We are definately definately in the Land of the Car.
Nobody walks anywhere unless it is from and to their car, and everything is geared up for 'doing things from your car'.
Need some cash? You can drive to, up to and thru the cashpoint and obtain your money through the car window. Need to pay some cheques in? You can drive up to the bank window where a cashier is waiting for you and then you drive thru.
Need some medicines? You can drive thru at the pharmacy.
Hungry? Drive thru for anything and everything you may so desire. Burgers, Pizza, Donuts, Chicken, Sandwiches - the list is endless.
A coffee? Drive thru Starbucks.
Groceries? Why not phone or email your shopping list to the shop and then drive thru to pick it up.
Taking your child to school? Just drive up to the carpool line, join the queue, inch forward, unlock the door, teacher opens the door and removes child and you just drive on thru. The same applies when collecting your child from school.
In fact I have been inside Ellie's school just twice, once for a look/see and the other time on Meet the Teacher day....and I don't mind telling you that on this point I feel 'robbed'. Robbed in the sense that on my daughters very first day of 'big school' I wasn't able to walk her into her class and settle her in, and she looked so little in her big school uniform and she was a little nervous. On the plus side I suppose...at least the children and teachers didn't have to deal with a whole host of blubbering mothers!
I'll be on the look-out for more 'Drive thru your Life' examples! Haven't seen a Drive Thru cinema, but wait, I think that may be called a 'Drive In'?
Friday, 28 August 2009
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
First Day of School
Ellie started Kindergarten last Thursday. So far, so good she is settling in well and enjoying everything, she has even asked if she can stay later because 'some kids stay longer and get to go to the gym' - After school club I think. Oh yes, and how could I forget...she is also picking up the lingo! As she climbed into the car yesterday afternoon she said. "Tomorrow we have gym so I have to wear my sneakers to school, then she paused, that means trainers OK Mummy? Got it?" 
Monday, 24 August 2009
Our First Weekend (Not Househunting)
The first weekend we were here in North Carolina was a very long one spent househunting, that's all behind us now that we've found a lovely house to live in and we will hopefully be moving in towards the end of this week.
Our second weekend here we managed to get out and about to explore 'our local' area a bit more and it was really helpful to orientate ourselves (read myself) before school started. During our grand tour we took some well deserved time out of the car and took the kids to this wonderful childrens museum in Downtown Raleigh http://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/ it was like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory for Ellie and Luke after the confines of the car and our temporary 3rd floor apartment, interesting, interactive, stimulating, hands-on and they had a fabulous time, we had to drag them away kicking and screaming (I kid you not) when the place closed with promises to return again very soon. It was so good we signed up for an annual membership there and then.
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Thursday, 20 August 2009
School Uniform Shopping
...another education!
Ellie starts school this week so one afternoon last week we made a trip to the 'approved outfitters' to purchase her school uniform.
Luke was thankfully drowsy in his pushchair and we were greeted by an ever so helpful assistant who told me she would be the one to assist us in our quest. We told her the school, she got her list, glanced down it and said that the very first thing Ellie would need was a 'Jumper' and off she waltzes. Hmmmm...I'm thinking...the temperatures here are in the 80's-90's for quite a while yet and a 'jumper' would not be the first thing I'd think of buying just yet, but then she presents me with what I'd call a Pinafore dress!
Me: Oh yes, we'd like a couple of those but I thought we needed a Jumper too?
Girl: This is a Jumper
Me: Is it?!! Now, I'd call that a Pinafore Dress - OK whatever, we'll have 1 plain and one tartan.
Girl: Tartan? What's tartan?
Me: It's the check like fabric.
Girl: We call that Plaid.
Me: What's next?
Girl: Skorts, skirts or shorts?
Me: What's a Skort?
Girl: Shorts that look like a skirt, very good for the active jump around type of girl - protects their modesty.
- We both take one look at Ellie rolling around under a clothes carousel with her legs in the air -
Me: We'll take 2 pairs please!
Add to that list 2 blouses to go under the 'Jumper', 3 polo shirts and a pricey pair of shoes and in the blink of an eye we've racked up about $350 worth of stuff...and I didn't even bother yet with the cold weather 'Jumper' I was thinking about!
Ellie starts school this week so one afternoon last week we made a trip to the 'approved outfitters' to purchase her school uniform.
Luke was thankfully drowsy in his pushchair and we were greeted by an ever so helpful assistant who told me she would be the one to assist us in our quest. We told her the school, she got her list, glanced down it and said that the very first thing Ellie would need was a 'Jumper' and off she waltzes. Hmmmm...I'm thinking...the temperatures here are in the 80's-90's for quite a while yet and a 'jumper' would not be the first thing I'd think of buying just yet, but then she presents me with what I'd call a Pinafore dress!
Me: Oh yes, we'd like a couple of those but I thought we needed a Jumper too?
Girl: This is a Jumper
Me: Is it?!! Now, I'd call that a Pinafore Dress - OK whatever, we'll have 1 plain and one tartan.
Girl: Tartan? What's tartan?
Me: It's the check like fabric.
Girl: We call that Plaid.
Me: What's next?
Girl: Skorts, skirts or shorts?
Me: What's a Skort?
Girl: Shorts that look like a skirt, very good for the active jump around type of girl - protects their modesty.
- We both take one look at Ellie rolling around under a clothes carousel with her legs in the air -
Me: We'll take 2 pairs please!
Add to that list 2 blouses to go under the 'Jumper', 3 polo shirts and a pricey pair of shoes and in the blink of an eye we've racked up about $350 worth of stuff...and I didn't even bother yet with the cold weather 'Jumper' I was thinking about!
Monday, 17 August 2009
Can-You-Speak -ENGLISH?
This was the question I was asked this morning!
It was 6am. The alarm didn't go off. We had overslept and Ian was late to pick up a colleague from a hotel so while he jumped in the shower I called the hotel and this was how the conversation went...
Me: Good morning please can you tell me if there is a man named Simon waiting in reception to be collected?
Man: Errr say that again
Me: Can you tell me if there is a man waiting in your hotel reception to be collected?
Man: Errr what?
Me: Is there a man.called Simon.waiting.in.reception?
Man: Errrr can you speak English?
Me: (never at my most patient or best at 6am in the morning) I AM English, I am therefore speaking ENGLISH!
Now, Simon who was in fact waiting in reception to be collected had thankfully overheard and got the gist of the conversation and took the phone - thank goodness because I don't know where we would have gone from there!
In India I found it very hard to talk to Indians over the phone, I found their accents too thick and without being able to see their faces it was hard to decipher their words so I avoided talking on the phone unless I had someone nearby who could be my interpreter. I just hadn't imagined that the same thing would happen here! I think I'm going to have to work at 'tuning in' and remember to speak more slowly!
Apparently what I should have said was, 'Is there a guy in the lobby waiting to be picked up', and he would have known exactly what I meant!
It was 6am. The alarm didn't go off. We had overslept and Ian was late to pick up a colleague from a hotel so while he jumped in the shower I called the hotel and this was how the conversation went...
Me: Good morning please can you tell me if there is a man named Simon waiting in reception to be collected?
Man: Errr say that again
Me: Can you tell me if there is a man waiting in your hotel reception to be collected?
Man: Errr what?
Me: Is there a man.called Simon.waiting.in.reception?
Man: Errrr can you speak English?
Me: (never at my most patient or best at 6am in the morning) I AM English, I am therefore speaking ENGLISH!
Now, Simon who was in fact waiting in reception to be collected had thankfully overheard and got the gist of the conversation and took the phone - thank goodness because I don't know where we would have gone from there!
In India I found it very hard to talk to Indians over the phone, I found their accents too thick and without being able to see their faces it was hard to decipher their words so I avoided talking on the phone unless I had someone nearby who could be my interpreter. I just hadn't imagined that the same thing would happen here! I think I'm going to have to work at 'tuning in' and remember to speak more slowly!
Apparently what I should have said was, 'Is there a guy in the lobby waiting to be picked up', and he would have known exactly what I meant!
Saturday, 15 August 2009
What's It Like There??
I've been asked this a few times since we arrived and all I can say at the moment is that it is very American, very green and very hot! We've been here less than two weeks and we really haven't been able to explore yet as we have been so busy orientating ourselves, house hunting, school visiting, uniform shopping, banking etc etc, so in the meantime here's a taster of North Carolina - Enjoy!
http://www.visitnc.com/
http://www.visitnc.com/
Friday, 14 August 2009
Baptism of Fire
We arrived in North Carolina with all our eight suitcases and assorted hand luggage courtesy of American Airlines on Tuesday 4th August. We left Kenilworth at 6am, endured an horrendous long long check-in at Heathrow, poor kids - no time for breakfast and we boarded our direct flight (thank goodness) to Raleigh-Durham.
Our next hurdle was the US Immigration queue, especially as we had disembarked the plane last and were therefore last in the queue and it was a good hour and a half later that we emerged in baggage reclaim. That part was easy though as it was only our luggage left on the carousel.
Next stop - Hire car company - Easy, and we were off on the road.
"Just follow me, says Ian, it's not far to the apartment". So I follow, he's in the 'BIG' car with kids and luggage and I'm in the small car - a ZZ Top kind of thing with the pushchair and not much else. He's zooming off ahead and I'm pootling along behind trying to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road again and trying to keep up and, all of a sudden we're on the Interstate and he's off into the distance, and it begins to rain. Can I work the windscreen wiper switch? Can I heckers like - and then I realise I can't see Ian for all the cars, big ones, in front who have zipped in front of me and my rain splattered windscreen - and I'm frantically hitting the intermittent wiper again and again as it really starts to pour and there is a loud clap of thunder.
At this point it dawns on me that I have no bloody idea where we are going - I've never been here before - where we are staying or how to get there on my own...and I have no mobile phone, no ID. Panic. I put my foot down and through the rain and the intermittent wipers that are starting to protest at their mis-use, I eventually spy Ian and the kids. Then I lose them again. Then I see them, then I lose them...and I'm exclaiming loudly at no-one in particular and cursing everything and everybody.
Miraculously I spy Ian ahead - don't know how as at this point all the cars were looking pretty much the same, the only distinguishing feature was that the BIG car had a Virginia licence plate, don't know when I spotted that and stored it in my memory but see it I did and it stopped me driving all the way to Florida.
Our next hurdle was the US Immigration queue, especially as we had disembarked the plane last and were therefore last in the queue and it was a good hour and a half later that we emerged in baggage reclaim. That part was easy though as it was only our luggage left on the carousel.
Next stop - Hire car company - Easy, and we were off on the road.
"Just follow me, says Ian, it's not far to the apartment". So I follow, he's in the 'BIG' car with kids and luggage and I'm in the small car - a ZZ Top kind of thing with the pushchair and not much else. He's zooming off ahead and I'm pootling along behind trying to get used to driving on the wrong side of the road again and trying to keep up and, all of a sudden we're on the Interstate and he's off into the distance, and it begins to rain. Can I work the windscreen wiper switch? Can I heckers like - and then I realise I can't see Ian for all the cars, big ones, in front who have zipped in front of me and my rain splattered windscreen - and I'm frantically hitting the intermittent wiper again and again as it really starts to pour and there is a loud clap of thunder.
At this point it dawns on me that I have no bloody idea where we are going - I've never been here before - where we are staying or how to get there on my own...and I have no mobile phone, no ID. Panic. I put my foot down and through the rain and the intermittent wipers that are starting to protest at their mis-use, I eventually spy Ian and the kids. Then I lose them again. Then I see them, then I lose them...and I'm exclaiming loudly at no-one in particular and cursing everything and everybody.
Miraculously I spy Ian ahead - don't know how as at this point all the cars were looking pretty much the same, the only distinguishing feature was that the BIG car had a Virginia licence plate, don't know when I spotted that and stored it in my memory but see it I did and it stopped me driving all the way to Florida.
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