Random Moments of Being an American Abroad, Part 1

I have decided to add a new "column" to my regular blog posts: a new series called Random Moments of Being an American Abroad. I can't say that it will be weekly, or even monthly (although I can't say that with certainty...), basically it will be posted whenever I have made some foolish gaff that I deem worth sharing, probably at my own expense, and certainly all in good fun. That being said, welcome to the first edition of Random Moments of Being an American Abroad.


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3/10/06

Today, I chose to listen to Lewis Black as I walked home from school. I ended up taking the bus, because my ankle was bothering me, but I nestled into a corner and continued listening to my favorite comedian. Someone please remind me NEVER to do this again, or at least to pause my humorous interlude while on a mode of public transport, because when he reached the part in the IHOP sketch where he hollers, "GIMME SOME GOD-DAMN PANCAKES!", I started laughing out loud. People stared.

This experience has taught me two very important lessons, which I would now like to impart to you (in case you should you ever find yourself in a similar situation):

1) Laughing out loud and apparently to yourself on a bus does NOT make you popular. Should this happen to you, your best recourse is to start coughing loudly while simultaneously gesturing wildly at your throat. This way, the other passengers will be assured that you're not crazy, you're choking. Then they will definitely leave you alone.

2) Spaniards obviously don't find pancakes amusing. They don't know what they're missing.