Four months in and I'm getting to the point where the cultural differences are really getting to me. People were giving me and Louise dirty looks yesterday because we were sitting outside having a drink and a cigarette in the afternoon. Only men are allowed to do that here apparently. Some old man who collects boxes for a living gave us the look of death; we just laughed.
Talked about the sinking of the Titanic in my classes one day and inevitably started talking about the movie and when I asked if they liked Kate Winslet in the movie they said: "no".
Surprised I asked why and class after class they all responded: "she's too fat in it. Couldn't they have found a skinny actress? There are lots of skinny actresses out there."
Kate Winslet fat in Titanic? OOOOOK psychos.
Some of the men were more...diplomatic and they looked at me and said: "she's not my type."

Another gripe is the coffee. I've been drinking too much these mornings, it takes a lot to get me going these days. So I hit the Dunkin' Donuts across the street from my work during my morning breaks as it's the only one open. Ask for the coffee of the day (which, incidently, is ridiculously priced at $2/cup but I'm addicted), and they ask me: "cream? Sugar?"
I say, "no, no, just some milk".
So she brings me my coffee...black. "Um..." I say, "can you put some milk in that?" She looks at me all confused as if she's never heard such a ridiculous request. "milk" I say, knowing full well she completely understands the english word but just isn't getting the idea for some bizarre reason.
With a confused look she turns away and dissapears for a few minuites. I'm thinking, 'bloody hell, I've got to get back to the school for my next class where the hell is she? And how long does it take to add some milk to a cup of freaking coffee???'
I see her walk by with a now empty cup and I mutter out loud (as those of you who know me know how I'm prone to): "what is she doing?"
Then she proceeds to put the milk in the cup first and ok, why she had to pour out a perfectly good cup of coffee I don't know but whatever just give me my coffee. If you have to put the milk in first than alright just move it sister, is what I'm thinking. So finally, 9 minuites into my 10 minuite break I get my cup of coffee and a few steps outside I take a sip and spit it out. It's 1/2 bloody milk! If I wanted 1/2 milk 1/2 coffee I would've ordered a Latte wouldn't I have? So now I have to once again return. In the end I got the coffee, no sugar and just a little milk but I'm not convinced it was worth all the grief.
This morning is Saturday and I thought I'd treat myself to a trip to the paris style coffee house called Tous les Jours for a bagel and some cream cheese. MMM...
Another mistake.
Get an onion bagel take it to the front and ask for some cream cheese (every time I've been there they have individual packets you can buy for about 50 cents) and they say, "no cream cheese."
Then after some discussion they bring me a tub of it. Fine. I buy the whole tub of it, thinking I'll just put the rest in the refridgerater. I ask if they can cut and toast the bagel for me. She says ok and tells me to take a seat and wait. I do.
And I wait, and wait and wait and wait, and tell myself this is Asia where they do everything slow just be a little more patient but after 10 minuites I can't take it anymore. How long does it take to toast a bagel? Keep in mind there are almost no other customers in the place (maybe four and they're all seated and served) and there are about four people behind the counter. So I go up to the counter not hiding the fact that I'm ticked and ask where my bagel is. The guy opens this toasing machine(?) and he's toasting the bagel whole -- it hasn't been cut. they give it to me a minuite later and then cut it. I say, "no, no, no" (having just paid $7 for 1 cup of coffee a bagel and some cream cheese I'm getting what I wanted) "toast it" I point.
"Toast?"
I smile sweetly: "yeees."
In the end the bagel was almost warm -- not even remotely "toasted" but oh well, the coffee was good and having been to that place for coffee many times before the woman gave me a black coffee with side of milk. Lose some, win some.
Sometimes you just have to laugh.