Is everyone in the U.S. an actor?

Mom and Dad visit Ecuador is still on the way...

Here´s a little story of something classic that happened to me today:

I have started working mornings at an Elementary school. Work at the University is still on hold for the time being. Now that I work in the mornings, my work-out routine is in a rut. I used to get up and go for a run before the sun had come out. Now, I have to go in the afternoons. You can imagine how hard it is to get myself outside for a run at 4 pm in 90 degree heat!

Today I made it! I left my house at 5 pm and was refreshed by the cool breeze that was coming in and by the clouds that were shading the sun. Towards the end of my run I witnessed a car accident. It was pretty bad but no one was injured. I came to an immediate halt and joined in with the crowd of onlookers. It´s even more common to crowd around an accident here than it is at home.

While looking from afar, a woman next to me struck up a conversation. This is yet, another daily occurence in Ecuador. The friendliness of the perfect stranger still amazes me. Ecuadorians think people from the U.S. are cold and unfriendly. I think we´re just not as trusting of strangers. They always tell me I prove their theories wrong, so I must be doing some good down here, right?

Anyways, we got to talking. She wants to meet up with me for a jog sometime because her husband calls her lazy. She asked which part of the States I´m from. I said California and she asked if that was near Hollywood. Hollywood, another intriguing factor of the U.S. for those outside of it. I told her Hollywood was IN California so then she thought I must have met some celebrities in my lifetime. Unfortunately, I have not unless you count Caroline Rhea (Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Biggest Loser...) or some no-namer from CSI who Dad was convinced was a main character and who now does water shows at theme parks. The woman then asked if nearly everyone in the U.S. is an actor or actress. So, lots of acting talk later, she tells me I remind her of a famous actress. Melissa something...she can´t remember the name. She looked to her daughter for help saying, ¨you know, that girl from that show you watch, Clarissa Explains it All.¨

For those of you who don´t know, Clarissa Explains it all was a popular Nickelodean show from about 14 or so years ago in which Melissa Joan Heart played a teenage girl going through teenage girl stuff. It was an awfully annoying show. It seems to have made a comeback in Ecuador. She informed me that she also plays on Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Yes, I know who she is and no, no one has ever told me before that I resemble her.

Having this little, humorous conversation with my new friend on the street really brightened my day and left me running home with a smile on my face. Melissa Joan Heart? Really? You just never know what to expect.