Monday, August 25, 2008
Removing shoes before entering house = VERY WEIRD
Although not as embarrassing as before(e.i. communion story), this is another embarrassing church story. So last week at church there was a women who had severly broken her arm horsebackriding. Our pastor Eric announced that it would be extremely difficult for her this week to be making supper so if people wanted to donate their time and make her supper, he was sure she would appreciate this. So I decided that I would help and make her some supper. Soooo. That week after preparing a crock pot roast for Sarah and her teenage daughter, Steven and I drove to a gorgeous acreage log cabiny type house. Sarah anserwed the door and so we stepped in and removed our shoes. Well Sarah thought this was really strange and not wanting to be rude we explained to her that we were Canadian, this is something that Canadians do that American's obviously don't. She was quite shocked and kept asking us questions about why and how. Anyway, we had a little visit at her house and then went home. At church yesterday Pastor Eric thanked a particular couple for bringing Sarah and her family a supper, and didn't mention Steven and I which was fine when all of a sudden from behind us we hear: "And Steven and Jessica brought us a lovely roast!.....(she pauses)....and they took off their shoes before they came in!" Everyone is kind of silent because this isn't exactly something that is funny, more like strange for these americans. So then she goes "They're Canadian! and they take their shoes off!" And still everybody is quite silent because this still doesn't really explain why us Canadians take our shoes off, it kind of just made us look like weird fanatical shoe removal freaks. So then Pastor Eric asks rather suddenly..."so are their shoes still there?" (Scattered chuckles from around the congregation...) Then Pastor Eric says, "Thanks Steven and Jessica for coming all the way from Canada to deliver supper for Sarah" The church kind of laughed... We said "no problem." And then the church service kind of went on as usual.....but I still feel pretty weird. So, it doesn't sound all that embarrassing....but trust me, my face was red.
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4 comments:
So you are a self proclaimed "weird fanatical shoe removal freak" ! This was a fun story to read Jess. Hope you let "them" know that when you move back here and they want to come & visit you - they'll be taking their shoes off. By the way - is there anything that the american's do that we don't?
Yeah I'll be sure to make them pay for the embarrassment- those biotches! Just kidding. I'm not too sure off the top of my head that Americans do that are different.....my mind is blank. Today I heard someone on the radio say "eh" after something they said. Unfortunatly is was a one time thing.
When I moved from BC to the UK I encountered similar recactions in some but not all homes when i naturally removed my shoes when visting friends.That was a few years ago and its seems to more commonplace now.And now with my own family and home,i adhere strictly to all shoes being removed at the door.Indeed the climate in my part of the UK is very similar to back home, so we practice what i always did at home and thats "shoes off,slippers on."Weird, certainly not, rather simply practical,comfortable and much much cleaner.
I often find when travelling that is one of the hardest things to get used to. I haven't seen many cultures in which they do take the shoes off. Sometimes the slippers thing is definitely a factor, but most of the time, they just don't have our snow and muck to deal with, they just don't understand.
Love it that it was announced in church though!
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