sunshine

My first morning back in Liberia. Rather than being jarred awake by workmen shouting and car doors slamming, I woke to chirping birds and sunshine! In August, I always groaned and covered my eyes in the morning, but today, I actually skipped around the apartment. Pete thinks I am nuts. We are, after all, in the tropics.

Here are our very bright "offices":






A few years ago, a close girlfriend of mine, M, got married in San Francisco. The morning after her wedding, M's aunt hosted a brunch in the East Bay. It was late May, and though it was bright enough, the temperature wasn't particularly high, and most of us wore jeans and t-shirts. M's British in-laws, however, paraded out in tank tops and shorts - one of the aunts actually sported a bikini top and some "Roman" sandals with straps that wrapped around her lower shins- and the rest of us snickered. It isn't even that hot, we thought.

Now, after two months of London's still, pale, gray, I completely understand. When everyday is cloudy, damp, and dark, *any* sunshine is cause for celebration.

foreigner

Apologies (again) for my infrequent posting. I'm actually in Liberia right now, but I'll write a few posts about London.

One of the first things I noticed about my neighborhood was this:





*This* is considered American? This woman looks like she's out for blood. "Oh, I'll bring you another Margarita...after I kill you."

There's another "American" business nearby, a bit more innocuous:



I'm not sure yet what "American" means over here. With regard to restaurants, I'd imagine it means large portion size. But more broadly, I'm not sure what the Brits think of Americans in general. Shocked, no doubt, by our government's arrogance and naivety. No wait, that's what *I* think.