When Cultures Collide

Our friends from Scotland came to visit. Even though they live in Scotland, they are actually from Brazil. They were really good friends of ours when we were living in Aberdeen and we have boys close in age, so it was great to see them and catch up.

Having them here really allowed me to see everyday things around me through someone else's eyes. And I must say, it was interesting and entertaining at times. For instance:

* Food, food, food. So many differences involve food. Just something simple like corn on the cob. They said it tasted much different than Brazil. We also introduced them to tri-tip and In-n-Out.

* I now realize how we take advantage of walking into a fast food restaurant and knowing everything on the menu. I don't even eat fast food all that much, but at many places I know exactly what I want. With someone who doesn't know, there is a lot of explaining involved. 

* I forgot about how America has better customer service than most places. Our friends kept saying how everywhere we went, everyone was so friendly. They said the people made them feel special. Sadly, I don't even notice this most the time. Made me stop and think I should be happy for the good customer service I take advantage of on a daily basis. 

* While here, our friend mentioned a couple times that he didn't see many Americans around. You see, he thinks of Americans as white people. We explained to him that is not the case and the people he sees are in fact Americans. 

* Different stores are cool. Shopping in another country is always cooler than shopping at home.  Even a boring basic store like Babiesrus was cool to them...though we tried to convince them this wasn't true.

Here are some pictures from our adventures around California. We were horrible about taking pictures together and really only took pictures of our own families. Oops. 

Griffith Park Observatory & Golden Gate Bridge

 

Farmyard Fun

San Francisco - Cable Car

Saying Goodbye