McDonalds saved my life

Okay so it really didn't but for whatever reason this morning when I woke up (actually it was almost 11 when my lazy body decided to finally open my eyes) I was homesick - I mean really homesick - I needed something - so I got dressed climbed into my car and started driving - low and behold was a McDonalds.

I know that there is a McDonalds here in town - I have driven by it countless times and refused to stop and get anything - we have them on every corner that Starbucks hasn't bought in the US. Anyway back to my story...

I parked walked inside and got into line. Lines are a foreign thing it appears everywhere I go in Europe - in Paris there are no lines on the streets. A gentleman told me that because of the lack of lines people were more careful when driving - yeah okay whatever you say - crazy frenchies!

Another great example that leaves me boggled is while waiting to board the plane, there is always a mass crowd that surges forward and is forced into a bunch that eventually settles into a single file sort of line - but only after the crowd has been forced into this.

What's the deal - why are lines an issue? Is it the forced compliance to stand behind each other? I know they aren't complicated to form - I have seen local children all following along behind each other with little to no jostling to get to the front - when does this stop making sense, I must have missed that lecture in school. (my father is grinning right now - yeah just one more lecture you missed Bubba)

After a 15 minute wait and jostle I managed to approach the counter and attempt to order in my broken german. I don't claim to be very good, actually I suck when it comes to speaking german - I can say Hello, Thank You, and Goodbye, and Please. I am frustrated with myself that I have not forced myself to learn more. I have not been overly impressed with the Rosetta software - it seems well a bit slow to actually teaching me things of value - although I know how to say dog, cat, horse, man, woman, boy, girl, and airplane.

So I order a Big Mac, 0,4l Kaltgetränk und Mittlere Pommes - well that's what i tried to order - the young lady serving me laughed and started to speak to me in english - I give up - if I try my german and I get laughed at, I am not being successful - but no I continue to plug ahead and attempt to order Griechischer Salat (greek salad) and she laughs at me again. This is not going my way.

Anyway I manage to get my food and eat it. Big Macs taste the same all over the world - I know this because I was having a panic attack one time while working in Hong Kong. I had gotten tired of being yelled at by a million people for being the big dumb american boy and needed something to bring me back to reality - McDonalds and the Big Mac saved my life there too.

So I am back in Germany, happy to be here but miss the family. At least I have McDonalds.

another long flight and all i got was some ear plugs and a blindfold

So I lost on the seatmate roulette on the trip back. The gentleman next to me said 3 words the entire flight - I noticed he was carrying a speech concerning DRM so I didn't really introduce myself - I figured something about how DRM was really a waste of time wouldn't be a good conversation starter.

I did get to enjoy a beautiful sunrise over the Netherlands this morning. It is amazing to be flying along above the clouds and see the sun slowly rise, warming everything up. It made the fact that I was awake at 4:00 am a little more bearable.

I saw the first Starbucks in Amsterdam on my way through the airport. I will take my customary picture on the return trip. I was in a rush to get to my plane and didn't stop for my customary iced americano.

I am off to Paris for the weekend. It is Rugby World Cup and I have premier tickets to the Samoa/South Africa game. One of my best friends is flying into Paris and we will go the game on Sunday. Our seats are almost on the field. The Boks are expected to win but Samoa is going to come out and play hard.

My trip back across the pond

I like to fly. I still have the romantic image of flying from when I was a child. My parents dressed me up; you always dressed nicely for a flight. You got to the airport, waited patiently (as patient as a small child who loves airplanes can be); boarded the plane and off we flew. The experience was amazing. Well that’s what I remember, and since it is my memory I am going to keep it that way.

I am flying back from Germany. One of the little games I play in my head is called “Seatmate Roulette.” Sometimes I am really lucky, there was this one time where I sat next to a dancer from Cirque du Soleil, other times I am presented with well the bullet.

Today however was a lucky day – I was fortunate enough to be seated next to a 17 year old young woman who gave me faith that my own little girl has a chance. This young lady was amazingly polite, yet managed to give her little brother a hard time when he couldn’t actually figure out what country were leaving (in his defense he is 13 and well he is 13.) I smiled and settled back to read whatever men’s magazine I snagged in the airport and this young lady pulls out “Freakonomics” For the crowd reading at home – not necessarily the reading you expect out of a 17 year old, heck I read it and most people would wonder what I was doing carrying the book around. I was amazed and congratulated her on her selection, and she began a conversation with me.

Let be known that I talk to everyone. I like hearing about peoples’ experiences. I like to hear their stories.

So I discover that Katie is being moved back to the US. She has spent the last 13 years living in Belgium. She like any high school’r is a bit worried about things: her boyfriend is still in Belgium (he will visit in October and December), the fact that she has been able to enjoy a glass of wine with her family since she was 16 (we tend to frown upon that in the States), she has never even driven a car and will have to get her permit in the coming month (her brother failed the first time he took the test and he was a freshman in college), she played sports at her school in Belgium and now she has to start the whole process over again (volleyball, basketball and track – no Futbol.)

It was refreshing to talk to this young lady. She was a confident young woman who had grown up abroad, understood that she would have to deal with cliques and silly girl stuff that just isn’t as important outside the US. She was scared but also aware that she could conquer these fears.

We talked off and on as we flew from Frankfurt to Washington, DC. I asked questions about growing up abroad. She said that going to International Schools were amazing – you constantly got to meet new kids. Everyone was always open to new people joining the group. She talked about how amazing it was to be part of sports teams that traveled around Europe. She told me about shopping trips to Singapore with her mother. I enjoyed every minute of the trip, listening to her stories.

When we got to DC I was able to commend her mother on having such a wonderful daughter. I wish I had gushed more. Her daughter is something wonderful.

I can only hope that my wife and I can raise our daughter to be this confident and sure of herself. The world needs more young women like this and the Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton crowd aren’t creating them.