Here’s hoping for lots of blue this November. As an Arizona native who has been living in Norway for 20 years, I do commiserate with you and your thoughts in this post (and shake my head at those hateful flags that flew in your neighborhood). I’m happy to hear that you and your husband are happy and safe in your current host country.
The last time I was in Arizona, which was back in 2017 when my mom passed, a cashier in Walgreens, after finding out we lived in Norway, was very concerned for our welfare since “ isn’t Norway near Sweden and isn’t it dangerous there?” (this was right after the “Last night in Sweden” nonsense perpetrated by that terrible guy). I have to sigh and shake my head at this type of attitude and just hope that people there (and across the US) will get out and vote as though our homeland’s future depends on it.
Agreed! Since moving here we've been amazed at the crazy things Americans think about foreign countries... I'm sure you heard about the anti-tourist protestors spraying people with water guns here in Barcelona a couple months ago - and then I'm hearing from Americans they are concerned about safety here.... let's see, water guns VS real guns.... and that was an isolated event... meanwhile more people are shot on a daily basis with REAL GUNS in our former hometown of Phoenix than have been shot with water guns here in the entire year.... it feels like some people just will never get shaken out of their foolishness no matter how bad things get - I still know Americans who blithely and strangely proudly declare that they aren't going to bother to vote "because it doesn't matterrrrrrr" - ugh. Our fingers are crossed this all ends well with a minimum of political violence. :( All I can say is, it's great to be living somewhere where I don't have to worry about guns; the worst thing I worry about is pickpocketing!
Here’s hoping for lots of blue this November. As an Arizona native who has been living in Norway for 20 years, I do commiserate with you and your thoughts in this post (and shake my head at those hateful flags that flew in your neighborhood). I’m happy to hear that you and your husband are happy and safe in your current host country.
The last time I was in Arizona, which was back in 2017 when my mom passed, a cashier in Walgreens, after finding out we lived in Norway, was very concerned for our welfare since “ isn’t Norway near Sweden and isn’t it dangerous there?” (this was right after the “Last night in Sweden” nonsense perpetrated by that terrible guy). I have to sigh and shake my head at this type of attitude and just hope that people there (and across the US) will get out and vote as though our homeland’s future depends on it.
Agreed! Since moving here we've been amazed at the crazy things Americans think about foreign countries... I'm sure you heard about the anti-tourist protestors spraying people with water guns here in Barcelona a couple months ago - and then I'm hearing from Americans they are concerned about safety here.... let's see, water guns VS real guns.... and that was an isolated event... meanwhile more people are shot on a daily basis with REAL GUNS in our former hometown of Phoenix than have been shot with water guns here in the entire year.... it feels like some people just will never get shaken out of their foolishness no matter how bad things get - I still know Americans who blithely and strangely proudly declare that they aren't going to bother to vote "because it doesn't matterrrrrrr" - ugh. Our fingers are crossed this all ends well with a minimum of political violence. :( All I can say is, it's great to be living somewhere where I don't have to worry about guns; the worst thing I worry about is pickpocketing!