Welcome to America!

 

It's been almost five years since I moved in the US. I spent four years in California and one year in Louisiana, two very different States... It's fair to say I got over the culture shock stage quite a while ago. I've been so many times shocked, surprised, astonished, impressed, misunderstood, outraged, admirative, dismayed, vexed... In short, being French in the US is mentally not restful. And I love it!
But it never occurred to me to write all that somewhere to share it. Actually, it did, but first off, writing a blog seemed to be more work than I wanted to handle, and secondly, there are already so many blogs written by expatriates like me that...well... I didn't feel like creating another one.
And now, as I am realizing that everything that seemed crazy, enormous or super weird to me a few years ago, is now part of my daily routine, that I don't raise my eyes anymore when a giant pick up truck drives by me, that I tip normally without flinching, that I don't eyeball American girls in their Saturday night outfits anymore, I am telling myself that it would be stupid to not keep all those expatriate experiences and thoughts on "paper", before everything seems just... normal.
And on top of that, it won't hurt my brain to express itself in my native french language (the original blog is in french) once in a while... Nothing worse than not being able to find my words when I have to get back into French mode for my occasional skype sessions.
So here I am! I am getting down to it. Not sure where it will take us, but it's worth the try!