Back home

The family is back, all safe and sound. Long travelling, but we made it. The kids got home just in time to go back to school for a couple days before break. It was nice seeing the neighbors. Nice being able to understand the signs and conversations around me.

American space is different. First, you don't really look at people here. There, they look until they are done looking - a couple seconds. An American would think they are staring. Second, personal space is much larger here. There, ppl might brush you in the store, squeeze past on their way somewhere, and in a crowd simply bump shoulderes. At the same time, they don't really keep out of the way. On a walkway or store aisle, they will just stop to talk or whatever, and everyone else has to squeeze past them. And their bathrooms are small. You will bump the wall with your elbows, and the same in the shower too.

Americans will not touch you. They take a very wide berth. They usually move their carts to the side of the very wide aisels if they're looking at something for long. You will not touch the walls in anyone's bathrooms. American space is easy to like.