Americans and English

So, some stuff has happened in my little world in America-land.

Begging

I was in the Zumba studio on my own warming up last week before class. A woman knocks on the door. A potential client! Not to be turned away.

She says she is interested in the classes, but as I look more closely, she seems pretty unlike someone who would be asking about classes….then she shows me a formal notice that she is carrying in her hands and says that she is actually going around businesses asking people for money because her family has been kicked out of their house and it’s up for foreclosure.

Oh, this is not good.

I tell her it’s not my business (I mean the Zumba studio, cos it’s not) and I have class in two minutes, and she says thanks and goes on her way. And all through class I am thinking about that woman, and what should I have done, and what if she had threatened me, and what about her poor family and how did it happen, and what the outcome will be.

Thanksgiving

I shopped like an American for Thanksgiving, I hope. Turkey, green beans, red cabbage, turkey ice-cream (yes, I did it), but to be honest I don’t really think I did Thanksgiving justice. I didn’t really get it this year – I think next year we need to shack up with some Americans and see how it’s done properly. Ours was a bit like a present-less and tinsel-less Christmas, and I’m not that into Christmas, so I’m not that good at that sort of thing. Next year, we’re going full-on American.

Drive-up banking

This is genius. Fact.

Courteousness

Before and during Thanksgiving – everybody says ‘happy holidays’ and I like this a lot. Americans are, generally, very friendly and courteous. Even the man walking down the street who you’ve never met says ‘happy holidays’ to you. And happy holidays to you too!

I love it when they ask ‘how you doing’, ‘how are you’ etc – it’s polite and pleasant. I think it’s quite hard for some English to understand this. It’s polite to be polite back, and it makes you smile, if you let it.

Murders in Baltimore

I got an update from the local news on my email today that another fatal shooting in Baltimore marked the 200th murder this year. So sad. A quote from a kid says it all:

“You gotta watch what you do and be careful because it’s getting real dangerous. People are dying every day over senseless stuff,” said Rakeem Rose.