well folks, it's been a busy time in my life over the past two weeks, so i must confess that i've really dropped the ball on my blog, but i plan to make up for it shortly.

there is something that i've been dying to address. i dare say, something that needs to be addressed...

now maybe i'm about to state the obvious. maybe it's something that has gone on knowingly unsaid for generations. i first must state my disclaimer in that i'm not saying one thing is better or one worse--only different--but it's that time again (cue the piano-based educational music).

i've been smacked in the face over and over in the past couple of weeks with an enormous cultural difference, specifically, the differences in the reactions in an american versus a brit.

(these stories have been stolen from my agape cohorts)

a-sample a-number a-one: ryan and rick were meeting in the students' union at liverpool and due to the overwhelming number of students sitting down for lunch--they were forced to ask two young gentlemen, who happened to be strangers, if they could share a table with them. they welcomed them. as ryan and rick are eating their lunch, rick's plastic fork sadly gets caught in his meat pie (or something like that) and the result is that he flings a whole dollop full of meat pie onto the guy's lap who is next to him. ryan can't help himself and starts chuckling.

british reaction in this situation: stranger doesn't even look up. he only flicks the food off of his lap quickly and continues talking to his lunch companion. no one makes eye contact.

american reaction in this situation: (there are two). person whose lap the food lands on says, "uh oh!" their eyes get a little big and they let out a chuckle and make a small, yet cheesy joke. the two sets of strangers start reminiscing together about food fights in middle school. the other reaction is the person who has flung the food, who says, "OHMIGOSH. I AM SOOOOOOO SORRY. HERE, LET ME GET THAT FOR YOU." as they say this, they grab a napkin, dip it in water, and try and wipe the food off for the person. they then say, "i will BUY you a new pair of trousers. let's go to the shop."

a-sample a-number a-two: kevin is hungry after his train journey to manchester. he is staying overnight and so has a decently sized duffel bag with him. his hunger gets the best of him and so being an american and all, he goes to mcdonald's for a nice hot, greasy cheeseburger. after paying for his meal, he is heading to sit with his friends and sees that there is a narrow walkway between a counter and a table where two british girls are sitting. he starts to push his way through and his bag gets stuck. he is stuck on the chair where one of the girls is sitting for nearly one minute straight.

british reaction in this situation: the girls continue talking and ignore kevin as he struggles to free himself. he wriggles. he starts to sweat. nothing. again, no one makes eye contact.

american reaction in this situation: girls at the table, "oh no! you're stuck. here, we'll get up and move our table forward a bit so you can get by. i see you have a duffel bag, are you visiting?" another conversation ensues and the strangers briefly engage in a conversation about kevin's schedule that night.

i saved the best scenario for last--thanks for sticking with me.

a-sample a-number a-three: after a long day, which just so happens to be around bonfire night, ryan is relaxing on his bus ride home. eight young boys between the ages of 12-15 make a commotion when they let firecrackers off on the bus, open the emergency exit, and flee. smoke is beginning to fill the bus, and the loud bang has startled people.

british reaction in this situation: no one moves. no one looks towards the back of the bus. no one opens the windows. the smell of smoke starts to overwhelm them. the smell seeps into their hair, coats, shoes, and skin. no one looks at each other. finally a foreigner in a north face coat moves through the bus looking a bit annoyed and opens all of the windows for the people who are still sitting.

american reaction in this situation: the biggest guys on the bus run out of the emergency exit and chase down the hooligans. they wrestle them to the ground and give them a lecture on why that's not funny. they then call the police. the people on the bus evacuate and open all of the windows and the door until the smoke is relatively clear. the bus driver makes sure everyone is okay and then they file back onto the bus and everyone begins to talk about what a scare that gave them the rest of the way home.

don't get me wrong. i actually think that these differences are hilarious, even if sometimes the cause of culture shock for us.