Enough is Enough

Almost nine months after vacating our previous home (a.k.a. The Money Pit) the owner Mr. R has placed the house up for sale.   Some work was completed after we left the house but rumor has it that more time, money and energy will be required to get the house functioning in proper order.

What's That Noise?

Of all the places I have been, the things I have seen and the experiences I have had the most amazing "thing" is the human race.  For people to get along or get anything done there must communication.

On one of our travel adventures I was waiting for my family and I heard this "noise."  After a moment I recognized the sound as two people having a conversation in the local language.  My mind's eye saw something it had not seen before.  Where, when and how I do not know but all over the world throughout time groups of people have developed patterns of sounds which represent letters, words, concepts, etc.  Across the river or over the mountains another group of people have their own sounds and associated meanings.  When I visit a foreign country their language may sound like clicks, clearing a throat, sucking of teeth, nasal vocalizations, or whatever, yet to those who make those sounds they are words, sentences, paragraphs, thoughts, etc.  Amazing!  Conversely the languages I speak are a collection of garble to a non-speaker.

To add to the wonderment of the mind consider that as groups of humans we have assigned seemingly random collections of squiggles, scratches, dashes, dots and chicken tracks, assigned them to our sounds and called it an alphabet.  The alphabet of some languages represent words/ideas/concepts and are "pictures" of what they represent--that makes sense.  How and why did the English alphabet evolve?  Who decided a vertical line with an attached large semi-circle to the right is capital "D" while a vertical line and small semi-circle attached to the left is a lower case "d"?  Would the alphabet have made just as much sense if different markings had been chosen?

When I have completed the composition of this post the thoughts in my mind which were transformed into sounds and represented by lines and scratches will be converted into a digital language consisting of on/off switches sent around the world with and without wires finally ending up on the screen of my wonderful readers.  Technology is great, but it is people and their minds that impress me more.  I am amazed how language and writing came about.  What great things we have been created with--minds and the spirit to learn, grow and move on.

Triangles

Shortly after being immersed in the expat world I was exposed to the descriptor "triangle."  Whenever someone moves their life and perspective changes.  The term "triangle" is a beautiful analogy of describing that change.

Home may be considered as the place where you are from, where you were born, where life is "normal," you have family, you have established routines, customs, etc.  Your home country is considered to be a circle country.

The country to which you have been assigned as an expat is a square country, a place where food, customs, traditions, holidays, routine, etc. may be different.

When you move to a new country you start to change no longer feeling like a circle or a square.  The expat transforms into a third shape, a triangle.  You are not completely a square, but you are no longer a circle.  The square country may feel like home but you will never be 100% square.  Your circle country will always be a part of you but it may not feel like home.

After comprehending what a triangle is it is easier to see the difficulty in answering the questions as to where you are from or where is home.  When you return "home" you may feel like a stranger in a strange land.  Life will never be "like it use to be."  In a movie I saw recently the main character was asked where he was from to which he responded, "I am from all over...but I live here now."  Our son has remarked that our circle country does not feel like home, rather it is a place he/we are familiar with and that home is where the family is.  From the mouths of babes.

Props to a tremendous source, I Am a Triangle, adapted by Naomi Hattaway (naomihattaway.com).

What Is Good For The Goose...

In some of my recent posts I have addressed similarities and differences with regard to living and traveling abroad from the North American perspective. As the saying goes “what is good for the goose is good for the gander” applies to an expat returning to their country of origin. When an expat goes “back home” their eyes open to things they may have not noticed before and what use to be familiar may feel new, odd or even crazy. So how does America (and to a lesser degree Canada) look to someone returning after an extended absence? Let me tell you in pop-corn fashion.

English is spoken everywhere by everyone.

Restaurant portions are large. The amount of processed food, sugar, fat and junk Americans eat is astounding. You can find virtually any kind of cuisine you desire. Meals must be eaten in a hurry, like in a car, at your desk at work or in and out of a restaurant as quick as possible.

I love the large roads, huge parking lots with large parking spaces and streets with room to park on both sides! Large roads are a requirement when you have large vehicles with trucks and large SUV’s being very popular. We refer to our Renault Espace as a beast or tank when in reality it is similar in size to Dodge Caravan, a mid-size vehicle by North American standards. American vehicle fuel economy is surprizingly low. Bumper and window stickers seem to be a requirement (family size, subdivision, which school your kids attend, your favorite sports team, the college you attended, etc.). How can you not notice vehicles with music so loud you can hear them blocks away. The abundance of billboards; my favorite a visectomy reversal surgery billboard next to a visectomy procedure billboard.

In any town of mentionable size you can go shopping seven days a week 24 hours a day. Stores are big with overwhelming selection. If you can’t find it in the store it does not exist. Different flavors of the same product cost the same (no difference in price between strawberry and vanilla yogurt). You do not pay what the price tag says, you have to add in sales tax. Why does every price have to end in 99 cents?

Americans love to wear brightly colored clothes with bold logos and cartoonish characters in support of their favorite sports team. People wear caps, and lots of them. Speaking of sports teams there are so many, both college and pro.

Life goes at a million miles an hour. There seems to be a competition to see who can work the most hours and take the least vacation time. Students are not immune with overbooked schedules.

I love water fountains!

I love being able to complete a large load of laundry in a short period of time!

Dry cleaning that can handle a challenge and return your items at the end of the day.

Seemingly endless commercials. In contrast Europeans will have fewer but lengthier commercial breaks verses the myriad of intermediate length breaks in North America.

Drive-throughs: restaurants, banks, pharmacies, dry cleaners and oil change places.

High schools have athletic teams, non-athletic teams (debate, drama, marching band, etc.) and classes like art, drama, band, cosmetology, home economics and industrial arts.

Americans speak with a greater volume than Europeans (but they are not the loudest) and are willing to share their opinion.

Americans are friendly with big hearts helping each other and those in need.

I love the open spaces.

Tex-Mex.

None of these things are new, but when you are gone for a while and don’t see them on a regular basis they seem new. Being American is what Americans do best and it is what sets them apart in the world. I have to go with the flow and make the best of the situation when I live abroad, and I have to do the same when I go back to North America. Settle in and enjoy the ride.

Back, to the Future

With the turning of the last page of the calendar for 2017 I am prodded to reflect on the year past.  Last year had its share of trials and triumphs.  As a family we were blessed to travel to eight different countries.  We had four sets of longer stay guests.  My in-laws celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary while my mother celebrated her 90th birthday.  We assimilated more into a new culture and picked up parts of a new language.  There were new sights and experiences around our home and across our host country of France.  The best part of the year was experiencing all of our adventures as a family.

Our journey through 2017 was not without a few speed bumps.  Work, school, assimilation and a foreign language can be thorns in the flesh.  Determination, a strong faith and unity as a family we overcame/are overcoming the trials of life.

A new year also brings with it a fresh start and a renewed hope.  We know we will almost certainly be moving this year, but we don't know where or when.  Before we potentially depart we are planning our list of "to-do's" and "to-visits."  Our faith and strength as a family will help us in all adventures be they positive, negative or in-between.  The theme of taking life as it comes and making the most of it will carry on.