one year on....

As of today, the 20th of August, I have lived in the UK one year! Yup, that’s right. I landed the 20 August 2007. Come to think of it, probably right around this time as well....

In honour of my 1 year anniversary in the UK I have created a best and worst list. Similar to David Letterman, except no one pays me millions to tell them what I like the best, and dislike the most. I would like it if someone did, because that would be the best job ever!! Nevertheless, here is my list; one year on and there are the 10 things that I find to be the best and worst of life in a European country.

Best:
1. Rhys. Yes cheesy, I know. But living in the same country is by far the best things about living in the UK. 365 days of being together!! A record!!
2. Rugby….all the time. While at times this can seem like the worst thing about this country, all in all I really enjoy the fact that you can watch rugby all the time; seven’s, league, union, club…its fantastic. And very unifying. Its great.
3. Pub Culture. I love, LOVE this aspect of the UK. People congregate in pubs, hang out after work, on the weekends, for Sunday lunch, for sporting events…its so fun, so inviting. I really think America is lacking in terms of this.
4. Europe. We are so close, and it’s so cheap! Who could ask for more?!
5. Primark. Ok, so loads of people think its cheap and crap…and sometimes it is. But come on, you can go to Primark get 3 shirts, a skirt, a pair of trousers, a belt, two necklaces and a pair of shoes for £24.50!! that is a good deal whatever currency you use! So what if the close only last one season, you only paid, what, like £3 a shirt?!
6. My Blackberry. That is not really UK specific, but I have a ‘fancy’ job over here in London. Whilst I don’t really like the work, they have given me a blackberry. And I love it! Maps, internet, email, phone….its great.
7. The Pound Sterling. Worth so much, need I say more
8. Visitors. I like that people come to visit. I have probably seen more of a variety than I would have if I had been in America. In tribute to those who have come, I will list them all out here: Leah Miller, Stefanie and Josh Lawson, Jamie and Laura Green, Matt Aspegren, Brian and Steph Clause, Jared and Anna Olander, plus my parents are coming in September, Devi Abraham is coming in November and Jason, Sarah and Hiba Pollack are coming in December and Susanna Mizel moves over in January!! (Susanna, if you read this-that counts!)
9. The style…or lack there of. I love that NO ONE matched over here, its great! You can layer and wear colours that don’t go together and brown and black and no one cares!
10. London. Hey, that can be a thing! Whilst I do often
complain about the tube, train, and general business of the
city, I like it for now. It’s nice to have excitement and fun.


Worst:
1. No chick-fil-a. You have no idea how much I miss it. There is a chicken nugget sized hole in my heart.
2. No lawn mower. Yes, I don’t own a lawn mower and this is very sad to me. Mostly because it means I have no lawn to mow; and that kills me! I need a yard!!
3. Living in a gray soup bowl. Very little, extremely sporadic sun. Always rainy, more often than not low cloud cover and a very chilly breeze from the sea! Boo on British weather. It has affected me more than I thought.
4. Baseball. It is a bit of a trade off, rugby instead of baseball. But I still miss it. Come on Rangers!!
5. Mexican Food. Ok, so we have loads of Indian food that is largely absent in America…but every now and then I need my chips, salsa, taco and burrito fix. Where is Taco Bueno when you need it!?
6. The time difference. Sometimes I want to pick up the phone and actually talk to people instead of their answering machine because I am off work and its still smack in the middle of their day!
7. The pace of life. It’s all too fast. People get nasty. You know those stories you hear about people being smushed to death in a crowd, or someone falls and people just stomp on them to get through-sometimes that is the tube…or any busy street in London rush hour. Watch out, they will kill you!
8. The weather. Yes, its that bad it gets mentioned twice!
9. No Wal-mart. There are days when you really want to have a huge store, open 24 hours, where you know all the products and get everything you need all in one place! (Tesco and Asda are NOT the same people!)
10.The people. Ok so that is broad, because I do love my
friends here. But overall people are so bizarrely reserved
compared to middle-southern American that its hard to get
used to. No random conversations with strangers, no
overly friendly people, and no hello’s or smiles while
walking past someone…its much too ‘cold’ for me.