Here There and Everywhere

Breaking Out the Sweaters

This morning, checking the weather forecasts, I exclaimed to my husband “Wow! 100 degree (38 C) maximums for the next five days!”

“Break out the winter sweaters!” he exclaimed.

It’s a family joke. We’re from the same country, but different cultures. I was raised in a very cold climate, he was raised in a very hot climate. I need it to be cold enough to sleep; he sleeps in a nightshirt with an extra blanket.

When we were first married, he looked at me one night and said “Don’t you ever fry anything?”

I looked at him in horror. “No! – and you’ll live a lot longer! We only grill and occasionally saute!”

When I first met his family, they fixed all their best dishes for me.The food was wonderful, but used a lot of cream and lard and butter. Not used to eating such rich foods, I got really sick. Later, I did learn to cook several of the dishes that he grew up with, and he learned to like grilled fish and shrimp.

Although I do not think 100 degrees is “cool,” I am seeing changes in the weather – it is lovely at night, sweet for sitting outside. The color of the sea changed yesterday, from it’s normal jade color to a more blue color. There are huge flocks of birds, landing, resting and taking off – migratory birds? Two days ago, I could see silvery fish jumping in the waters, and last night, late late into the night, there were fishing boats just yards off the shore, with their lights gaily dancing up and down. I grew up on fishing boats – a part of me yearns to be out there with a line in the water.

Think I’d better go pull out the winter boxes.;-)

September 28, 2006 Posted by intlxpatr | Cross Cultural, ExPat Life, Family Issues, Locard Exchange Principal, Marriage, Uncategorized | Leave a comment