The Things That Dreams Are Made Of

So what do I like best about living in America? What are the things that make me want to pinch myself and say wow, is this really happening to me? Is this real?

Well first and foremost my favourite thing definitely has to be the  weather – it’s warm; it rarely rains and even now in the winter when it might get down to 4 or 5 degrees at night it still manages to get up to a balmy 19 or 20 degrees during the day.

I like the fact that my husband has a convertible car and we can drive around with the roof down – regularly.

I like the fact that I have the time to sit in the sunshine, read a book, go for a swim.

I like having the opportunity to travel and explore new places – places I’ve only ever read about or seen on a map, even places like Las Vegas.  Okay I didn’t actually like Las Vegas that much, but I’m still glad I’ve had the opportunity to go there. I loved San Francisco and travelling up and down the Pacific Coast Highway – and as for Hawaii, total paradise!  Sat on a tropical beach; sipping a Mai Tai and watching the sun go down.  That was a real pinch-me I’m going to wake up moment.
 

I like the wild life –the chance to see whales and dolphins; seals, sea lions, swim with turtles and tropical fish; even just watching the hummingbirds fluttering on my balcony can be mesmerizing.

I like living Pasadena.  I like the scenery -  I like lying in my bed and being able to look out on those mountains.  Pasadena has soul, character, history, it’s a town with a heart and a café culture.

I've made new friends, people to sit with and get to know in those street cafes, and I've made international friends, not just Americans. Southern California is a hotchpotch of nationalities and is totally multicultural; there really is someone here for everyone – even me!!

 And, as for the Americans themselves, I like the fact that they can be so polite, well mannered and  eager to please. I admire their boundless enthusiasm and commitment.  I like their honesty and respect for other people’s property – yes you can leave stuff out on your front porch and it will still be there in the morning.  I love being amazed at what I can spot as I go on my morning stroll – just this week I took a different route and passed a mannequin dressed as a cheerleader on a front lawn! Great stuff!

I admire their patriotism – we just don’t have that in the UK because it’s so not politically correct – unless there’s a royal wedding coming up of course.  Americans are proud to be American. They stand to attention and sing their national anthem, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and wave that flag at every opportunity.

And even though I know I'm not totally compatible with all things American I do like endless soft drink refills in restaurants, generously proportioned parking spaces, and yes, every girl’s dream - I like shopping. Oh I know that may sound incredibly shallow but I've got a teenager daughter and I  like the fact that I can go to Abercrombie & Fitch and the prices are the same in dollars as they are in pounds. I like the fact that Gilly Hicks regularly has 40% off sales; I like browsing around the surprisingly tasteful household goods in Crate & Barrel and I really do like clothes shopping in  Forever 21.

Forever 21, which I believe has just opened its first branch in the UK, is a teenage fashion store, but  I actually think it's really aimed at 40 something mums - every time we have been in there a 1980’s soundtrack  is blasting out across the shop floor. My daughter can shop until she drops and  I can relive my youth listening to The Cure, Duran Duran and the Human League.

These really are the things that dreams are made of.