Number 4.

4. Noticed what surprises you in this new place. Pay attention to how you react to things that you don't expect or that you don't understand. Note which surprises are pleasant and which ones are uncomfortable.

For the most part here in England I haven't had that many surprises. It is just a little different than back at home. I think that this has a lot to do with everyone speaking the same language, just slightly different meanings. The main place that I was surprised was when I was in Italy. The first few experiences I found were uncomfortable and unpleasant. First, we get off the plane and find the information desk. I automatically assumed that people that were to provide information to travelers would normally be friendly people. Well, I was wrong. If looks could kill, both Katie and I would be dead in the airport. All we asked was how to get to our hotel. The answer we got is a map with some lines draw on it and that we needed to take a bus there. Now where the bus was, we did not get that information. Or maybe we did but, I am sorry I do not understand mumbling English. It seems the only thing she decided to grant us with was the speaking of English, other than that we were on our own. I found that funny for the information desk. After deciding that there was no way we would find this magically bus we tried to get a taxi. All the taxis outside were lined up with no drivers in them. And standing outside of an airport I could not tell who was a driver and who was not. Finally i spotted a person in the drivers seat. So I naturally went up to him and was planning on asking a question about the taxis. As soon as I went up to the window and popped my head in he just stared at me and before I could get 'Hi, Can you hel-...' out he said 'I do not speak English'. Funny the way it is, he spoke that clearer than the information lady. So it makes me wonder if his nose grew a little after I walked away. After that we found a cab who dropped us off in the area of where our hotel was susposed to be. After walking up and down the same street this sweet waiter at a cafe helped us out. Even with opening the front door to the hotel (there were two security doors to get through the the main door). After we checked in we had to get some food. As soon as we walked out the same waiter came over and asked us to sit down and get a bite to eat. God bless him, he was the sweetest waiter we could have had. After that everytime we walked into or out of our hotel and saw him he would wave and say hello to us. After those two experinces I have to look back and see if maybe I had given off the wrong vibe or something. But with the information lady I know I had not. So when people give me attitude when I am asking a question, I find it easier just to give it back. I know that they will not help me just because I do not speak thier language. I know that it is immature to do that but it makes me feel better. If your not going to be nice to me for NO reason then I won't be nice to you for NO reason. But then sometimes that pushes them to actaully help you because that shows that your not a push-over. I tend to do this back at home, it is nothing new to me. It is just the way that I am wired. But it is mostly with strangers that refuse to do thier job. And it is sad to get so excited when some strange actually goes out of thier way just a little and helps me. It makes me think that there are some nice people out there. And that this doesnt just happen in the US or Italy, it happens everywhere.