We went to the annual auction for our daughter’s preschool last night, and were impressed by the explosion of good will. A bidding frenzy exploded over a painting which included dots created by one year olds sticking their finger into paint, and placing them onto a canvas. It went for almost three hundred dollars. A man physically restrained his wife to keep her from bidding again.
I really admire the enthusiasm Atlantans have for school fundraising. A woman told us that the playground at her son’s elementary school was lacking. You might hear a similar complaint in the UK, but it would be followed by a closing comment, such as: “Doesn’t that suck?” and then the subject would be changed.
This woman explained that she was on the board of the committee that would raise money and manpower to remodel the playground.
We left the auction with a footstool, painted with the footprints of our daughter and her classmates (only $80 — we clinched it early in the evening, before cocktails loosened the bidding hands), hand-made burp clothes for $20, and the warm fuzzy feeling of having helped the school.
Reverse Culture Shock 
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