Or: the Trials and Tribulations of an Uptown Girl with a Boyfriend from Old Europe

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Location: Basel, Switzerland

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Toto, I don't think we're in Switzerland anymore...

I spent nearly all of June in the United States. The trip was wonderful, of course. I got to visit friends and family, drive everywhere, indulge in proper barbecues, bask in air-conditioned homes, and of course stock up at the local Target and Wal-mart! Still, I could tell that my time abroad has changed me. Top ten moments from the trip:
  1. "Wow, these [clothes/shoes/food] are such a good deal!"
    ~ on multiple occasions while shopping with a friend in the West Village
  2. "Have American beds always been so short?"
    ~ on seeing Swissy Pie's feet sticking out over the queen-sized mattress (they don't in our bed)
  3. "What's this Top Chef show everyone is talking about?"
    ~ at Perilla, a restaurant in New York recently opened by 2006 season winner Harold Dieterle
  4. "What's wrong with you guys?"
    ~ on being told there's no recycling in my Kentucky hometown - because the city thinks it's too expensive
  5. "These yolks look weird."
    ~ while cracking some nominally organic free-range eggs from the supermarket, which nevertheless have much paler yolks than European eggs
  6. "This is NOT cheese!"
    ~ tasting some locally made product from Kentucky
  7. "What kind of crap farmer's market is this?"
    ~ on seeing signs for produce from California, Georgia, and the Carolias being sold in Kentucky
  8. "Oh my God, I can understand everything on TV!"
    ~ flipping through the 999 cable channels at my sister's apartment
  9. "Where did all these friggin' cars come from?"
    ~ on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway at 3 pm, headed to Manhattan from JFK - this was NOT rush hour
  10. "Grüezi... uh, I mean, hello!"
    ~ to the immigration officer upon arrival at JFK

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10 Comments:

Blogger Alla said...

ahh how quickly we forget!

July 2, 2007 at 7:24 AM  
Blogger Ms Mac said...

Too many cars freak me out now!

July 2, 2007 at 7:31 AM  
Blogger swissmiss said...

Speaking of egg yolks, did you think the eggs in the US tasted like fish? I had a hard boiled egg in my salad in NYC and it could have been a trout!!

July 2, 2007 at 4:07 PM  
Blogger Un-Swiss Miss said...

Ale - No kidding, right?

Ms Mac - Unfortunately, this is true even in Switzerland. Curvy roads also freak me out, which means I usually leave the driving to Swissy Pie.

Swiss Miss - I didn't have that problem with the eggs. My bet: the egg was boiled, and then stored next to your trout, so it picked up all the flavors.

July 2, 2007 at 7:35 PM  
Blogger My Brand New Swiss Life said...

But did you say "entschuldigen" when you bumped into people? :)

July 4, 2007 at 12:08 AM  
Blogger Un-Swiss Miss said...

MBNSL - Uh, no, but give me a few more months. I just caught myself reading numbers out loud in German today!

July 5, 2007 at 10:06 PM  
Blogger myriam said...

this is so funny. guess what? sometimes even as a swiss person i feel like that (especially the clothes/shoes/food are such a good deal-one!

July 7, 2007 at 9:40 AM  
Blogger naechstehaltestelle said...

My problem is that I keep forgetting I'm not in the US, so I scream and flip people off like I'm in New York.

July 19, 2007 at 1:06 PM  
Blogger Gardner said...

naechstehaltestelle - I'd hate to wait at a bus stop with you - screaming, and flipping people off - that's funny?!?! ; -)

un-swiss miss - I like the "I understand everything on TV Statement" That is a truly freaky experience.

September 10, 2007 at 11:35 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Where are you? I recently found you site, enjoyed it, and now you have not posted in 4.5 months.

November 13, 2007 at 11:19 PM  

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