I’m learning the metric system – again

zieak ♦ March 21, 2012 ♦ Leave Your Comment

This has sort of been like learning a new language. I think I started learning the vocabulary 30 years ago. Then in high school and college I jumped to becoming intimate in the technical details of the language. And now I am becoming conversational. An unorthodox approach perhaps but I am starting to feel bilingual. I am starting to use the metric system.

Sure, they told us in elementary school that we had to learn it because the world was converting to it. Yes, I guess I noticed that it always seemed cooler to talk about your speed in KPH instead of MPH because of how much higher the numbers were. But that only worked with people that were in a car and could look at the speedometer to know what you were talking about. Of course, it makes a lot more sense for zero degrees to be when water freezes too. Saying a sentence in English that indicates the temperature is “below freezing” but is a positive number seems silly. But I always thought it was silly when it was hot out and only 30 degrees too. In Farenheit a hundred degrees seems like that “wow, it’s hot today” temperature.

Anyway, I am learning to use and even think in the metric system finally. I do still know feet, miles, and gallons. But I know how big a half liter beer is. They serve them like that here! A huge mug of beer! You can choose a smaller one too but it is sort of like supersizing a fast food meal. “Chinggis… big.” With the appropriate hand gesture about 35 centimeters above the table. Centimeters! See?

I have a unit converter on my phone to help out but I have been trying to embrace the numbers and just use them.

If America wants to really start being able to converse with the rest of the world this will help… Scales show a much lower number when they only display kilograms. A LOT lower. Ladies – want to weigh less than 100? Just weigh yourself in KGs!