People in America (or at least the tiny proportion of it I've seen) clearly do not believe in walking. It's extraordinary. There is masses of space, the roads are wide, the area pleasantly leafy but on most roads there are no pavements and no verge so that any foolhardy pedestrians are forced onto the road to face the mad traffic. This is particularly frustrating when looking for accommodation when you don't have a car. I say things like, 'That doesn't look too far' and the chap helping me says things like 'If you want to take your life in your hands every day.'

On the other hand, I feel like I've stepped into the 'good old days' when everyone knows their neighbours and wanders freely in and out of each other's houses. It's kind of nice really. Today I was out with Jeff who I'm staying with and we stopped outside one of his friends' houses, let ourselves in, raided the fridge, said hello to one of the kids and left. When we got home there were two kids and their mum in the pool who'd just dropped by. Jeff made hotdogs for everyone and suddenly it was a party.

Cars in Pennsylvania don't have front numberplates. I'm finding this incredibly disconcerting. I keep having to blink and check that I am wearing my glasses. I have no sense of the highway code. Today I was in a car with some other people who all suddenly drew a sharp breath as a car came out of nowhere. I was completely oblivious to any danger since I had no idea where to expect the cars to come from in the first place.

I've just had a look at some sample Greek and Hebrew exams and I think it's now clear what I'll be spending the next week doing...