Made it to Raleigh

I'm in Raleigh now. ... have to run. More later.
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Today the flight went without a hitch, and I made it to the meeting in time. One thing that really stood out to me was the banter in the shuttle from the hotel to the airport. One guy was going on about "Arabs." First it was that the CIA did not have enough Arabic translators, then he complained about his "Arab" shuttle driver the day before and how he was late to pick him up and it was probably because he was praying. The women he was talking to agreed and laughed with him. Then there was a woman with a little kid and a baby that got on the shuttle, they didn't have coats and it was very cold. They also were not able to get their checked bags the night before. Then as the shuttle driver was driving, with snow and ice on the road, they were making fun of him and his driving and laughing to each other right in front of him. I was ashamed of how openly rude they were toward him. I was rude to the airline guy at the counter the night before (after he made racist comments about Ethiopians I might note), but in contrast this guy WAS doing his job. At the airport the driver helped the woman, who was carrying the baby with one arm and leading the toddler with the other, get her bag and stroller out of the van and up onto the sidewalk (in contrast to the people who were criticizing him) and G and I helped her get it inside and set up quickly so they were out in the cold as little as possible. Their criticism reminded me of how people do this in checkout lines in grocery stores in America. In the past, sometimes someone in front will turn to me and loudly criticize the cashier, with a laugh at the end and expect me to laugh and agree with them, just for small talk. Americans really are very rude towards people they see as different or beneath them (and can be unhelpful when they have the opportunity to do something). Being away from that aspect for a year really makes it stand out now.

In Raleigh I got checked in to the hotel then went to find some lunch. Immediately walking out of the hotel things were different. There was no sidewalk to walk from the hotel to the street. It is only designed for people driving in and out, so I had to walk in the road (snow was everywhere else) to where the sidewalk started at the intersection. And the sidewalk was in horrible shape, narrow, broken, cracked and tilted--typical of a lot of cities in the US, because most people drive and hardly anyone walks. Then crossing the intersection people seemed to expect to be able to immediately turn despite me waiting to cross the road at the light change. Anyway, I found a local BBQ place and knew I had found the right place from the smell in the air as I got closer to the door! I ordered some pulled pork BBQ with coleslaw, corn chowder and iced tea--it was wonderful!!! One funny thing, that I half anticipated before, was the mild awkwardness in ordering food in English. For a year now whenever I've ordered food I have attempted it in German, and the German phrases popped immediately into mind when the waitress came; I had to ignore those and use English.

I've really missed real southern food while out of the US. I know exactly where I'm going for lunch tomorrow!