How Much Is That In REAL Money?

Here comes another pet peeve of mine. Maybe I should change the name of this blog to Kimberly's Pet Peeves..lol.

This post is dedicated to those Americans who behave themselves when overseas and represent Americans well. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Americans who don't. Too many behave in the most arrogant manner, as if everyone should bow down to them and do their bidding simply because they come from the good ole U.S. of A. I've heard grumpy men ask, "How much is that in real money?" Meaning, "How much is that in U.S. dollars?" Well, if someone from another country came over here and asked how much something was in Euros, would you know? And wouldn't you be annoyed?

Some Americans expect everyone overseas to speak perfect English and get annoyed if they don't. Unless one is visiting a country where English is the native language, this is an unrealistic assumption. It's also a bit rude to just go up to someone in a non-English speaking country and start asking questions in English. Better to preface it with, "Excuse me, do you speak English?" And even better if one can ask it in their native tongue.

Others get annoyed when things aren't exactly the way they are in America. We are very spoiled here, with our modern plumbing, central heating and air conditioning, free refills, all-you-can-eat buffets, etc. If one wants everything to be just like it is in America, then my advice is to stay in America. :)

I would love to have a job where I got to interview all passport applicants to deem if they are worthy of being allowed out of the country. I think I would take perverse pleasure in stamping DENIED on their application.

Trust me, I'm no perfect traveller, either. I've had plenty of meltdowns overseas (but I usually limit them to complaining to my travel companion--who these days is usually my long-suffering husband, David). I recall one particular situation of which I am not proud. Back in the 'late 90s when we were living in Korea, we took a ferry to a small island. Our boat was met by a bunch of older Korean ladies, all extolling the virtues of their accommodations. One lady in particular stood out to us, seemed very nice. We allowed her to lead us to her guesthouse. Once there, we weren't impressed by the cleanliness of it, but my husband thought it would be rude to refuse her at that point. So despite my protestations, we paid for our room. I proceeded to have a hissy fit (inside the room, and they didn't speak English, so even if they overheard me, they wouldn't know what I was having a fit about). David finally had enough of me (understandably) and went out and spent the evening eating and drinking with the proprietor and her family. He quite enjoyed himself. I, on the other hand, childishly spent the evening sulking in our room. By morning I grudgingly stopped acting like a spoiled brat.

One thing I've learned is that Australians are some of the best travellers out there. They roll with the punches, keep a laid back attitude, and don't get all whiny when the only toilet available is a hole in the ground. I have much to learn from them--although I don't mind the hole-in-the-ground toilets anymore. :D

And He's Like, So Amazing....

I'm starting off this blog by posting about one of my pet peeves. I find it annoying that people over use the word "amazing." Everything's amazing these days--even if it isn't.

I like to watch game shows, and the contestants, when introducing themselves, often refer to their spouse and/or children as "amazing." Hi, I'm Jane from Podunk, Michigan. And I'm married to my amazing husband, John, and we have three amazing children.

According to my dictionary, the definition of "amazing" is "greatly surprising."  So does Jane find her husband and children greatly surprising? What's so surprising about them, I'd like to know.

The thing about the word, "amazing" is that it can be amazingly good, or amazingly bad. Maybe Jane's amazed that her husband refuses to ever stop and ask for directions no matter how lost he is. Or that he can spend the entire weekend lying on the couch stuffing his face with junk food and watching football while she cleans the house, runs errands and looks after the children who never cease  to amaze her by their seeming inability to do anything she asks of them. Or maybe she's amazed by her teenager's disgustingly filthy room that should be condemned by the local authorities.

I'll bet Jane's husband thinks she's amazing, too. Perhaps he's amazed that every once in awhile she manages to cook something that's fit for human consumption. Maybe he's amazed that she never gets tired of talking about her feelings, or asking him if certain clothes make her look fat.

Another way the word is over used is by people describing something they did or saw. We went to see this new band last night and it was amazing. We had an amazing time!

What was so amazing about the band? Did they expect it to be awful, but were greatly surprised that it wasn't? Or did they expect it to be good, but discovered that any toddler banging on a toy piano played better music? Or was the lead singer drunk and wretching onto the audience? I think I would find that more amusing than amazing.

Maybe "amazing" is the new way to be diplomatic. I'll bet John tells Jane she's an amazing cook. She doesn't have to know he means amazingly bad. Most people assume you mean amazingly good when you say the word "amazing." So you can be honest without hurting their feelings.

If my husband ever tells me I'm an amazing lover, I'm going to look at him through narrowed eyes and say, "And just what do you  mean by that?"