Many people want to know the differences in the two countries I have lived in, USA and UK. There are many physical differences:
- People walk on the left side of the road, like they drive, so I have spent the first week here running into people as I try to wade through the busy streets.
- The light sockets all have to be turned on. There is a switch next to all of them that must be clicked before the socket will work.
- Shut up is used as a tool for telling people to be quiet in a polite way, not rudely to tell people to shut their mouths. (One of my acting teachers actually explained this to our class so we wouldn't take offense when he eventually says it. I thought that was endearing.)
- On the keyboard the @ sign is where the " is and visa versa. Have to learn to retype when I'm at school.
However, for all the differences (and there are more, which I will continue to discover in my next year here) people are innately the same. The greatest showing of this is the department store. As I walked through Mark & Spencers today, a store a lot like the American Macy's, I watched the people. What did I see? Men being led around by women on a mission to buy something. The thing that made me laugh? Discovering the men sitting in the "Idiot Chair".
Every department store has an Idiot Chair. This is the chair where the men sit while the women try on clothes. It's usually right next to the fitting room and allows the men to rest while women come and go with different sizes and styles, sometimes stopping to hear what he has to say about a particular article. It also gives men the chance to watch other women trying on their clothes and give opinions.
When I glanced over and saw the two men sitting in the chairs, one in his 20's one in his 50's, I giggled and felt my heart lift. It was a gentle reminder that people are basically the same, no matter where we live. And no matter how much mayonnaise we put on our sandwiches.
3 comments:
Um... sounds like the "genius" chair to me, depending on what the women are trying on.
When I led a study abroad trip to the UK, part of the program was to discuss the differences and similarities between their country and ours. The Keyboard was the first thing most of the students commented on, and I remember it making me crazy when I was trying to send emails. :) Hope you're having an amazing time!
David- sometimes it is!!
Erin- It's only a problem at school. And I try to not do too much on their computers because it is really frustrating. But it's such a little thing. I mean, when I was in Greece there were completely different letters on the keyboard sometimes and I had to type by memory. This is totally doable!
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