I had good reason to behave like a tourist recently, having a truly amazing opportunity to road trip to Vegas and LA. To be honest a road trip to anywhere would have let me feel like I was living the dream, but to get the opportunity to go to those places was unreal. Vegas could be best described to my British friends and Brighton crossed with Blackpool on steroids. Hotels with roller coasters wrapped around them and hotels shaped like castles or replicating New York's high rise buildings, the place is ridiculous. You find yourself continually asking "Why?", and then realizing it doesn't matter, "We're in Vegas". There were tourists everywhere, and I got excited every time I heard a British accent. This also gave me license to take pictures of everything as you can see. Vegas was everything you imagine, just like you see in the movies. It's truly mind blowing, and I cannot wait to return.
I actually made my first visit to McDonald's in Vegas, where better to have your first McD's than Vegas? McDonald's here is not the same as at home in the UK. Firstly, as with most fast food places here, they've numbered all the meals, and the meals in question are different. Of course there is a meal that includes two cheeseburgers, not just one, and the drinks and fries come bigger. I find it crazy that I can go into somewhere as familiar as McDonald's and still need to ask my buddy to order for me. "Can I get a number 3 please?". How lazy is that? Whats wrong with just saying what you want? As with everything here the American culture has found an easier way to do something that was easy in the first place.
The trip to L.A wasn't so much for the tourist experience, but to see a USC football game. We arrived a couple of hours early for my first "Tailgate" experience. Tailgating, for my British friends, involves parking up 3/4 hours early and having a BBQ out the back of your truck. There is potential for beer pong and other games, and of course the main objective is to have a few drinks before the football. The true tailgater shows up with a flashy trailer/caravan and TV hooked up to watch other college games in preparation. I think if is wasn't for the poor weather and the strict rules on promoting heavy drinking and hooliganism, Tailgating would certainly have taken off in the UK because its our style. It's one step away from the BBQ's before the champions league.
The game itself was somewhat unreal when you consider it was a college/university game. The stadium was huge (the Colosseum previously used in the LA Olympics) and was packed full of fans. The football would have been fairly slow to watch, but by that point everyone had had just enough to drink that they we're too excited to get bored by the breaks in play. USC dominated.
The weekend showed me some real life American culture, and if I take away my sarcasm and cynicism, I have to say I was impressed. Everything is bigger and bolder than at home. Granted there are a few situations where I thought, "this is too much", the Trojan on a horse at the football for example, but it seems to work. Just like in the movies, you know that there are some things that would never work in the UK, but in the USA it works. Today I said "fool around" in a sentence and I didn't sound like an idiot because I'm in America. Say that in the UK and people think your trying to do an impression of someone in the movies.
On the whole I'd say I'm getting used to living here. I'm used to people not knowing or understanding what I'm saying, and I'm adapting my language to help smooth the process. I managed to teach my first undergrad class today without loosing them in translation. Conversation has become easier. I think people are getting used to me being the British girl too, and finally my British language has become "charming". Saying that, the day to day is still hard. Going to the store or getting to school is still complicated and you loose the feeling of independence.
To conclude, I would like to say "Go Giants" as the first baseball team I've ever supported wins the worlds series (even though I'm mad that it delayed Glee). I would also like to say well done to the Americans for voting Obama to stay in the White House allowing the rest of the world to breathe a sigh of relief.
Peace out. (Which I can now say and it be cool because I live in America)
