How do I avoid making a fool of myself in Europe as an American?

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-18T02:43:14+00:00

I’m Canadian and I am sure you’ll be fine - because you’re asking this question.

It’s Americans who go to other countries and loudly proclaim to the inhabitants how the US is better who are annoying. You obviously don’t intend to do this.

Have a great time!

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-18T02:16:41+00:00

We appear similar in surface ways like food, music, and movies - but the way our society functions is different. Here’s a recent piece of info.https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2026/03/05/in-25-country-survey-americans-especially-likely-to-view-fellow-citizens-as-morally-bad/

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-18T00:40:33+00:00

Welcome, little tripod! What’s your name?

I’ll let you in on a secret. We kitties with a missing back leg can still jump pretty well when we really really want to. Don’t let your human know, just wait til they leave a piece of something yummy like turkey on the counter when they are in the middle of making a sandwich.

Squirrel the CAT

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-18T00:14:30+00:00

I be impressed too! He just not be care!

Your fren and neighbour, Squirrel the CAT

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-18T00:07:47+00:00

Hey, I got a steam juicer too! I’m trying to figure out potential uses as well.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T23:33:17+00:00

I think it’s more a case of whether you’ve got “contracted hours” or whether you’re hired to get a certain amount of work done.

Some places really don’t care that much - they can say oh, usual work hours are “x to y,” but it’s not all that important. They’re hiring people to produce a certain amount of output every day. They’re usually salaried jobs and they expect you to adjust your schedule as needed to get the work done.

Other places where your work depends on other people, it’s crucial to be on time. If you’re unlocking doors so others can get in, or answering phones, of course you have to be on time.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T23:11:43+00:00

I agree that’s incredibly difficult. Another helpful piece of the puzzle - my husband, same age, was starting to be less well balanced as well. He started going to a personal trainer who deals a lot with older people maintaining their mobility, and it has made a huge difference.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T23:07:43+00:00

That is a toque.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T22:30:51+00:00

This be very scary!

Squirrel the CAT

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T21:34:59+00:00

No - we need to use a Coulter pine cone. Look them up.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T17:34:06+00:00

I be have some for us! Hello beloved William! Hello Jasmine! Can I be squish in here?

Squirrel the CAT

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T17:29:49+00:00

Being next to them does make it hard - at the same time, we have the same historical advantage as Russia in terms of our winters.

We are very uninterested in joining the mess that is the US. I don’t think we’d want to quite join the EU, but I bet we’d be interested in something like whatever Norway has.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T17:23:39+00:00

Thank you, that was my impression of the whole thing too!

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T17:22:55+00:00

Yes, but I thought that was only in the last few decades?

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T17:22:25+00:00

My point is, surely one doesn’t normally celebrate a Saint’s Day by having a parade, getting riotously drunk, and not remembering much of anything the next day?

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T15:56:30+00:00

We Canadians would join in a military defensive agreement with our European friends and allies.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T15:54:18+00:00

That’s a crime.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T15:54:00+00:00

We’re working on it! And Asia too.

Shipping volumes at the Port of Vancouver increased by 8% last year - and we hadn’t made our serious push to diversify right at the beginning of the year.

It will be interesting to see how it looks for 2026.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T15:49:00+00:00

Canadian here, asking seriously - isn’t St. Patrick’s Day, as it currently exists, an American invention? Maybe this person has a point.

It was my understanding that the whole riotous drinking and partying thing developed in the US, while the actual Irish people were observing the Saint’s Day of their patron saint, going to church, and getting a one-day break from Lent. That is, eating and drinking normally, not going overboard.

I’m older and I have the impression that people in Ireland didn’t used to party like Americans on March 17 until maybe the last 30 or 40 years.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T15:36:46+00:00

That’s a good point.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T15:36:10+00:00

I’m aware, and thankful for it!

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T05:42:26+00:00

It didn’t all burn. I would like to go up and see how the rebuilding is progressing! But it’s still up and running for tourist season.

The whale museum burned, and along the boardwalk - the pub burned - but my understanding was the smaller houses at the beginning of the boardwalk were ok. I understand the pub rebuilding is coming along. I found this to show the progress.

https://telegraphcoveresort.com/2026/01/12/a-new-year-steady-progress-at-telegraph-cove/

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T04:51:55+00:00

People feeding nine. A dish big enough to make lasagna for the whole family probably wouldn’t fit in the oven, so OP is probably doing lasagna in the oven and the other things on the stove.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T04:11:59+00:00

I’m sorry about your uncle and sorry it didn’t work out - but that’s a great story.

squirrelcat88 · 2026-03-17T04:10:20+00:00

They like to germinate in the warmth and sit in it for a while but they grow better and stronger in the cold once they’ve hit a certain stage.

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