I had never met any of the women -- only knew them from the Internet. We ended up with about 10 attendees and had a lot of fun. Yet another example of virtual friends becoming real ones.
Some people say that the friends you make online or in Facebook aren't real but they become real when you meet them.
When I first moved to England, I didn't know anyone or have any way to meet anyone. The only American voice I heard was Oprah's on TV. That's how isolating the life of an expat could be before widespread Internet use.
After roaming around Portobello Road for a while (I found a stall with antique magazines -- my favorite thing. I picked up a Ladies' Home Journal from 1954 and eagerly read sexist articles from that period).
Then I felt I needed a medicinal drink for my back. We stopped off for a mint julep at 2:00 pm. Later that evening, we graduated to jugs of margaritas.
Being England the glasses were so small though -- it didn't take us long to polish off a few jugs.
One of our newest expats (just arrived last year) said she was eagerly awaiting the summer -- we experienced expats just howled with laughter. Wait 'til she experiences an English summer....
4 comments:
So much fun and I'm really enjoying my cup of hot Spanish chocolate every evening, thanks for the tip!
I wanna be an expat!!! Maybe to Italy or France though:):) I'm sick of America!
Sounds as if you gals had big fun. And big hangovers next day?
Europe's a lot more liberal than the US. Even the right wing parties.
You'll be completely the odd one out politically, but that'll be OK, because political stance doesn't define a person like it does in the States.
It's unbelievably isolating to be surrounded by other people who don't speak your language fluently, even if they have only a passing grasp, if you can't speak theirs fluently.
When you crave good ol' Southern food + American conveniences, they won't be there, and that matters a lot more than you think it does.
Everything is totally different in another country. Values are different, reactions are different. I don't think anyone really truly can understand how different another country is until they live there.
But hey! You'll probably end up friends with a bunch of American expats and it'll be like you never left, except warmer!
...Oh wait, actually, it'll be colder. Still, don't let me dissuade you... those are just the downsides, and none of the (many) upsides.
Thanks for your comments, Pseudo Expat. Very interesting -- I appreciate you taking the time to write.
Post a Comment