My dream of living abroad, albeit England FINALLY came true! It is absolutely beautiful here and at times it truly does feel like a fairy tale. In my naivety, I assumed it would be very similar to America since we speak the same language...but trust me there are many differences!
Here are some of the things I learned:
- Outlets Are Not Allowed in Bathroom - Imagine my surprise when I went to blow dry my hair and THERE WAS NO OUTLET!!!!! What's a girl to do? Turns out it is forbidden to have outlets near a water source (i.e. the bathroom). So, I would just get ready in my bedroom, but that definitely caught me by surprise when we first arrived!
- Bring Reusable Bags Everywhere - The UK is very eco-friendly, there are NO plastic bags here in the stores for you, so you must bring your own!
- Food Standards Are Different - Foods seem to expire much faster in England, so I had to re-learn how to shop and plan accordingly for our weekly meals.
- Road Travel - One thing I did know...they drive on the other side of the road but what I didn't realize was the how saturated with ROUNDABOUTS the UK was! Having learned to drive in Nebraska, roundabouts were not a thing, and here, they are everywhere. I joke that Los Angeles And D.C. did not prepare me for this!
- Our Football Isn't Their Football! - Granted, I knew this one already, but when chatting with others about American football, I would have to remember it meant something totally different to them!
- Wales Is a Country! - Ok, I'm embarrassed to admit this but I always thought Wales was a city/place in England, and not a country of it's own. It is one of the 4 that make up the UK, with the other 3 being England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
- Everything Is Smaller! Whether we are talking about the roads, your appliances, or even portion sizes, everything is much smaller over here. That definitely took some getting used to for me!
- Pay to Potty - That's right! While there are many free public restrooms, you will find pay toilets along your travels. Don't get caught without some cash and coins, as you just don't know when nature will call!
- British Accents - Just like the U.S., different parts of the UK have differing accents, which I started to notice after some time here.
- Politeness - While we encourage people to be kind and use their manners in the U.S., the British are truly just the most kind people I have ever met!
I have really enjoyed most of my time here in England! I am so grateful for the experiences and travel opportunities that we have had while my husband was stationed here! I am looking forward to my time back in the U.S. though!
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