I was determined not to be the “Ugly American” on this trip. Like most US travelers I relied heavily on the international language of pantomime, slapstick, and the kind of grotesque exaggeration you expect in Community Theater. I came with open arms and a festive spirit to bask in the origins of Western mankind. I returned home bruised, breathless and flat broke.
PERSONAL SPACE
Europeans exist within millimeters of each other. Personal space in Europe is like the Hybrid car in America. It is readily available, yet few choose to take advantage of it.
Sitting on a bus in Bosnia I was enveloped by a “Euro dry hump clump”, which occurs when the first person to occupy space becomes the center of an unwanted Human Shield. Secret Service doesn’t even move this quickly. If the President wants real protection overseas, just travel with a few personal space-sucking Euro-magnets.
My gripe; at least acknowledge we are inches apart. Give me the courtesy of sharing the awkward moment. Nobody gets to be indifferent and stand so close to me that when I inhale I taste your mustache!
2ND HAND SMOKE
From Portugal to Serbia, smoking is still King. Apparently 2nd hand smoke is not a health concern in Europe; it is more of a weather condition. I would like to thank the fine people of the European Union for saving me all the years of smoking and allowing me to move directly to the pre-Emphysema iron lung phase. This way I get the euphoria of “feeling” like a life long smoker, without the nasty sense of responsibility that I am contributing to the death of those around me.
AMERICAN DOLLAR
Once considered “fake” money, the mighty Euro is worth thirty percent more than our dollar. By my calculation, over a three-week period of converting American greenbacks to Euros, I owe Italy a kidney. It’s like waking up one morning and realizing the money you worked so hard for was pilfered by a formula you are too stupid to understand.
But maybe there is a hidden genius at work here. Maybe this IS our plan? We let the Euro gain strength and drive the American economy into the ground. Soon the Peso will be worth more as well. Then illegal immigrants will start going the other direction, sending some of that “Strong Mexican Money” back to their poor impoverished illegal American Families.
I learned my lesson long ago. I make my money in the International markets. I sell snacks outside hash houses in Amsterdam. Euros only please.
JPC
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
