Amanda Appearing to Walk with Ease in London

I have now been in England for a week and a half, and while there is so much to catch up on, I can’t help but want to write about walking in the street.  On the outset, this seems to be quite a dull thing to speak about, something that perhaps we may all take a bit for granted.  However, I find my head whirling and my brain trying to think faster than my feet are stepping in order to appear to be walking with ease and confidence.  I am having difficulty.

There are numerous reasons for this.  And I will start with an outline.

1. Cobblestones and UGGs – The pair don’t get along.  Well, maybe I should clarify by stating that these are fake UGGs.  Perhaps the real UGGs would make my life easier, perhaps spending an extra $200 on a pair of boots would allow me to walk more adroitly.  However, my pair of $20 Rite Aid boots that are over a year and a half old have seen better days, and don’t like cobblestones.  I literally stumble every 20 feet.  I have become used to American streets – cement!  This is what we are used to – flat cement, not this 200 year old big cobblestone thingys.  It has become a running joke – alas, if only I could run in them.

Now I have to admit, Los Angeles sidewalks are probably the worst in the states – what with all the earthquakes and the such.  There are MASSIVE chunks of cement being picked up by LARGE roots from the tree across the street, or from the earthquake of ’94.  What I tried to explain to my joking boyfriend was that at least we can see them coming from MILES away.  Not like these sneaky cheeky freaky cobblestones that peak up a millimeter higher than the one before, and reach out to grab the innocent oncomer.  It’s like they’re deliberately making fun of you before you even get there.

Then again, maybe I should just learn to pick up my feet, and spend a little bit more money on fake UGGs.

(Maybe I spoke too soon!  A few days after I wrote this – look at the article that was published in the British paper The Sun: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2117380.ece )
2. Where to place your eyes as you walk-
As an American, I am quite forward and direct in my walking.  I tend to stare at everyone as I walk by them unabashedly and unashamed, and occasionally giving the quick smile to someone who catches my eye as a friendly gesture of “Hello, you exist as a human on this planet, and I recognize that.  Thank you.  And goodbye.”  
That is it!  I do not smile to welcome them to grab my buttocks, or even worse to my bed.  I do not smile or look at them to make them feel uncomfortable or inferior.  I do not look at them to pray that might think I am famous, and run over to me asking for my autograph.  NO!
I have just grown accustom to passing a stranger on the street and making them aware that I know they are there – and yes, sometimes this is for protection.  If I look at them and acknowledge their presence, they are less likely to harm me.  This has been proven!

However, as I try to do whenever I am in a foreign country, I try to adjust.  And it has been told to me that looking someone in the eyes on the street – especially someone of the opposite sex – means I am inviting them over to speak to me, or far worse…  

So, not only am I trying to remember to pick up my feet as I walk so as not to stumble, I am also trying to avoid eye contact with every passerby.  It has made me into a grumbling, hunched-over  lady who just stares at the cobblestones whilst trying to avoid the cracks, and not trip over myself.  Reteaching yourself life’s normalities is becoming quite tricky.
3. Not getting run over – 
The cars are going in the opposite direction!!  Need I say more??