Frog Blog

when g, my main professor here at school, visits america, he's always very surprised at the age of people still working-- in the grocery stores, retail, whatever. it makes him uncomfortable to have an elderly person offer to bring his groceries to the car-- he's more capable to do it himself and finds the whole situation disrespectful to the elderly. by contrast, what i find surprising is how many elderly people here still are still very much independent and active and doing everyday things-- riding bicycles, walking home with groceries, holding hands with their spouses on a walk through the outdoor market on sundays (it's nice to see people still in love after all that time-- in love enough to show it by holding hands, at least). i don't see much of this in the states-- why is that? when was the last time i saw an elderly person riding a bike? (without a helmet, no less.) are they afraid of breaking? do you become absolutely inactive past a certain age? or are their kids afraid for their frail parents?

sometimes i feel like i have this very limited time as an american in which i'm the shit-- socially accepted, listened to, empowered, respected, active, cute, fashionable, feisty, whatever. it's about between the ages of 18 to 40. youth rules and it seems like most americans view their elders as big pains in the ass who don't get it, are too slow, shouldn't be driving, are out of touch.

wha? this blows. who do you look to for advice if not someone older and wiser than you? my dad always tells me that the older he gets, the more what his old man told him makes sense. it's the same for me. when this current older generation goes, so goes with it a real fucking history of life before internet and moby, life during the depression and war, life before the suburbs. what a loss.

here's something i'll miss: most everything moves at a slower pace here. today at the grocery store, i was first in line at the cashier. the cashiers do not bag your groceries for you at this particular store-- you do. she waited until i had unloaded all my stuff before starging to ring it through, but i still struggled to keep up with her while bagging my stuff. i'm not used to bagging so i'm a little slow. i was hurrying because there was a line building up behind me but then i wondered, why am i rushing? what's the hurry? it's perfectly acceptable to go slow in the grocery store-- it's the norm. the cashier waited until i had bagged the last of my purchases before telling me my total. she wasn't hurrying me nor was she annoyed or rolling her eyes that i was going slow. it was nice! goddamnit, i like the pace here! i'm tired of rushing! except, of course, at the post office.