I realised the other day that it is now 6 months since we've been here and so I needed to review the things I found strange when we first arrived to see if they had now become normal. So here is the original list, along with comments:
1. having a button to open my garage with - yeah, well, we now have a car that has a programmable button which does it for you. Top that.
2. all of the cars being absolutely huge - now normal
3. petrol is very cheap ($25 to fill the tank!) - now normal, although it's gone up and is now 35
4. people say 'hihowareyou' in a totally joined on fashion and really REALLY don't mean the how are you bit - so normal I've even started saying it a bit
5. waiters are very, very friendly (Hi, my name is Brian and I'm going to be your waiter for the evening. I'm 27, live on Acorn Street and am a capricorn...) - this still makes me laugh probably too much
6. garbage disposal units - still loving it and still experimenting with what you can dispose of down it. I found out yesterday that it wouldn't take a washing-up cloth
7. having a mail box outside the house, rather than a letter box which the post/mail is posted through your front door through - I still love this and Reuben and I make a daily trip out to pick up the mail
8. being able to put your stamped post in the mail box outside your house so that post man can take it away when they deliver and you don't have to go to the post office - and this
9. people saying hello to you when walking along - I really like this and join in whenever I can
10. cutlery is known as silverware - still odd
11. drive through banks - got over the novelty of this as it's quicker to go into the bank usually
12. winterization of everything - I think this was a tad over the top to be honest. We're waiting for our sprinkler system to now be summarised
13. weather changing from 32' to 60' in the space of 2 days - this is still the case but now with going from 65 to 100. My body isn't used to it yet
14. having an ice making section of the freezer - now starting to appreciate this as the weather gets hotter
15. not having to clean out tin cans for recycling! - still LOVING the novelty of this. Also that they say if you're not sure about recycling stick it in anyway and they will sort it out for you! Better than them leaving it behind and then sticking a big sticker on your box telling you how bad you've been.
16. no workmen accepting a cup of tea/coffee/water from you whilst on a job at your house - we haven't had many workmen round so this will probably still be a surprise next time
17. the HUGE amount of junk mail that comes - now it is just REALLY annoying
18. the HUGE amount of junk phone calls that come - We have given up answering our phone during most of the daytime, except the time when UK friends seem to call
19. brown paper bags from supermarkets just like in the films - yeah, they're ok, but I have learnt they're not very practical so got over them too. I take my own reusable ones
20. yellow school buses everywhere (I keep expecting to see Otto from the Simpsons driving one) - still like these!
21. an ice-skating rink in the middle of the city - very film-like - this is still cool
22. seeing the White House and all of the other v. important buildings you've only ever seen in films - and so is this. I'm sure though with a few more trips into DC we'll get more used to it (the White House is so much smaller and less austere though than it is portrayed in the films!)
23. Christmas Tree bases that you can put water in to stop the needles falling off the tree - still loving the practicality of this, although with the size of the tree we got and the subsequently huge base it's not a very practical thing to store during the rest of the year
24. cinemas being open on xmas day for the premieres of new films (you go as a xmas day afternoon activity) - weird still
25. fire hydrants like the ones you see shooting out water on hot summer days in films - normal now
26. buying milk in gallon cartons - normal now, and very handy for us milk drinkers
