England

Ok so I apologize for not updating...been traveling and only got internet access now! The following post was written last week but not published...I still have a lot to write about my last week in England and my first week in South Africa but at least for now, here is a summary of my time in England...or atleast my likes and dislikes...write again soon!


Things I will miss about England:

1. British Accents. They are funny but what's even funnier is how the pronounce certain words. For example, Zebra is "zeh-bra", Hyundai is "Hi-oon-day", Aluminum is "al-ih-min-ee-um", garbage is rubbish, garbage cans are dust bins, fries are chips, chips are crisps, trunks are boots, underwear is pants, color is colour, the toilet is the loo, a napkin is a sanitary pad and a serviette is a napkin, a cash register is a till, gas is petrol, tires are tyres and cell phones are mobiles. And finally, "You alright?" is "How are you?" and "Cheers" is goodbye slash a little bit of thank you.
2. That people think my "accent" is cool. Some girl the other day was like, "Wow--your accent is so cool. I'm so jealous!" Really? American accents are so...oh I don't know...blah.
3. Indian food: It's reallyyyy good here! Curry, naan bread, and bhat (that's rice!)! Mmmm...
4. The 'Royal Oak" and all the Nepalese guys: The 'Royal Oak' is the pub where I worked. All the guys there were Nepalese and I swear, they are the nicest breed of people in the world.
5. Chandy: This is half beer; half lemonade and it's amazing (and I don't even like beer!).
6. Pimm's: Yummy rum mixed with lemonade, mint, and fruit drank most famously during Wimbledon
7. Honesty in signage: The British have really funny signs in their country, like the one I blogged about before on the tube which said something along the lines of "If it's really busy, people may have to sit on your lap." Other favorites include "Elderly Crossing" complete with a picture of Grandma and Grandpa with canes and "Please don't eat smelly food" courtesy sign in the train station.
8. Old stuff: everything here is really old but really beautiful at the same time.
9. Price of Brie Cheese: It's like 1 dollar for a triangle (not on sale!).
10. Proximity to other countries: it's so easy to go to France for a weekend or Germany for a "holiday". In the same regard, people from all over Europe and the rest of the world reside in the UK so you're always meeting interesting people from all sorts of cultures.
11. Aero chocolate: delicious chocolate bars that come in regular chocolate and chocolate mint. Silky chocolate with air bubbles. Yummy!
12. Coronation Street: a British soap opera. It's ok...if I ever come back I'm sure it will be easy to catch up on...
13. Museums: so many of them are free! It's great!
14. Boot sales: imagine BARKS garage sale every Sunday---that's what we have here!
15. Bed and Breakfasts: they are cheaper than hotels here! And plentiful!
16. Radio 1: it's better than Z100---WAYYYY better. They play throwbacks and new music and have great DJs and celebrity guests and cool games. One of my favorite things they do is have each musical guest record their own version of someone elses' song.

Things I will NOT miss about England:

1. English Breakfasts: I don't know about you but I'm not that hungry in the morning. A bowl of cereal or a piece of toast and coffee is plenty for me. So I don't know how the people here eat those bloody English breakfasts! I mean who wants eggs, toast, mushrooms, tomatos, sausage, and bacon for breakfast! Yuck!
2. Tipping policy: As a patron, it was all well and good. But as a bartender, not so much. People do NOT tip bartenders here and when you eat out, it is customary to tip only about 10%.
3. Driving on the other side of the car and the other side of the road: it's wierd and scary and I can't do it, therefore I don't like it.
4. Degrees Celcius and Military Time: What can I say? I'm an American stuck in my ways.
5. Pounds: the pound is worth a lot more than the dollar (1 pound = like $1.65!) which means when you come to the UK, you automatically have less money. So not cool! And the paper money only starts at 5 pounds! And they have SO many coins...1 pent...2 pents...5 pents...10 pents...20 pents...50 pents...1 pound...2 pounds... Such heavy pockets here!
6. Teenagers: teenagers here all seem to be troubled. They all have babies and start drinking really early.
7. The weather: contrary to popular belief, the weather is NOT horrible here. However, being from NJ, I know that there were definitely more sunny hot days in NJ than here this summer, and for that, the weather makes it to my "dislike" list. But I have to give the weather some credit...it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be!
8. Eggs are not refridgerated at grocery stores. Yet the refridgerators come with egg containers to put them in...hmmm.