Blog Fail

Since I completely failed at blogging overseas, I'm beginning a new blog as I get ready to return to America.

Groundhogs are to Americans as...

In number 44 of 52 Things You Don't Experience in America I mentioned "Bare Bellies." Last week the temperature got up to the low 80s. As I walked down the street I spotted my first experience this year of a man with his shirt rolled up with his belly hanging out. As I walked past, I realized that this first sighting was similar to Groundhog Day in America.

As you all know, Groundhog Day is February the 2nd. Punxsutawny Phil comes out and if he sees his shadow there are 6 more weeks of winter. If our little furry Phil doesn't see his shadow then Spring is fast approaching. In East Asia, they don't celebrate Groundhog day, but as I saw my first bare belly, I knew Spring was just around the corner!

Last 13 Things from a Promise I made 6 months Ago!

Ok, so to my 5 (ok, 3) readers out there here are the last 13 things of "52 Things You Don't Experience in America"

40. 150 Ways of Transportation other than a car: In America, I mostly drove a car. Here, I'm hardly ever in a car, unless of course it's a taxi, but that's pretty rare. In the past week I walked a ton, road a city bus, a ferry, an overnight bus with beds, and a 3 wheeler.

41. Tea Tasting: Every 100 feet or so there's a tea shop. Don't know what to buy? Go in, sit down, and spend hours tasting different teas. These people love their tea and the people that work here are passionate. It's cool, but really it's weird.

42. $1 DVDs: Say what you will, but the fact that you can get DVDs for super cheap is great. It allows you to stay up to date with life.

43. The need for "fresh air": Walk into any building on any given day of the year and you're likely to find open windows. It doesn't matter if it's ridiculously hot or ridiculously cold, these people LOVE their "fresh air" which, in all reality, is gross and polluted. But don't fight them on it! They will win.

44. Bare Bellies: I grew up in Alabama. There's a lot of things I've seen in my life in such a redneck haven. However, I have never seen this phenomenon. When the weather gets too hot here, which is about 75% of the time, the men with beer bellies roll their shirts up to let it all hang out. Most men drink alcohol like it's the night before prohibition, so a vast majority of them have beer bellies. Now, back in Alabama, there's a lot of guts showing, but there's just something a little more odd to an Asian man in slacks with the bottom of his polo resting on the ridge of his bulging belly.

45. Badgering over the use of A/C: So beginning in January my breaker would cut off quite often, sometimes every 1-5 minutes. I told my electrician that the breaker was broken. She told me it wasn't. After leaving for 13 days and my house helping finding my apartment without power and things rotting in my freezer, the electrician finally agreed there was a problem. As she was fixing it I could hear her telling my neighbors, "I had to turn your power off because the foreigner broke his breaker because he uses too much air conditioning!" Shut up and fix the breaker, lady!

46. The assessment of groceries you are buying: It's true, push a basket through the local supermarket or Wal-Mart and everyone is bound to stare inside to see what things you the foreigner are purchasing. Why on earth would someone want to buy Glad ziplock bags and 2 bottles of Coke?!?

47. Purse toting men: The place has it's fair share of man purses, but so does the USA. That's not what I'm referring to. I am shocked at the amount of men who carry their wife or girlfriend's purse. While Asian women may be small, their bags are BIG and somehow they've convinced the boys to carry them. My dad taught me a lot about being a gentleman: open the door, help her with her chair, etc., but even gentlemen know the purse belongs in HER hands!

48. Business on top, party on the Bottom, or vice versa: I never cease to be amazed at the fashion marvels (or lack thereof) that show up in this place. One of my favorites has got to be the dress shirt with athletic pants or the slacks with some type of sports top. This goes for both men and women. You cannot wear your red Adidas pants with typical double stripe down the side and your nice black v-neck sweater, pearls, and high heels, Grandma!

49. Excessive Hoarding: Several of my other blog friends who live overseas have mentioned hoarding in their recent posts. I figure I might as well make a confession. Hoarding is a crime committed by all Americans living outside of the borders. Cake mix, candy bars, soft drinks. Beautiful people send it, we save it for a "special occasion" and then eat it un-risen, stale, and flat. It's a sad but true occurrence.

50. Drinks every 100 yards: You simply cannot go 100 yards without finding a place that sells drinks. It may be tea, it may be fruit drinks, it may be soft drinks. It makes the hot months bearable.

51. Packed public buses: no one rides the public bus in America, or at least not many do. Simply not the case here. Nearly everyone rides the bus. There are roughly 35 seats on a bus and then aisles for people to stand. I promise I have been on buses with close to 75 people on it. It makes the sweaty, b.o. ridden months lovely!

52. A timid white kid now deathly afraid of all winged (said wing-ed) things: See post below!