Having never really gone anywhere besides New England (except NYC, Washington DC with 8th grade - or was it 7th? and Bermuda - each only 1 time), this was a huge step for me. My first visit for Christmas 2007 was only for a month, and in that month, I saw all the 'touristy' stuff - Warwick Castle (where I SWEAR I caught a ghost on my camera), Oxford University, and local attractions.
Now, since September 2008, Ive been living here, we moved into a new house, paying new bills, dealing with 'house' stuff. And Im LOVING IT!!! I will say one thing though....the Brits tax EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! Our TV needs a license....seriously. Its a yearly 'tax' we pay for the privilege to watch TV. If the Brits could tax AIR, I think they would. If you rent your home (as we do), you are responsible for whats called the "Council Tax".....akin to the property tax in the US. Its the renters responsibility. This was all new to me as well. I thought we were getting a great deal on the house, then all of a sudden....nope! You have to pay an additional 900 GBP extra each year! Woohoo!
Gasoline (or Petrol as its called here), is MEGA expensive! When my in-laws came for the wedding in May, in Maine, the gas prices were almost $4/gallon. They laughed their asses off! Here in the UK it was over 1 GBP a LITRE! I think we worked it out, with the conversion rate at the time, and it was something like $11 a GALLON! Thankfully, since then, its gone down. Its around .89p (pence/cents) for a litre. Diesel is more expensive. Its hovering around 1 GBP a litre now. And alot of cars in the UK are diesel - not sure why.
Food is different, and that takes getting used to as well....though thankfully, its nothing too weird (Dont ask me about Black Pudding....have never tried it, will never try it, I try to forget it even exists!) They dont have proper pickles here. Its like "piccalilli" ....pickle relish. I havent been able to find sweet pickles or "bread and butter pickles" which were my absolute favorite! Honey mustard......I love it! But not spicy hot. Which is what British mustard tends to be. Ive been told that if I want the sweet honey mustard, I need to get French mustard........./sigh Along those same lines, ham......you know the yummy spiral hams at Hannafords? Nope. Not here. You can get a large ham from a butcher, but not the spiral sliced ones Im used to (Oh noes! I have to slice my own ham now??? LMAO). Kraft Dinners dont exist here, even though we live maybe 25 minutes from the HUGE Kraft plant in Banbury. But Spam does exist. Indian food is very popular here. Curries are 'the thing'. I dont like Indian food or curry :( Chinese take aways are plentiful, and some are really good. But I havent been able to find one that does boneless spareribs yet. Ive fallen in love with Prawn Crackers! BEST THING EVER! You get them with your chinese takeaway here (Yes, Takeaway, not take out).......they are light crispy rice crackers, with a very light prawn (shrimp) flavor. Drive thrus are almost non-existent here. There are no drive thru banks, dry cleaners etc. The only place Ive seen one is at a McDonalds.
Finding a job was a little harder than I anticipated. Of course I was here in Sept, we moved into our house in Oct, and Nov/Dec/Jan were taken up with holiday preparations and wedding blessing plans. But I did have a couple of interviews. I remember one CV (resume) I sent out, with a cover letter, that I thought was very well written. It was for a 'building society'. "Great!" I thought, "My experience working for Georgia Pacific in their home building products division will come in really handy here"...........And I expounded on that in the cover letter. But I never got a call. Reason probably being, I found out a few weeks later, when I saw an ad for a Building Society.........a BANK. Its a financial institution...not a place to buy lumber. I finally found a job, and I didnt think I would like it, but hey a job is a job, right? But come to find out, that I really do enjoy it. Im working for a bus company, and right now, its part time. I am the drivers assistant. I get picked up at my house at 7:15, we drive to Rugby, pick up 10 kids around the city and take them to school. They are all special needs, and one is in a wheelchair. The kids range in age from 4 to 16, with a range of disabilities. And they are all very sweet.
Ok, moving on. Here, you don't go "to the hospital" you go "to hospital", you dont go to "the doctors office" you go to "the surgery"......and operating rooms are called "theatres". Some slang, I have trouble getting used to. Never, EVER, call your bottom, your "Fanny"....its slang for female genitalia. And there is a food here, called "Faggots"...especially prepared in onion gravy. More specifically, they are pork parts (or "offal" - which is just as it sounds) - pig heart, liver and fatty belly meat or bacon minced together, with herbs added for flavouring and sometimes breadcrumbs. Went shopping with my mother in law one day, saw them in the frozen food section, and stared at them. And she says to me "Jonathan LOVES Faggots"........I may have fainted, Im not sure. (I blame idiotic American slang for this reaction).
Brits are prone to vagueness (or it could just be my husband and his friends, not sure yet). But usually when I ask a "yes or no" question, I expect a "yes or no" answer. This doesnt happen. I usually get "Not really"..........for example: "Honey, your leg is bleeding profusely almost severed and hanging by a string of muscle! Does it hurt???" "Not really"..........or more realistically "Have you talked to so and so recently?"........."Not really"........./scream! Either you have or you havent.......there is no gray area!
We DO have Walmart here, but its called ASDA, owned by the Walmart Corp. Same little smiley face logo, price cut schemes, etc.......But the stores here are A LOT smaller than in the US, though I have seen a few that come close to a "Super Walmart". But the selection is not as great.
Im still getting used to different cleaners (I know, weird).....but they dont have any of the same household cleansers that Ive been used to buying for the past 30 odd years. Ive been taken out of my 'cleaning comfort zone'. So Ive been relying on my mother in law to tell me what she likes, what works for her, and copying that. Even for something as small as laundry soap. Its all new. Speaking of soap........dishwashing liquid is NOT called dishwashing liquid..its "washing up liquid".
Other small observations: "You alright?" is NOT because I look sick! Its a greeting, and one that Im still getting used to. "Cheers" is not a toast, its a way of saying "thank you"
Learning to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road is tricky. Its like constantly passing. And its like taking Drivers Ed in high school all over again! Remember hitting the curb all the time because you were too close to it, but were afraid of people hitting you? Yep! Thats me!
The biggest thing Ive realized is that compared to England, the United States is just a baby. Ive been in homes that parts of them were built in the 16th century. I was in Warwick Castle, which was built in 1068. I live across the street from a thatched roof "cottage" that was probably built in the 1600's. The history here is amazing, and one that I am very excited to learn more about.
My ancestors hail from Scotland (Skye), England (Titchfield, Hampshire) and Wales. Ive already found out a little about the "Hunter" side of the family. My great great grandfather was the town Dr. in Skye, and I found out that the Hunter clan is descended from Royalty. This was the information I received from a friend Ive known for a couple of yrs, who unbeknownst to me could be a distant cousin:
"It's interesting that you say you are from the Hunter clan... Since I am also a Hunter believe it or not! It's actually my middle name in honour of my maternal grandfather who was a Hunter. I also have links to the Stuarts (Stewart), Grahams and MacGregors... so I am related to not only the true monarchy of Scotland (as are you, being a Hunter) but also Rob Roy the outlaw! Clan Hunter is a minor clan called a "Sept" of the clan Stuart of Bute. So we actually have a claim on Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle. We were supporters of Sir William Wallace, and our Clan is the primary source of what are known as the Jacobites. The Jacobite uprisings were designed to return the usurped Stuart kings to the throne of the UK... Their modern incarnation is now known as the Scottish National Party... the primary party in Scotland that wishes for Scottish independence (and the current government of Scotland). The Jacobite symbol is the White Rose of York."
So I cant wait to do more research on my family histories!!! I also know that the other part of my family, Clan Urquhart, have claims on a castle in Scotland, Urquhart Castle. Its in serious disrepair, but is legend is that it is home to Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster, who lives underneath it.
Well, thats it for now. My (almost) 6 month observations. Seems like just yesterday I arrived here, and I cant believe 6 months have gone by already! And despite dire warnings from other ppl about the Brits being stand offish and cold....I have not yet encountered anyone even remotely like this! I am very fortunate to have met alot of really nice people, and made several new friends!
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