Familiar/unfamiliar things about America

FAMILIAR:
On Sunday, I went to church with my mom, #3 son, and Scott's youngest daughter. I had attended this church from 1967-2001, but they've built a new sanctuary since then so although many of the people were the same, the building was not. Besides seeing familiar faces, it struck me how comforting it felt to hear the familiar rhythm of an American service with all its familiar components. It was nice to hear The Lord's Prayer said the way I learned it, as opposed to the version we do in NZ which is slightly altered. It was also nice to hear familiar hymns in a familiar hymnbook printed with the words in each stanza, not at the bottom of the page which is how they do it in our church in NZ.

Everybody at church was appropriately consoling and my mom held up fine. She said she only loses it when people are nice to her so I assured her I'd treat her like dirt if that's what she wants. After church, we went back to the house for Diana's traditional 'Jewish Brunch' of bagels with cream cheese and lox (salmon), plus pickled herring. Mmmm. Scott's wife Diana is Jewish and whenever they visited Bellingham, she always made Jewish Brunch which has become a family favorite.

UNFAMILIAR:
I used Scott's car to pick up #3 son at the train station a few nights ago. Remember, there was lots of snow on the ground. Plus my mom's street goes up a steep hill which is often unpassable in snow. So going out anywhere is a little risky. That night, I managed to add to the usual risk by DRIVING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE STREET! I pulled out of my mom's driveway and calmly headed down the hill on the left side of the street. Apparently I've been living in New Zealand too long. I saw a car coming at me, struggling up the hill and I thought - Hey what's that guy doing on MY side of the street? - until I realized it wasn't really MY side of the street after all; it was HIS side of the street. Oops. Fortunately, it's a residential street with little traffic, especially in the snow. My story - and I'm sticking to it - is that I consciously chose the left side of the street because there was less snow on that side (true).

FAMILIAR:
I realized how much I missed Jon Stewart's fake news show, The Daily Show on the Comedy Channel. He's so funny and irreverent as he skewers (among other things) the current administration which has provided him with no shortage of fodder (remember last year when the vice president shot his fellow hunter in the face?). I think it's the only American TV show that I truly miss. The fact that this show even exists is a testament to all that is good about America. Think about all the countries in the world where, if you insulted the leader, you'd lose a crucial body part, such as a head. But in America, you can insult the nation's leader and become a millionaire. What a great country.

FAMILIAR:
It was football playoff season at the time and the Seattle Seahawks were in the quarter-finals. I was reminded of how often there was a football game on in our house when we lived in the US and by how nice it is to be free of all that football hysteria in NZ. I'm quite pleased to live in NZ where they don't have all day anchor desk covering the entire league, zooming in on the barely dressed buxom cheerleaders (oops, they do this during rugby), interviews with players who are not known for their intellect (rugby again) , and overweight drunk fans with painted bellies (yup, rugby).

The playoff game was also a perfect example of American consumerism: Scott has a 52" High-Definition TV which you'd think would be perfect for the big game. But no. They wanted to go to #4 son's house instead because he has a TV mounted to the ceiling that projects a 90" picture. Men.
(PS - the Seahawks lost in overtime)

FAMILIAR:
I went shopping with my mom today. Besides going to familiar places, I saw 3 people I knew at the Post Office, 3 people I knew at the bank, and about 6 people I knew at the grocery store. I'd forgotten what it was like to live in a small town, and to have 30 years of history and connections in that town. Everywhere I turn, there's someone whose son was on the same soccer team as one of my kids 15 years ago, or the daughter-in-law of someone in my exercise class, or former students of mine who have since grown 12 inches taller and acquired beards. When Curt and I are out shopping in New Zealand, we're pretty anonymous which suits us fine.