Lifestyles

After sweeping through a few countries, I got impressions about certain lifestyles in the countries we passed by compared to ours. They might be few experiences and do not necessarily mean they represent the country, but at least, we get a glimpse of how people think and behave in contrast to ours.

The Italians tend not to speak softly as we do but loudly as if they are angry. This contrasts to the low tone, highly phonetic French. I asked my niece why they have to spell the words with letters they do not pronounce and she said the French she knew also don’t know why.

The City of Chartres, for instance, in trying to understand the French pronunciation, we must not think English or Spanish. When I asked in Spain for the train to “Lourds” as the others pronounce the word, they did not know because it is Lourdes as we say it in the Philippines, understandably, because of our Spanish language heritage.

When I asked the French they did not know where “Lourds” is but they knew where “Louds” is.

The French do not tell you where the wash room is but the “toilette” although some more international restaurants and bars have also the sign WC or washing cabin. They don’t know where rest room is until you get to ask the Americans in the US.

The Europeans charge for using their toilette or WC. In some they charge as much one Euro or P54, others  a bit lower.  If one gets to eat in a restaurant or drink in a bar, then a free toilette is an added incentive, otherwise you have nowhere to go without a euro.

In the public buses in Madrid, there are seats reserved for the elderly but none in Rome or Paris. Italy and Spain give discounts of 10 percent  for a ride in the train, but not in the bus. There is also no senior citizens discount in restaurants even in entrance to the museum.

The weather is really crazy. At early morning when we leave the temperature is 13 degrees C so we dressed up in heavy clothing, to get a sunny day by the afternoon. Even the internet information is rendered inaccurate.

I have not eaten so many sandwiches within a short period of time than here. We had sandwiches for breakfast, for lunch and dinner, although I always ordered hot soup in the restaurant. One restaurant in Madrid served us soup, (I insisted caliente, or hot) called by an exotic name that turned out to be nothing but that chicken noodle soup we buy for P10 at the sari-sari store. It cost 3 euros or P160.

But sandwiches seem to be the food of people in a hurry. We see them in Rome, in Madrid, in Paris – all hurrying up while biting their sandwiches, of course of different kinds and shapes of bread but not the ones we have. French bread, crunchy and dry is common in European countries but not in New York or New Jersey when the food is burger of buns of giant sizes. Even the siopao has fallen to the bun.

We went to Cabela’s in Pennsylvania, the store that is famous for outfitting. It is the center for hunting and fishing sports – animal, birds and fish. I have not seen so many kinds of deer, fowl, bears, raccoon, tigers, lions, musk, zebra, and even an elephant well preserved by the taxidermist as if they are alive.

There were a large species of fishes, including giant catfishes, in huge aquaria. Cabela’s sells all kinds of outfit that include kayaks and boats.

Fortunately there was a bird show and we had a good education about all sorts of bird from the bald eagle to barn owls and falcons of all types.

Cabela’s shows the extent of outdoor sports in the American lifestyle.

Despite the popularity of hunting sports, there is an overpopulation of deer and other animals for hunting, including wild turkey. We travelled 90 miles from to Cabela’s and along the highway we passed by deer, turkeys, squirrels and raccoon ran over by vehicles travelling at the normal speed of 80 miles an hour.

But they are not removed. Overhead are vultures that the man in the bird show said, abound in Washington.*

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