We’ve been ensconsed in American life for approximately 52 hours, and the culture shock is palpable. So many television commercials! And hey! Why are there commercials for adult party phone lines on Nickelodeon during the day? We haven’t been to Target. We’ve been to Super Target. Seriously! It’s really called Super Target! Because regular Target just isn’t big enough, I guess. The place is massive. I’ve already been to two supermarkets, and the sheer variety of products and brands has left me dumbfounded.
The flight was surprisingly not nightmarish. The Little One slept for eight out of thirteen hours (having managed to stay awake until the plane started to taxi down the runway in preparation for takeoff), and the rest of the time was spent reading and playing. At one point he told me that he wanted to get off the plane, but other than that, he was quite the little trooper. I actually apologized to one of the flight attendants for his behavior and she responded with, “he was good. Trust me.” By the way, for those of you flying from Israel to the southern US, you should definitely consider Delta’s direct flight from Tel Aviv to Atlanta. The service was excellent (everyone was so nice and so incredibly helpful!), the food surprisingly good, and the entertainment system kept me thoroughly entertained.
I drank my first cup of Starbucks coffee at the airport in Atlanta. Aside from being surprised to see that my medium-sized latte was larger than any large coffee that one can find in Israel, I was saddened to discover that what my husband and some of my friends had been saying was indeed correct. The coffee was nowhere near as good as the coffee in Israel. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else in the terminal, though, as everyone seemed to be walking around with large cups of Starbucks coffee, and the garbage bins were full of empty Starbucks cups. They do, however, make a lovely chocolate chip scone, and I don’t envy the person responsible for cleaning the area where the Little One ate his precious scone.
We’ve had an easy few days so far, aside from the jetlag and the fact that the Little One is barely speaking any English, chattering away to everyone in Hebrew, not at all bothered by the fact that almost no one understands him (he’s even gone so far as to repeat answers in Hebrew, saying them louder and more slowly after his grandparents told him that they didn’t understand). We’ve visited with friends, gone to a birthday party and made some new friends, and I’ve even managed to do a little shopping, after the Little One went down for an afternoon nap. The Official Shopping Count stands at two pairs of capri pants and one short-sleeved shirt (and sorry, NRG, but they’re all in my “usual” colors. I did try on a red top, but it bunched funny under the arms…).
So, in honor of our trip to the US, today’s 80s Music Video Sunday entry is devoted to an artist who I find to be quintessentially, unquestionably American. Our rocker was born in the USA, in the state of New Jersey. I’ve always been a Bruce Springsteen fan, and really enjoy his tunes from the 80s. Oh, and a gold star goes to the first person to name the girl dancing with Springsteen in the video below.
Dancing in the Dark
Bruce Springsteen
I get up in the evening
And I ain’t got nothing to say
I come home in the morning
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain’t nothing but tired
Man, I’m just tired and bored with myself
Hey there baby I could use just a little help
You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
Message keeps getting clearer
Radio’s on and I’m moving ’round the place
I check my look in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man, I ain’t getting nowhere just living in a dump like this
There’s something happening somewhere
Baby I just know that there is
You can’t start a fire
You can’t start a fire without a spark
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing in the dark
You sit around getting older
There’s a joke here somewhere and it’s on me
I’ll shake this world off my shoulders
Come on baby the laugh’s on me
Stay on the streets of this town
And they’ll be carving you up all right
They say you gotta stay hungry
Hey baby I’m just about starving tonight
I’m dying for some action
I’m sick of sitting ’round here trying to write this book
I need a love reaction
Come on now baby gimme just one look
You can’t start a fire sitting ’round crying over a broken heart
This gun’s for hire
Even if we’re just dancing In the dark
You can’t start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart
This gun’s for hire
Why, it’s monica from Friends! Courtney Cox ( + something or other married name…)
Silly!
Glad you are there safely. You must promise to buy at least one article of clothing in either red, purple or kelly green… And the clothing must be for you, just in case you saw a loophole there!
Hugs to the little one. I had a whole trip to the US where I acted as viking-girl’s personal translator. I just repeated everything she said in norwegian over to english… it worked but was very tiresome! The next visit will be better language wise, I promise!
Go to a local coffee place instead of a chain like Starbucks, your chances will be better! 馃檪
Hugs to Mom and Dad and esp. little one!
Super Target?!
God, I’m enraged with jealousy right now…
I remember when that album came out. It was huge.
Ahh, summer at the beach. All you need is a Budweiser and Bruce.
Culture shock? what would people like me say then… 馃槈
Up here they call it Target Greatland. And it is indeed great!
Glad to see you made it safe and sound. What was the stroller decision?
Did the Super Target you went into also have a Starbucks??? Before making aliyah, I was at our local ST daily! aargh. Life is so much more than that!
hang in there and have fun! ps. how’s his English going?
Jealous! Very jealous! There’s a Target Greatland near my parents that is simply…great. Have fun shopping til you drop! Glad the flight went OK, I love getting off the plane thinking, “That could have been a lot worse!”
And “Dancing in the Dark” was my absolute fave song for a while, way back when- lucky Monica/Courtney!!
Great song and great album, listened to it until the machine chewed it up. Good memories of my early introduction into the world of underage drinking.