I’ve forgotten how easy it is to live in the United States. In the past 11 days, I have:
— Thrown the toilet paper in the camode, not the trash can
— Received emailed instead of paper receipts
— Ordered takeout Indian and Thai takeout online with my credit card
— Turned on the hot water and received actual (scalding) hot water in two seconds, instead of waiting and letting the tap run for two, three or four minutes.
— Purchased a cell phone plan in 30 minutes, from the man who greeted us when we entered the store (instead of a surly employee at a window)
— Ridden in climate-controlled subway cars with passengers who follow rules, such as not blaring music, not eating, and not smoking
— Experienced the glory of buying multiple things in one store, including paring knives, coffee filters and earphones.
On the second day we were in town, Crayton and I pretty much got our new lives together. We bought new winter coats, went grocery shopping, got flu shots, bought new gloves, investigated two cell phone plans and purchased one. At the end of the day, we realized all of this would’ve taken at least two days — at least — in Mexico City.
So far my only mishaps have been not walking fast enough (New York pedestrians are like chilangos behind the wheel of a car), and taking the wrong subway train, or walking west when I should’ve been walking east.
And not to jinx it, but… I think we may have found an apartment. In Queens. Signing the lease tomorrow. I did a Google maps search for “restaurants” (another New York luxury) near our new place, and was shocked at all the excellent Thai and Chinese options that popped up. We’re going to have a fabulous time.
