Daedalian Adventures

The road ahead is rarely straight…

By Lynelle Barrett

Last Place in Everything

It’s been about ten months since the last time I was in the US. I am getting used to the European lifestyle now. So when I returned to America for a visit with my family in Florida, it was almost like a culture shock.

The oddest things seem foreign when you live somewhere else. For example, I completely forgot about ice makers in refrigerator doors. Well…actually, I forgot about having ice in the house at all. I think I once saw ice trays in a store, but most Dutch people I know use these funny little plastic bags you fill with water and freeze. It’s such a pain to get the little blobs of ice out of the stretchy plastic, that I rarely bother. There are so many more conveniences and gadgets in American homes than in Europe. Bathroom vent fans, toasters that can fit bagels, smoothie makers, garbage disposals, full size ovens, walk-in pantries, walk-in closets(!), Dryel, high speed internet that really IS fast, and enough channels to surf on digital TV that your butt can grow roots to the sofa.

Living in Europe now, I am out of the loop on all the latest US trends and media. I am fortunate that in Holland they do not dub American and British TV. It is broadcast in English with Dutch subtitles. But I am a season behind in my favorite TV shows like Gray’s Anatomy, CSI and Gilmore Girls. House and Bones just started showing here. It is a bit scary that my pipeline to what’s going on in America is CNN and MTV (yes, I can watch Pimp My Ride…yippee…).

My shopping list of American products to bring back in my suitcase included Claritan, Aleve, Tazo Tea, Jiffy Cornbread Mix, Twizzlers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, cinnamon gum, real vanilla extract, travel-size toothpaste and Great Lash Mascara.

There are some things that Europeans say about Americans and now that I have been away for a while, I see it too. It is true that we are loud. I have noticed that everywhere I travel, you can always tell if there are Americans around. If you add in all the media we are bombarded with, everyday life in America is a cacophony of sound. America is exciting and energetic, but I can see now how this could be stressful and overbearing to people from other cultures.

We might be loud, but we are friendly. I forgot how pleasant American service is. Salespeople that are attentive, smiling and helpful. Waiters that don’t make YOU wait. Simple requests not being treated as a major inconvenience. Not having to return clothes to the display racks yourself after trying them on in the fitting room. Real service is one of the things I miss the most.

Frequently I am asked by European friends and acquaintances whether I miss America. There are some things I miss about the American lifestyle, but most of the time I feel lucky to be living in Europe. There are a lot of privileges and luxuries inherent in being an average American. Things I notice more now than before, when I took them for granted. But I am enjoying the thrill of living with so much history and art all around me. I know that most Europeans take this for granted. They are used to living with centuries of history in their everyday lives. I can travel between countries as easily as Americans travel from state to state. With Europe united by the EU, I often don’t even have to show my passport to visit another country. It’s still amazing to me that in a few hours on the train or in a car, I can be in Brussels or Paris or Berlin.

During my visit to Florida, I spent an afternoon playing games with my little niece and nephew. Even though I was deliberately trying not to win, it was a rather grueling couple of hours. At the end, my nephew made us all awards out of construction paper. On mine he wrote “Last Place in Everything”. It sounded so poignant, and may even be true…but I feel lucky. In fact, right now, I feel like a winner.

Lynelle Barrett is residing in The Netherlands, where summer is over so it’s time to put away her suitcase and go back to school. Check out photos and notes of her adventures on her website at: http://spaces.msn.com/lynelleinholland