Little Things Mean A Lot

There's a scene at the start of the film Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson are on their way to a hit. Travolta has just returned from a trip to Europe. He turns to Jackson and says "You know what really gets you about Europe. It's the little things. Sure they've got the same shit we do over here, but over there, it's a little different." There follows a riff about what to call a Quarter-pounder in France, and putting mayonnaise on french fries in Belgium, amongst other things. Being in this country is like that. They've got the same stuff we do, only it's a little different. Sometimes it's a lot different.

The first year I spent here was a real culture shock. The difference between London and Dublin is mainly one of scale. London is pretty much the same as Dublin, only much bigger. Sure, the accents are different, and the money has the Queen's portrait on one side, but these are small differences.

We watch the same TV, follow the same football teams, eat the same food, and we're close enough to be familiar with each others ways.

The US shouldn't be that different. They drive on the other side of the road, and have pictures of dead presidents on their money, but so what? All my life I've been watching their TV, and I know what the place looks like. I'm prepared.

Boy, was I wrong.

First, there's the heat. I arrived in Chicago on the twelfth of August, so I noticed the heat as soon as I stepped off the plane. Saying I noticed the heat is a bit like saying Poland noticed Hitler invaded in 1939. I never appreciated what Jack's Army went through in Orlando until I lost half a pound in weight walking to the corner shop for a carton of milk.

Even cars driving on the wrong side of the road can throw you. Crossing the street can turn you into a gibbering idiot, as your head turns reflexively in both directions, just in case the cars all switch while you're not looking.

There's the block numbered street system. It makes perfect sense when you understand it, but until then, you can get lost walking in a straight line.

And, of course, you're screwed if you don't have a car.