Expat’ life #1 | Readopting (good) habits

After our expatriation adventures (that you can find in the “expatriation” part of the blog) we finally arrived in the US!

After a trip that was far too long, a special check of all my hand luggage (I was randomly selected….. For the second time!) we finally arrived in the apartment in Jersey. We also had to look for an apartment, but I will write about that later.

The expat life is all about adaptation or, as for us, readaptation.

– The shower. Standing in the tub, naked, for 10 minutes, trying to figure out how to obtain water. (I had to pull quite hard. Was I supposed to know that?) (Even more when you know that I am always breaking everything, so I try to be more careful with objects that do not belong to me 😉 )

– The shower (bis). Getting used to the little water pressure.

– The size of a lot of things: the fridge, the microwave, the packs of washing powder, the tea, the food, …– Speaking about the microwave, except the fact I could almost fit in, discovering how much option are available. Like ‘reheating’ pizza, the one that asks for how many slices you want to reheat!– The kindness of the New Yorkers: you are lost? There will always be someone to help you, even if you did not ask. You are wearing a nice piece of clothing? Believe me, someone is going to tell you about. You are seated alone, on a bench or in a restaurant? Someone is going to join you for a little while.

– The politeness of the New Yorkers in the subway. You don’t need to turn over aggressively anymore: the person who just stepped on your feet is going to apologize. Amazing huh?

– The lack of politeness in the part of Jersey I live in. You can read again the part above: it’s the opposite!

– The fact that the food is everywhere. For snacking, unhealthy food or even a 3 course diner, everything is available 24/7. In fact, I am always surprised when I see people having a real meal at 3pm!– The capacity of being fast on some things (the pizza you ordered on Seamless came in less than 45 minutes, 10 minutes after entering the bank, you can leave with a (working) credit card,…) but so slow on others (I applied for a work permit, it will take 90 to 120 days, sometimes you need to wait one hour to get a table in a not-that-fancy restaurant,…)

Some good things, some bad things but what I can assure you is that every day brings new adventures!