FPS vs MKS

The whole world has switched to Metric system, well except America and Britain. They are the only ones I believe who still use foot and pound as measuring units. 

Apart from the English language this is probably the only thing the Americans retained from their one time occupiers whom they drove away and gained their independence. Otherwise, unlike the British they drive on the right side of the road, electric switches are opposite, they use date in MM-DD-YY format and much more. 

Weather is a favourite topic here. Many conversations commence discussing about the current weather situation - temperature is well into 70s, 80s, 90s and so on. During my initial days in America, my first thought was that they were talking about years like 70s for the 1970s, 80s for 1980s etc. Eventually I came to know that they are talking about the temperature in Fahrenheit. 

A typical American husband when returns home from work addresses his wife, "Honey what's for the dinner and how is the weather ?" Talking about weather is very much ingrained as part and parcel of American life. When I arrived in US one summer nearly a quarter of a century back, 90 degree heat was the talk of the town. I had to mentally convert from Fahrenheit to Centigrade to get a hang of the heat, similarly convert miles to kilometers to make out the distance. 

Once I was flying to Las Vegas. A couple sitting in front of me were struggling to convert temperature from Centigrade to Fahrenheit. It does not take one to be a rocket science to figure this out. But it was exactly how I was treated by the couple when I used the classic formula C/5 = (F - 32) / 9 and converted the temperature in a minute. They showered me with accolades flattering me by no means. I enjoyed my two minutes of fame.

Now 15 years down the road when I go to India part of the reverse cultural shock is to convert from metric to FPS (Foot Pound System). For me life has come to a full circle, same way you rotate the Globe a full circle you see India and US on the opposite sides. 

Another contrast I experienced while driving years back from Seattle to Vancouver. No sooner we crossed the US border and entered into Canada, than the speed limit changed from 65 mph to 110 kmph. My first thought was Canadians drive at a greater speed until I realized the change in the Unit of measurement. 

Till now I have to go through this agony of mental conversion as the world has come to a full circle for me. We should never forget, what goes around eventually comes around. For me it is about converting from F to C, Miles to Kilometers, Pounds to Kilograms and the other way round.