Common Courtesies

i have come to the startling conclusion, after days of wondering just what was going on, that British people simply just do not say "bless you" or any variation thereof after someone sneezes. this hypothesis started after i sneezed twice consecutively on monday and neither of the two people in the office said anything. i was slightly weirded out, because doesn't everyone automatically and unthinkingly just say "bless you"? that's the impression i was under. however, on tuesday, one of my coworkers sneezed maybe four times throughout the day. i, of course, gave a cursory "bless you" after each one. after twenty and a half years of living, the impulse to say "bless you" is almost impossible to resist. it's just something you do! it's like flushing the toilet after use or wearing underwear; you just do it! so thursday and friday i continued my observations, and i received no "bless you" for any of my three sneezes, nor did i even receive any "thank you" for any of the six "bless yous" i bestowed! frankly, i'm slightly disgruntled by this loss in translation.

other than this cultural barrier, things are going swimmingly. life at the museum is interesting of course, and my classes are mainly field trips to various London hot spots. my art history class and i went to st. pauls this week, and the inside was absolutely gorgeous. the choir was singing as we were in there as well, thus adding to the ambiance. we also had to trudge up the 200something steps to the top of the dome, reminiscent of every family trip i have ever taken because mom always finds something to climb to the top of. i also visited the rothko exhibit at the tate modern, which was very cool. fun fact - when rothko and his family immigrated from latvia, they came to portland, and rothko actually graduated from lincoln.

tomorrow there is to be a proper chinese new year celebration in trafalgar square and then in actual chinatown, so i'm looking forward to those festivities!