10 Things I Wasn't Expecting

1) Nathan and I reentered puberty again with about seven teenage sized zits between us since our arrival.  Whaaa...?  We think it may have something to do with the soft water here as neither of us really have felt "American clean" since we arrived.  The lack of consistent water pressure plus only one shower temperature (boiling hot) doesn't help either.


2) The same goes for our mouths.  Bad breath central, no matter how vigorously we brush, floss, and swish.  I suggested to Nathan that there may not be a lot of fluoride in the water, and he freaked out and bought another tube of toothpaste that claimed to have more of it.  I'm still not convinced it's really helping.  Between that and all the tea drinking, maybe this is why the British have such bad teeth.


3) All the digital clocks here are on military time, from cars to stores to the alarm clocks we bought for our bedside tables.  There's no fixing it, so I guess that means I have to learn it.  It's 23:42 at the time of this writing.


4) All of the products I used in the States (Johnson and Johnson baby lotion, Dove soap, St. Ive's face wash, etc.) smell different.  It smells fakey-perfumey, like the gifts my middle school students have given me that they totally would have bought for themselves.  I remember our Iraqi house guest's Dove body wash he brought from Egypt.  It nearly knocked me over, the smell was so strong.  At least it's not that bad, but I still miss the mild subtlety of my old standbys.


5) The English are obsessed with exact change.  This was helpful when I worked at the gate at the gardens, but I got the "Don't you have anything smaller?" question when I gave a 10 pound note purchasing a dress at a charity shop for 5.90.  When I confessed I didn't, the clerk looked supremely annoyed.


6) When people ask us where we're from, they don't want to hear, "We're from America/the States."  They almost always say rather impatiently, "Yes, I gathered that.  Where exactly?"  Then Nathan says something about Atlanta and the Olympics, and then it's all good.  The Olympics will be in London in 2012.


7) I'm pleasantly blown away by the quality of fresh produce here.  Bell peppers - red, green, and yellow in a package - were on sale at Tesco for 90p, about $1.25, the other day.  I would have splurged at Publix and bought the same stoplight combination for $5.99.  I'm ashamed to even type that now.  They also write where the produce is grown on the signs - "British lettuce," "Dutch peppers," "Irish cheese," "Scottish oats," etc.  I like that.


8) I actually enjoy Indian food here.  I had it once in college and was not the hugest fan.  Indian is the go-to ethic cuisine in England, much like Mexican food is in California.  "It helps that they were a part of the Empire for a good while," our friend Sam commented.  After trying a few dishes, I settled on liking Tiki Masala the best, and I've even made it at home in our Crock Pot twice.  


9) Things are slower here, not because of the lack of goods and services and infrastructure, but because of the UNBELIEVABLE bureaucracy.  In order to get anything done it seems like it takes five phone calls, four slips of paper, three official stamps, two hour long walks across town, and a partridge in a pear tree.  I will never again complain about a US service repairman's "We'll be there between 9 and 3" routine.  When we called to get our internet and home phone set up, the phone company said we had to wait between 21 and 40 days.  That could be Thanksgiving, folks.  Like Brian Regan, I wanted to say, "Can you flip it now?  Can I come flip it?"


10) People here are much friendlier than I was anticipating.  Much.  Just don't introduce yourself or say "How are you?" or "Have a nice day."  For some reason the English find these greetings and salutations incredibly invasive.  Trying to take out these pieces of my normal routine has left me feeling very awkward, which is fine, because the Brits are awkward most of the time anyway.  I think they prefer that everything be ambiguous and embarrassing.  Talk about the weather, especially if it's ironic, usually saves me.  Sometimes I'll say, "Lovely weather we're having," when it's 50 degrees and raining sideways.  The smirk in agreement is a good sign.


I realize that this post may come across as incredibly arrogant and um... American, but it's not meant to.  These are just a few first impressions.  There will be more to come if you wish.


Cheers.