Ever, AJ

U.K. Overview

It only took two and a half weeks.

There are already things that have become second nature. I don’t even think about it, they happen naturally…

The special tweak I give the shower faucet in order for water to spray at a consistent pressure

My favorite sidewalk stone that teeters and “clunks” when I hop on it

The multiple loose sidewalk stones that shift and wobble

Number of steps from my door to the stairs

Waking up on time to turn on the hot water faucet for an extra minute to be sure the shower will be hot

How long to hold down the toilet handle to make it flush completely

I just get the feeling that it's going to rain again soon so I bring along my raincoat, just in case...I'm usually right

There are also obvious differences between our countries, the U.S. and the U.K…

The accent…duh. But did you know, North and South Brits have a different accent? The South Brits speak, what they call, the Queen’s English. The North accent isn’t as “posh” or proper as the South. Interesting? I thought so.

Driving on the opposite side of the road

Driver on the opposite side of the car

Garbage is called rubbish

French fries are called chips

Chips are called crisps

A friend is called mate

Also… “Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, FUN FACTS!”

The toilet seats are not elongated…boy, that was a strange feeling the first time this was recognized…I will say no more.

There are Gypsies around the area…with no cars, but horse and buggy.

The peace symbol does not mean peace, quite the opposite actually; its the same as flipping someone off in America...too bad I was told a little late; after two weeks of flashing the peace sign as a friendly, “Hello!” to my fellow Brits.

“Cheers” is more common than “Thank You”

There’s no such thing as a straight road...I have learned, if it’s more than a 15 to 20 minute drive, I need to close my eyes.

All cars are compact and small. An SUV is nonexistent here.

The streets are wicked narrow! Not only narrow, but they also have eight-foot bushes or stonewall on either side of the road. From my observation, I’ve concluded…accidents can’t really be that big of a surprise to anyone here. This being due to the fact everyone here drives like maniacs. It’s madness! All our bus drivers know we are new to the country when screams and gasps ring through the whole bus every time we round a corner, slamming on the brakes!

They never say cool or pretty, but brilliant and lovely

I was at TKMaxx (Britain's TJMaxx) on Saturday…they had a big sign on the wall saying, "Two new floors of Loveliness!" How lovely is that comment?

There are Asbestos stickers in most of the showers and bathrooms.

This past weekend I watched Braveheart with a Scot. I saw the movie so differently, watching through his eyes.

We travel into any surrounding town or city, speak once, and they all assume we’re from the Carnforth Bible School.

Overall, everyone is quite laid back. They don’t get easily irritated and don’t seem to be in a rush to get anywhere.

Food Facts:

At school, chicken is just as common as water. We have had it, at least, 7 different ways. They think breading it or sticking it on a skewer stick will fool us into thinking it’s something other than chicken for the third time this week. They don’t fool me.

The food overall (at school) is bland. Almost as if they don’t believe in spices!

The pepper smells like rotten feet and dirty farm animals…it tastes just the same.

Nutella is more common than any form of Peanut Butter.

We drink whole milk here…I miss my skim.

We put milk and sugar in our coffee…they put it in their tea. I tried it…nast.

The Conclusion:

I do love it here, so far. No it’s not home, I don’t fit in with the culture naturally, but I love experiencing a different way of living.