Jeanne over at Cooksister has tagged me with an Expat theme. So here goes…
1) Name one thing you would miss in your new country if you had to leave
The gorgeous beautiful Rocky Mountains – all seasons.
2) Name two things that surprise you (or surprised you when you arrived) in your new country
1. How enormous all the portions were. I could never think that I could ever finish anything. Of course that didn’t take long – now I have an expanding girth…
2. How casual the dress sense is out here in Colorado. In JHB people certainly dress up more. But not here.
3) Name three things that annoy you in your new country
Political Correctness in all its forms
The fact that I have to wear a helmet when I ride a bike – it messes up my balance
Tailgaters. Colorado is famous for these drivers – no matter how clear the road is they will not pass but they insist on driving too close.
4) Name four things you miss from your native country
Family
Friends
Mild Winters (Okay – I know that SA has had a really awful winter – but they are nothing compared to Colorado winters…)
Safari parks
5) Name five things you love in your new country
I feel safe no matter where I am.
I get free parking in all the shopping malls – not like Sandton City which makes you pay for parking.
I can go camping/ biking/ hiking/ fishing/ whatever wherever without ever having to think of personal safety. The only things to worry about are bad weather, rattlesnakes, bears or mountain lion.
People are friendly and are not aggressive
And most importantly this is where Kevin’s is! (cue slushy music…and fade)
One response to “Tagged”
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Thanks for doing this – was quite a fun exercise I thought. The personal safety thing is quite insiduous – at first I felt as unsafe here as I had ever felt in SA, until a couple of years down the line I realised that there were things I could do here that presented no real danger – like turning my back on the open front door to take groceries to the kitchen for 30 seconds!! I do know, though, that this is a function of my particular little neighbourhood, not the fact that London as such is terribly safe!
You are lucky to have a lot of your family with you in the USA – it must make such a difference. And although you make new friends, there’s nothing like the shared history that you enjoy with your friends from back home (cue quarters games in The Hovel, quotable quotes, Intervarsity 1991 etc etc…!)