Just thought I would share my thoughts on some of the things I really love about living in this country & maybe some things we dont love so much :)
We love wearing coats, jumping in "muddy puddles" in our rainboots with the kids, fires in the evening, & roundabouts (the best traffic invention ever - forget 4 way stops!!!). I love that the National Government cares about education so much that they cover the expense for toddlers to get in preschool a few days a week so that they are more prepared for big school the following year! We love castles on every corner & churches that look like castles in the middle of the smallest towns you have ever seen! You can drive into any village no matter the size & they all have cathedrals that would rival any I have seen in the US. There is so much history here it really makes you understand how very young we (the US) are as a nation. It truly is amazing that we havent been around very long in the grand scheme of things but are already the most powerful nation in the world...also a bit scary to think about it changing just as quickly! We love that there are no racial issues here...there are no "African British" because they are all one...just British! If someone is refering to someone of another color they just say what color they are because it isnt offensive to anyone, thats what color they are it isnt an insult. You honestly wouldnt believe how very little race matters around the world! When there is no one getting offended or doing the offending you truly can exist as one without walking on eggshells around each other!
I love hearing people do American accents over here, they really have us pegged. Unfortunately they also have us pegged on some not so great stuff. Our love of material things, love of over-eating :), over working & we are looked at in most cases as ignorant about what the rest of the world deals with on a daily basis. Unfortunately people like Paris Hilton & Britney Spears are the face of our nation most of the time so you can imagine how we must seem with our big homes & fat wallets (of course not all of us!) to these people who never see the true face of America... people like us who are very normal & A LOT like the everyone on this side of the pond!
We love that everyone no matter how small their home is has a garden & takes great pride in it. Recycling is huge here & is a must since your garbage is only picked up twice a month!!! They also serve more realistic portions of food so there isnt as much waste (or over-eating for that matter) Everyone goes to the local pub after work whether you drink or not because that is the gathering place for each village. The people here definitley do not take life so seriously! Everyday when it gets dark around 4:30 this time of year everything closes & family/socializing time begins. They are not at work all hours of the night nor do they seem to think about work all hours like we Americans do. It is refreshing to see the emphasis on the family life even coming straight down from the government with their national work hours. You are kind of out of luck if you want something to eat in the middle of the night or if you forget to pick up milk :). Of course you can imagine how low the crime rate is with all of this emphasis on the family & by everything closing early. There isnt just rif raf on street corners all hours of the night.
We love the Christmas markets, antique auctions every week, car boot sales, antique fairs & the ease of being able to travel around Europe even on a modest budget. Since we are an island they do make it fairly easy to visit the continent whenever you want whether by train, plane, ferry or the chunnel.
Another thing that is so nice is that every restaurant or shop has 3 bathrooms men, women, & handicapped or family bathroom where I have plenty or room for me & the kids even with a stroller. They take care of their elderly in everyway by having handicap facilities all over! They also have parking right outside of the stores on the side of the building for family parking so that you dont have to walk your kids through the parking lot & risk anyone getting hit by a car. They make sure there are carts waiting near your car under a covered awning so that you can pop the kids in if necessary instead of having to carry them through the rain (which it does most everyday here) This is especially nice when it is just myself & the kids!
We truly love more than I can even think of right now so I will probably include more in future posts. Now I guess it is time to say a few things that just arent the Good Ole USA!!! The TV here stinks & we NEVER watch anything except Alabama Football which might I add is on the computer in the middle of the night! Well worth it dont get me wrong but a little inconvenient nonetheless! The cartoons all have British accents which is SO funny! Sometimes you will be driving down the road & BAM! there is a house in the middle of the road! Its because this country has been around longer than roads & they just built all these crazy little roads (where the speed limit is 60 MPH!!!) around everything! Also if you are like me & driving an American spec car you can never pass anyone because if you stick your nose out far enough to see around these cars you will be smacked in a heartbeat so I choose just to drive 15 MPH behind the tractors (which definitely drive on the "interstate" too). Also you cant drive into town without passing a couple of people riding their horses down the road. You have to slow down to 5 MPH, turn your radio off & give them a car's width between you if you have it. If that horse gets spooked & hurts himself you could have to pay for the horse & all of the money it would have made its owner during recovery or the rest of its life if it dies. Crazy but they say the most expensive animal to hit is a chicken because you have to pay for the chicken & all money that it would have made in eggs for the rest of its life! The crisps (chips) here are crazy flavors like steak & onions, french fries & ketchup, potatoes & gravy & lots of other gross things! The utilities over here are ridiculous because you only get huge bills every quarter & it takes WEEKS to get them all turned on. Also they dont have coops where EVERYONE gets their power you have lots of companies competing & you always feel like you are with th wrong one! From the time we moved in it was a month before we had it all hooked up. Plus there is no such thing where we live as unlimited internet which means you only have so much a month!!! Not so great for a family who totally communicates with the "outside world" through the computer! We just have to wait & see what is going to happen when we go over, which we KNOW we did. Atleast it didnt shut off!!! Well let me end on a positive note since that is how life truly is here...positive! We love it & despite it not quite being "perfect" we look forward to our 3 years here & feel so lucky to have this opportunity! Have a wonderful day in the Land of the Free & the Home of the Brave! There truly is no place like home!
OH Yeah....ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We love wearing coats, jumping in "muddy puddles" in our rainboots with the kids, fires in the evening, & roundabouts (the best traffic invention ever - forget 4 way stops!!!). I love that the National Government cares about education so much that they cover the expense for toddlers to get in preschool a few days a week so that they are more prepared for big school the following year! We love castles on every corner & churches that look like castles in the middle of the smallest towns you have ever seen! You can drive into any village no matter the size & they all have cathedrals that would rival any I have seen in the US. There is so much history here it really makes you understand how very young we (the US) are as a nation. It truly is amazing that we havent been around very long in the grand scheme of things but are already the most powerful nation in the world...also a bit scary to think about it changing just as quickly! We love that there are no racial issues here...there are no "African British" because they are all one...just British! If someone is refering to someone of another color they just say what color they are because it isnt offensive to anyone, thats what color they are it isnt an insult. You honestly wouldnt believe how very little race matters around the world! When there is no one getting offended or doing the offending you truly can exist as one without walking on eggshells around each other!
I love hearing people do American accents over here, they really have us pegged. Unfortunately they also have us pegged on some not so great stuff. Our love of material things, love of over-eating :), over working & we are looked at in most cases as ignorant about what the rest of the world deals with on a daily basis. Unfortunately people like Paris Hilton & Britney Spears are the face of our nation most of the time so you can imagine how we must seem with our big homes & fat wallets (of course not all of us!) to these people who never see the true face of America... people like us who are very normal & A LOT like the everyone on this side of the pond!
We love that everyone no matter how small their home is has a garden & takes great pride in it. Recycling is huge here & is a must since your garbage is only picked up twice a month!!! They also serve more realistic portions of food so there isnt as much waste (or over-eating for that matter) Everyone goes to the local pub after work whether you drink or not because that is the gathering place for each village. The people here definitley do not take life so seriously! Everyday when it gets dark around 4:30 this time of year everything closes & family/socializing time begins. They are not at work all hours of the night nor do they seem to think about work all hours like we Americans do. It is refreshing to see the emphasis on the family life even coming straight down from the government with their national work hours. You are kind of out of luck if you want something to eat in the middle of the night or if you forget to pick up milk :). Of course you can imagine how low the crime rate is with all of this emphasis on the family & by everything closing early. There isnt just rif raf on street corners all hours of the night.
We love the Christmas markets, antique auctions every week, car boot sales, antique fairs & the ease of being able to travel around Europe even on a modest budget. Since we are an island they do make it fairly easy to visit the continent whenever you want whether by train, plane, ferry or the chunnel.
Another thing that is so nice is that every restaurant or shop has 3 bathrooms men, women, & handicapped or family bathroom where I have plenty or room for me & the kids even with a stroller. They take care of their elderly in everyway by having handicap facilities all over! They also have parking right outside of the stores on the side of the building for family parking so that you dont have to walk your kids through the parking lot & risk anyone getting hit by a car. They make sure there are carts waiting near your car under a covered awning so that you can pop the kids in if necessary instead of having to carry them through the rain (which it does most everyday here) This is especially nice when it is just myself & the kids!
We truly love more than I can even think of right now so I will probably include more in future posts. Now I guess it is time to say a few things that just arent the Good Ole USA!!! The TV here stinks & we NEVER watch anything except Alabama Football which might I add is on the computer in the middle of the night! Well worth it dont get me wrong but a little inconvenient nonetheless! The cartoons all have British accents which is SO funny! Sometimes you will be driving down the road & BAM! there is a house in the middle of the road! Its because this country has been around longer than roads & they just built all these crazy little roads (where the speed limit is 60 MPH!!!) around everything! Also if you are like me & driving an American spec car you can never pass anyone because if you stick your nose out far enough to see around these cars you will be smacked in a heartbeat so I choose just to drive 15 MPH behind the tractors (which definitely drive on the "interstate" too). Also you cant drive into town without passing a couple of people riding their horses down the road. You have to slow down to 5 MPH, turn your radio off & give them a car's width between you if you have it. If that horse gets spooked & hurts himself you could have to pay for the horse & all of the money it would have made its owner during recovery or the rest of its life if it dies. Crazy but they say the most expensive animal to hit is a chicken because you have to pay for the chicken & all money that it would have made in eggs for the rest of its life! The crisps (chips) here are crazy flavors like steak & onions, french fries & ketchup, potatoes & gravy & lots of other gross things! The utilities over here are ridiculous because you only get huge bills every quarter & it takes WEEKS to get them all turned on. Also they dont have coops where EVERYONE gets their power you have lots of companies competing & you always feel like you are with th wrong one! From the time we moved in it was a month before we had it all hooked up. Plus there is no such thing where we live as unlimited internet which means you only have so much a month!!! Not so great for a family who totally communicates with the "outside world" through the computer! We just have to wait & see what is going to happen when we go over, which we KNOW we did. Atleast it didnt shut off!!! Well let me end on a positive note since that is how life truly is here...positive! We love it & despite it not quite being "perfect" we look forward to our 3 years here & feel so lucky to have this opportunity! Have a wonderful day in the Land of the Free & the Home of the Brave! There truly is no place like home!
OH Yeah....ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 comments:
Enough with the roll tide child!!! But on to the things you are loving!! I love them too!! =) And I really can't wait to come see you!!! =) Love you!!
ok, ok...i won't wait til the olympics. message received. :^)
Ok so i get that she loves Nathan and misses Yaurie but I mean can Yeigh get any love?? I mean hello Nathan wouldn't be around if not for Yeigh!! =) And she will see me before she see's Yaurie! =) Love you!
Holy Cow!!!!! It has been so long since I have seen or talked to you. Just the other night Teale and I were talking about the night I was sitting beside you on the curb outside the girls dorm at Faulkner and passed out. Again....sorry about that. :) Anyway, it is so good to see that you guys are doing so great, and I am so completely jealous that y'all are in England. Teale lived there for one summer in college and LOVED it. I had no idea that you had a blog, but now that I know you have one I will be a faithful reader. And FINALLY.....ROLL STINKIN TIDE.
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