Monday, December 05, 2005

Smile like you mean it

It has been pointed out to me, by one of my loyal readers, that my posts so far have been venom-filled rants against the Dutch. Damn right, bee-atch! There's just so much to complain about, so little time, and so few people who will listen. That's why I created this blog - I spent far too much time venting my spleen only to people who agree with me (i.e., expats living over here) and not sharing my bile with the wider world. So here it is.

After a few days back in the People's Republic of Norfolk, I knew what my next outpouring of angst should be - the Dutch don't smile. I walked around Sainsbury's and a lady almost hit me with her trolley. Instead of the Dutch response of glowering at you for getting in their way, the nice Norfolk lady gave me a big smile and apologised. Checkout assistants look you in the eye, smile, and chat - to everyone. Cars stop to let pedestrians cross roads, and the grateful pedestrian smiles and waves her thanks. I love it. Thank you citizens of Norwich for making eye contact and making me feel happy.

Smiling: so easy to do, so rarely encountered (over here). So normal for Norfolk.

I'm reading: The Food of Love by Anthony Capella
I'm eating: mushroom stroganoff with mustard mash
I'm avoiding: the rain - the interminable rain

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