culture shock and libraries

after three weeks of doing little bits of grocery shopping at the local corner store, and walking to the regular grocery store for a bag of necessities, last wednesday i finally ventured into the real grocery store at a regular time of the day (530pm) to do a good sized food shop. i mean, i had to take a cart with me and everything! generally when at all possible, i do without a cart. seriously, who has energy to push that thing around for just a few items. and here, the aisles are so narrow, that two carts can not pass in opposite directions, so it's just easier to load my arms or fill my reusable shopping bags and carry them as i shop.

back to the story. grocery store. evening. obstinate grocery cart that does not go straight. (usa'ers: please thank Jesus every day that your grocery carts go in a straight line. you will never know what joy it is until you are wrestling your grocery cart down narrow aisles packed full of rushing people, stock boys filling the shelves, pallets of dry goods and screaming children everywhere. just fyi.)

okay, story. can we all saw CULTURE SHOCK!?!?!?! yeah. shock. shockingly in shock. this was the biggest culture shock i think that i have had for a while. generally i just float right back into "how-it-is" but somehow the grocery store...i was not prepared.

probably because i went to the grocery store with my mom every time she went. cause it's fun. crazily air-conditioned. full of wonderful food. fun to be with my mom. calming.

things i love about america

line etiquette

drive-thru

bank

restaurant

pharmacy

liquor store

wait...WHAT???

you heard me right. DRIVE THRU LIQUOR STORE. oh, and open 24 HRS !!!

back to the list at hand:

mail boxes

beautiful lovely cozy homey mail boxes

deciduous trees

i must say that there is nothing quite as lovely as the leaves changing colors in the fall

green green oh so green grass

you have NO idea what you're living without until...you're living without it.

wide streets

wide parking spaces
wide grocery store aisles

line etiquette

more than one entrance to parking lots

oh, did i mention line etiquette

there was something vastly soothing that for an entire eight weeks i did not have to guard my place in line by standing practically on top of the person in front of me, for fear that someone would see that six inch gap between the front of my shirt and the back of his and interpret that as an opportunity to "line jump" and get closer to the front.

what else do i love?

oh libraries. libraries. libraries. public libraries.

someone should write a song about the joy that a library truly does give.

i could spend days in the library and not come out. well, except for when the "lets pick up chicks who read" guys hit on you. sigh. true tis true.

scene: abigail with her arms stacked with books and cds, searching for a dvd to borrow. tall african man comes and begins to make small talk. and ACTION!

first of all, help a girl out here! you are ten feet taller than me. craning my neck back to see you and holding a tower of books in my arms equals girl is going to topple over!

secondly, "you're beautiful. i want to take you out." somehow in my mind the logic seems faulty here. if by saying that i am beautiful he expects me to ascent to his spending money on me to get me to allow him to spend time with me, a woman whom he just laid eyes upon for the first time three minutes ago. hello!

the truth be told, though, i was flattered. and he was beautiful. enough said.