Now that I have given you the touristy and home life highlights, let's talk for a second. I put that sign up there just because I like it - it means "Elderly People Crossing" and they have them everywhere here. I'm not sure if I like that one or "DishDash Crossing" better, but either way, still funny.
Expat life can sometimes take you by surprise. I thought it would be terribly hard to move to Dubai, and super easy to move to England. After all - they speak English! They wear regular clothes (sort of)! We share the same cultural standard! Well, it turns out that the opposite was true. Living in Dubai was like being on Spring Break for a year. Living in England is amazing - but it is a lot more work. Now that I have settled in, these are very small matters and we are honestly super happy. Two months ago they had me crying on the bathroom floor. So, without further ado, I will explain to you...
WHY A CALIFORNIA GIRL HAS TO ADJUST TO ENGLAND
1) DRIVING - "Driving in England requires real skill and dexterity, and it is not for the faint of heart" - from Day Trips from London. Yes, yes...they drive on the wrong side of the road here. I was worried about that. Turns out - that's not hard at all! Here's the problem. There seems to be a small congestion problem in England. As in, extremely narrow roads (think bike lane) packed with many, many vehicles. Most of the driving here is windy, fast, two lane roads. Basically, you have to skim the sides of the cars on either sides of you to get through. I admit to closing my eyes and hoping for the best occasionally. And since parking is at a premium, people just pull over and abandon ship - blocking one of the two "lanes". Often, you have to drive up on the curb and wave off pedestrians to get by a particularly large bus or truck. Let me demonstrate. This is downtown Weybridge, our town:
And then there's the whole "Roundabout" situation. England loves roundabouts. And they really do help with traffic flow. However, there are all kinds of rules about right of way, lines on the road, turn signals, on and on... I do not understand these rules. I am unclear on which direction my blinker should indicate. I mean, it's a circle that you are eventually going to exit. Does the blinker point in the circle? Out of the circle? Both? The end result is that I go back and forth back and forth back and forth in a veritable epileptic fury of blinking. I'm sure the drivers behind me are confused. And I'm sure they know I'm American.
2) PARKING - Even as I write this, it sounds silly. But parking is a big stressor here! As in, there is none! So, conducting your everyday life (Marketing, Dry Cleaner, Bank, Subway) becomes a stressful, sweat inducing challenge. I thought that since we were living in the "Country" it would be wide open spaces - which some parts of it are - but essentially it is still London, and still very, very urban. I actually cannot park in my town's supermarket lot because my car is genuinely TOO BIG to fit through the entry. And it's not just too big for my pathetic car handling skills - Augusto can't fit in either! It's an X5 by the way...the Escalade would have been like driving a battleship.
Here's a picture of the gorgeous church in our town. Just to keep you interested. The oldest records date from 1127.
3. LAUNDRY - Yes. This is a small matter. Small being the operative word. Our washing machine holds either one sheet and one pillowcase, OR a pair of jeans and a shirt OR four American Girl Doll outfits. Seriously. And the drier doesn't actually dry stuff - it's more of a salad spinner for clothes. So we hang dry everything. You are rolling your eyes at me for being a whiner, but seriously. Try only putting two or three items in your giant Maytag at a time and see how long it takes you to get through the laundry.
4. WEATHER - I have to admit, the weather here has not been nearly as bad as expected. But it is very, very grey. Expats here have special light bulbs or lamps (nicknamed Happy Lights) that we install to simulate sunlight. Plus, we take vitamin D. And we vacation in sunny places. Yes, it is definitely cold. And wet. But it's really nice to have an actual Fall! This is our backyard in Fall:
You like that enormous play structure? Our friends who opted to live in Central London came over for dinner and asked if they could move into it, because it is larger than their apartment in the city.
Despite the minor challenges, each day we love living here more and more. The natural beauty, the history, even the weather - it is definitely worth it!
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