Exactly two months ago I was sitting in the same place I am right now: Burlington, Ontario. The first time I was passing through as a visitor/tourist and this time I am spending a few days here for R&R. It should go without saying that I am beyond grateful to my friend and second time host, Brittany, for letting me crash at her apartment (AGAIN), even on such short notice. While she has been apologizing non-stop for the fact that she has to work while I am here, she really shouldn't. Not all of us can be five-year old, unemployed, gypsy travellers.
However, as the first leg of my US tour has come to an end, and I find myself back in one of my early stops, I want to take this opportunity to (kind of) summarize lessons I have learnt in the last two months while on the road - on top of the ones mentioned in Little Buggers
In no particular order:
1) In Australia, voting is mandatory. If you are of legal age and don't vote you can (and will be) fined.
-Jaimi-Lee, AUS
2) To catch and kill fruit flies, put a little apple cider vinegar in a small container, then cover with saran wrap. Poke a few tiny wholes in the wrap. The bugs can get in but they can't get out and eventually meet their demise.
-Anne, NS
3) If you want to speak in a believable British accent, commit and speak FAST. The quicker you speak, the more believable it is.
- Ali, Isabell, James, UK
4) Where are you from: Winnipeg - Blank stare. Manitoba - Blank stare. Canada - ohhhh, so where's that? ..... about 3.5 hours North of Fargo. Oh man! It must be so cold there.
-Every American
5) The two most common questions that are asked as ice breakers in hostels - where are you from, and, what brings you to .
- Every stranger, in every hostel
6) When checking into a new hotel/hostel, don't just check the pillows/headboard. The best place to check for bed bugs is actually in the seams of the mattress and mattress covers.
-Brittany, Wpg
7) When you bump into someone in the street/store in the USA, if you apologize, you're looked at as if you're some sort of saint - apparently this is not what most people do.
8) Although places like McDonald's and Starbucks offer free wifi to customers, and even though you DO purchase something, you will be judged and given all sorts of looks if you spend any significant amount of time in these locations playing catch-up on your TV shows.
9) Southern accents are a real thing. They aren't over-dramatized in movies and television. This might be my favourite accent because every person you talk to sounds like they want to be your best friend/mother.
10) Getting gas in the US is actually one of the most complicated procedures in the world. At 99% of gas stations you have to pre-pay before filling up. So, you now have to estimate how much it is going to cost you to fill your tank of gas. If you underestimate... well, you're not going back in to add more. If you overestimate, you have to go back in and get change. If you want to use a credit card to pay at the pump you actually need to have a zip code. If you don't have one (me), you still have to go inside and pre-pay. Therefore, getting gas in the US, for a non-US resident ends up requiring 2-3 trips inside the store and takes about 3 times as long as it really should. Imagine my reaction to this the first time it happened.
11) If every single car on the interstate is speeding, you're not going to get a ticket. If you drive the speed limit as literally every single car zips past you, it's actually more dangerous than just keeping up with the speed of traffic.
12) There is no rhyme or reason to how you are questioned at the border. Example 1 - entering US: was extensively questioned about why and how long I was going to be in the states - never asked if I had any drugs/guns/weapons/other people in the car. Example 2 - entering Canada: was asked if I had any firearms/weapons AND why my blankets were folded they way they were in the back seat (?) - not about drugs/alcohol/tobacco/how much I was bringing back into Canada.
13) There are still truly kind, generous and selfless people in this world. I don't think I am ever going to get over the fact, or forget, that I got to go to Disney world for free.
-April, FLA
14) Accents can also be confusing. In Boston, for example, my entire tour of Fenway Park I thought the tour guide was referring to the old owners as "The Yorkies" which didn't make sense to me. It wasn't until I was walking back to my car down YAWKEY that it clicked what he was talking about (also imagine GAWB vs GARB). Classic mix-up.
15) Most importantly of all, kind words from friends/family/strangers is literally what gets me from one place to the next. In case I don't say it enough - whether I am caught up in the place I am at, or have poor wifi, or whatever the reason may be: THANK YOU.
-Anne/Grandpa, Jason M., Saverio C., Terry B., Mom/dad/Sean, and LITERALLY all my friends
Here's to the next chapter of this crazy gypsy adventure.
No comments:
Post a Comment