family resemblance

I realized some family traits while we were all traipsing about ex-Yu:

We all like to be the leader. This wasn’t an issue in Belgrade or Sarajevo, where I had been and could lead us around until everyone else got their bearings, but came up with a vengeance once we arrived in Croatia. We got a bit turned around getting from the bus station to our hotel. At one moment we had four guidebooks open, each one of us trying to plot a different course to the hotel through the twisting streets up the Dubrovnik hillside.

We all share an inordinate concern for staying out of other people’s way on the sidewalk. I think that most people don’t worry too much if there is someone coming up behind them on the sidewalk, with aims of overtaking them. My family is not most people. We are a considerate group and try to stay out of other people’s ways –so end up yelling at each other any time there is a fast walker behind us.

None of us can make decisions when we are hungry. I know this is a trait of mine. I get hungry and then I can’t decide on a restaurant or what I want to eat. It is particularly acute when traveling. Usually, whoever is my traveling companion can take charge and all will be well. I learned that this is a family trait – a bunch of hungry, approaching irritable people who can’t make a decision is not a fun way to pass the time.

Every day, we had a 15 minute ‘family freakout,’ usually related to one of the aforementioned traits. But 15 unpleasant minutes were more than compensated for by the rest of the day being good.