Berlin Blog

Observations, Part II

There are things that you think you know about America as a long-term American abroad, and there are things that you thought you knew about America as a long-term American abroad.

Further observations:

1. I don't think that I ever had a conversation with a total stranger in Germany that spiralled into a lengthy, 30-minute discussion about the merits of one topic or another and that I felt could simply keep going on forever, eventually turning into something more significant than a conversation between two strangers.

2. Everyone is so friendly you think they love you, and plan on spending a few hours after each interaction with you thinking about how they could help make you happier.

3. There is absolutley no sense of style.  Style has been completely and utterly trumped by convenience.  They think a restaurant in a strip mall can have an "atmosphere," but don't tell them I told you.

4. If I weren't returning to Europe for a 5-day visit in 6-7 weeks, with mulitple (longer) visits to follow, I would not have been able to go through with this.

5. I'm so happy to see the sun shining every day, I don't care if I have to spend the rest of my life in a Hardee's parking lot.

6. I have been on the road to the final four, and it has been so good I have not had time to think about style.  Atmosphere can kiss my boot-ay.  Go George Mason!

7. When Lennon wrote "Nowhere Man," (if it was Lennon - sorry Craig), he had no idea.

Chapel Hill Observations

A few observations, after a week back in action:

1. We are not the first people with kids to escape to Chapel Hill from the "big city" for its temperate climate, good schools, enlightened locals and friendly service-industry employees.

2. Americans are friendly, love basketball (even if they don't like basketball), like to eat mega-portions (no surprise there), and will tell you about the state of their significant relationships within 15 minutes of meeting you.  "My husband Bill, God bless him, had his left testicle removed last spring, you know, after his sister passed away, and our sex life has improved like crazy!"

3. There is no such thing as a "news report" in America.  Instead of what you would normally expect from a "news report," you get "The Missing White Woman" report . . . which involves a missing white woman (surprise!), a grisly/unsolved crime, and three "experts" pontificating, aimlessly, for hours on end.  Whatever sells the toothpaste, eh?

4. They should make a chart of the best places for people to live at different phases in life, and everyone should be required to move, internationally, to places with widely varying economic/social conditions six or seven times.  We should have a worldwide "swap your life" program.  Does that make me a communist?

On the other side

where all that matters at the moment is clearly depicted in this widget:

Looking for a new place to live, a new name for this non-Berlin blog (suggestions?), a chance to rock the town with my musical skillz, and some way to make sense of 400 television channels.