are not always loud. I keep trying to tell Sweetie this. But, one day in California we decided to try a local eatery for breakfast. We strolled down to the marina, walked in, and found ourselves in a very small dining area with a very large table of approximately 20 very LOUD Americans. They were so loud that the waitress was clearly also very disturbed by them, and assured us they'd be leaving soon. And they did. Phew. Quiet.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Driving in LA

A part of our trip that I was dreading the most was the drive from Dana Point to Ventura to visit my aunt and uncle. I really wanted to see them, so I was determined to make the trip, but it was estimated to be a 2-hour trip on LA-area highways, IF we were lucky. I was terrified. We were in Make-a-wrong-move-merging-onto-the-freeway-and-somebody- shoots- you Territory, after all.

Fortunately, Sweetie volunteered to do this portion of the driving. I knew he was better qualified and that we would be safer with him at the wheel.

And we were. He drove marvelously. We didn't hit any traffic jams (as we carefully followed my uncle's advice on avoiding peak travel times). We visited my aunt and uncle and had a really nice time.

Sweetie and Cha-Chan's Excellent Adventure

Sweetie and I recently returned from our much-anticipated (and somewhat feared, on my part) trip to the US to visit my friends and family.

We started off in sunny (and chilly, if you ask me) Orange County, California. There we visited with a good friend of mine from back when I was in first grade. I hadn't seen her since she had her first child, and we actually visited her and her family literally less than 24 hours before she gave birth to her second! Our trip was off to a great start!

We stayed at the Marriott Laguna Cliffs hotel in Dana Point. It was lovely. Gorgeous grounds, a lovely outdoor seating area where we ate breakfast several times (and where I ate at least $14-worth of rasberries at the buffet), sweeping ocean views....what more could you ask for.

Reverse Culture Shock
As other expats will know, it can often be a rude awakening when we return to our home countries. The one thing all US expats comment on these days is how shocked they are at how "fat" Americans are. True. But, I am long past the days of being shocked by that. No, I was shocked (in a positive way) by something else this time....

We were taking a stroll just outside the hotel. There was a very large public park area overlooking the sea. I noticed a man dressed in a suit walking his dog in the park. And then I observed the well-to-do, well-dressed man pulling some tissues out of his pocket, reaching down, scooping up a doggie deposit, and putting it into his luxury car. Yes indeedy!!!! I was so delighted I could barely contain myself.

My friend's husband pointed out that there are strict laws enforcing this and so naturally people are going to pick up after their dogs.

It really made me think how truly ashamed Israelis should be for not picking up after their dogs. Simply disgusting.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

New material to follow next week

I've been a little preoccupied recently, but plan to update the blog with new adventures next week!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

A lovely morning

On Saturday mornings, we like to eat our breakfast out on our second floor balcony. But, sometimes it is just too hot to do so. Today, I opened the door to see what it was like out, and said to Sweetie, "It's nice and overcast."

Yes, in the scorching Israeli summer, overcast is actually something we desire!

On the otherhand, we were watching CNN last night and Sweetie commented that, "Oh, it's sunny in London." And then right after that, the reporter said, "Hello from a sunny London." Clearly, sun is such a rare thing for Londoners that they all feel compelled to comment on it when it happens!