After five weeks back in the States, I am feeling like a Yank again for the most part. It has been good to awaken on my own instead of being prompted by the calling of the muezzin at the nearby mosque to join in morning salah (prayer). The weather in Florida has been pleasantly mild compared to the Emirates. Daytime highs here have been around 90 degrees Frank with fifty percent humidity instead of 40 degrees Carl (104 degrees Frank) with the same or more humidity.
One of the major adjustments has been to the "measurement thing". The U.S.A. is so big and powerful and so far away from everywhere else that it can keep its Olde English Imperial units. After living and breathing the metric system for two years, I find that I am constantly converting from kilometers to miles and from degrees Carl to degrees Frank. If I am still here in a couple of months, I shall probably be able to think like an American once again.
The other change that I am encountering is going from British to American. There were very few Yanks in the Emirates, so I often found myself defending the U.S.A. against the onslaught of quips from Brits, Aussies, and Kiwis. It was all in good fun, but now I am in the process of purging the elements of the Queen's English that have made their way into my vocabulary. I was looking at a print ad for a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and I found myself mentally pronouncing it as "Zed Nought Six". I have a ways to go.
A significant difference concerns money. With greenbacks in my wallet again, I have to stop thinking about values in dirhams. In the Emirates, dollars were referred to in the news media but the most common foreign currency was definitely the Euro. A unique feature of the U.S. dollars is that all of the notes are virtually the same color. This is quite unique. In most countries that I have visited, different denominations have distinct colors. This helps illiterate residents and daft foreigners immensely since it is much easier to pass a clerk "two blue ones and one red one" instead of the actual face value.
Most Westerners who drove in Arabia described the drivers with adjectives like lunatics and idiots. They confessed how they felt that they were endangering life and limb whenever they got into the car. My immediate impression after two years in the Emirates is that driving is much more dynamic there than in the U.S. and Europe. Here, we spend our time on the road going from one traffic stop to another. It seems that we are standing still more than moving ahead. In the U.A.E., there are relatively few traffic lights and numerous roundabouts so intersections seldom represent stop-and-go situations. Traffic flow is controlled with huge speed bumps. It was not an ideal system but it seemed to progress better.
My day-to-day existence since my return has been working on our house, looking for a new gig, and promoting my newly published book. I have been incredibly busy. I am ready to launch into a new routine wherever life decides to lead me. My friends who have read my book have optimistically told me that I may be able to stay at home and write for a living. Realistically, I believe that I shall be back in a job here or abroad. I am fine with most scenarios so long as I can continue having adventures and am able to spend time with my wife and family.
One of the major adjustments has been to the "measurement thing". The U.S.A. is so big and powerful and so far away from everywhere else that it can keep its Olde English Imperial units. After living and breathing the metric system for two years, I find that I am constantly converting from kilometers to miles and from degrees Carl to degrees Frank. If I am still here in a couple of months, I shall probably be able to think like an American once again.
The other change that I am encountering is going from British to American. There were very few Yanks in the Emirates, so I often found myself defending the U.S.A. against the onslaught of quips from Brits, Aussies, and Kiwis. It was all in good fun, but now I am in the process of purging the elements of the Queen's English that have made their way into my vocabulary. I was looking at a print ad for a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and I found myself mentally pronouncing it as "Zed Nought Six". I have a ways to go.
A significant difference concerns money. With greenbacks in my wallet again, I have to stop thinking about values in dirhams. In the Emirates, dollars were referred to in the news media but the most common foreign currency was definitely the Euro. A unique feature of the U.S. dollars is that all of the notes are virtually the same color. This is quite unique. In most countries that I have visited, different denominations have distinct colors. This helps illiterate residents and daft foreigners immensely since it is much easier to pass a clerk "two blue ones and one red one" instead of the actual face value.
Most Westerners who drove in Arabia described the drivers with adjectives like lunatics and idiots. They confessed how they felt that they were endangering life and limb whenever they got into the car. My immediate impression after two years in the Emirates is that driving is much more dynamic there than in the U.S. and Europe. Here, we spend our time on the road going from one traffic stop to another. It seems that we are standing still more than moving ahead. In the U.A.E., there are relatively few traffic lights and numerous roundabouts so intersections seldom represent stop-and-go situations. Traffic flow is controlled with huge speed bumps. It was not an ideal system but it seemed to progress better.
My day-to-day existence since my return has been working on our house, looking for a new gig, and promoting my newly published book. I have been incredibly busy. I am ready to launch into a new routine wherever life decides to lead me. My friends who have read my book have optimistically told me that I may be able to stay at home and write for a living. Realistically, I believe that I shall be back in a job here or abroad. I am fine with most scenarios so long as I can continue having adventures and am able to spend time with my wife and family.
