America... the smelting pot of the world.
Ever heard this said of the United States? I remember from my high school history books. Well, Rodney’s about to be smelted in. Just today we sent off the paper work to apply for his citizenship to the “U-nited States!” Incidentally, he almost forgot to sign his application and had to go back to the P.O. and ask the post mistress for the envelope back so he could sign it!
Thinking of this reminds me of when we arrived back into L.A. from Brisbane. To start off with, LAX Immigration is just now receiving a face lift it has needed for what I venture must be a couple of decades. Travel weary passengers toddle off the planes, snake around in what becomes yards and yards of queues, grip their entry cards and passports with clammy hands and a tiny bit of trepidation as they settle into a blind stare at the unfriendly immigration agents. Add to this the strikingly abnormal sound of foreign accents calling out, “U.S. Passport... lines 16 and 17!” They are all too officious. They aroused both curiosity and submission, these folk with accents thick from a homeland far from our shores. Rodney and I looked at each other, ready to play one of our favourite games... Guess the Accent. One was definitely Middle Eastern. A couple might have been Asian, and a few were Spanish. None of our first encounters were with native American speakers. We chuckled. Only in America do you deplane and encounter so much culture before you even enter the country (technically)! By God’s grace, we’ll add an Australian-speaking American to the pot in a few months time!
Thinking of this reminds me of when we arrived back into L.A. from Brisbane. To start off with, LAX Immigration is just now receiving a face lift it has needed for what I venture must be a couple of decades. Travel weary passengers toddle off the planes, snake around in what becomes yards and yards of queues, grip their entry cards and passports with clammy hands and a tiny bit of trepidation as they settle into a blind stare at the unfriendly immigration agents. Add to this the strikingly abnormal sound of foreign accents calling out, “U.S. Passport... lines 16 and 17!” They are all too officious. They aroused both curiosity and submission, these folk with accents thick from a homeland far from our shores. Rodney and I looked at each other, ready to play one of our favourite games... Guess the Accent. One was definitely Middle Eastern. A couple might have been Asian, and a few were Spanish. None of our first encounters were with native American speakers. We chuckled. Only in America do you deplane and encounter so much culture before you even enter the country (technically)! By God’s grace, we’ll add an Australian-speaking American to the pot in a few months time!
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Yay for Rodney! I think it's the melting pot of the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smelting
Posted by Ashley Murray | 12:01 PM Â