The Odd Bits

Lets be honest, England is not all that different from the US when you get down to it. Obviously it has its own unique mix of people and culture, but in the broader sense they are justifiably similar and for good reason. I mean we did start out as colonies in the new world with most of the settlers (or in the case of Georgia, convicts) coming from the United Kingdom. And admittedly we did diverge on a few minor issues such as stamps, acts with regard to imported teas, and rights of local governing agencies which lead to a series of small disagreements some years back; but the important part is that everyone eventually moved on and the two nations have been the closest of friends for a good while now. Tea under the boat-I mean water under the bridge, as they say. The point is it's not comparable to, for instance, landing in China for the first time where one more than likely only kind-of speaks the language and where many of the social norms and habits are noticeably alien to someone from the US (or even the western world). America and the UK generally share many political and economic ideals as well as a similar history and, well, a language. Therefore most of what one encounters on their inaugural trip to England is either familiar or is expected. Few would be surprised to hear British accents, see everyone driving on the left, and smell fried fish and chips. Still, I have found a number of minor oddities that are either peculiar, unexpected, or I find are still giving me trouble. I felt pretty well prepared for assimilation into the British way of carrying on, but here are a few notables that caught me a bit.

1) Duvets: I wasn't entirely sure what these 'duvet' things were that my sister and mother kept going on about, but now I know. They make sense I suppose, but can I have a blanket in some form that covers the top of the bed AND hangs off the sides a bit? All the comforters I have seen run at least 80-100 pounds and are mostly there only for appearances sake. Can I have something to keep all of me warm at night and not just half my body? No blankets or anything, not even a quilt?

2) Quality Cars: I have seen my fair share of fine motor vehicles in the US as pretty much every make is available state-side. Still, the proportion of high end to middle-range/economy cars is relatively low. London I have noticed has a markedly more pronounced divide between the volume of super premium models in relation to budget cars. Fewer cars fall in between these two extremes, but most of those are still quality BMW/Mercedes/Audi's by American standards. It appears that a London resident can either barely afford the luxury of driving and thus has a two door hatchback or can obviously afford the high costs and taxes, so why not drive a $150k Porsche? Maybe I would be less tardy if I could stop from tripping over Ferrari's on my way to the tube.

3) Left Side Driving: I know what I said earlier, and it's true. No one is surprised to see everyone traveling on the opposite side of the road then the rest of the world. What is challenging about traffic in London is training yourself to look the correct direction before crossing the road, usually to the right. Also, slightly different traffic patterns coupled with narrow streets can make things dicey. Not to mention the highly skilled, fast moving and reacting dynamic of expensive cars, buses, and cyclists that only barely avoid colliding with one another. Still not sure if I am more worried or impressed by all of it.

4) Functional Public Transport: I have a new found appreciation. My previous experiences with the 'buses' in Charleston, eh. They occasionally could take you from where you are to somewhere you wanted to go, but plan your whole day around the trip and expect to wait. The DC subway is for the most part very clean and effective about getting you around town for not too much money, but some of the trains do run into each other on occasion. Apart from that, the trains come relatively frequently and only sometimes are overburdened at heavy traffic times. Then there is the DC bus system which, lets be honest, is really only there for appearances. The engines break down and cause traffic, it takes bizarre and undesired routes, and the actual bus 'schedule' is complete farce. Shift gears to the London underground which operates in the same intelligent fashion as DC, however faster and more efficiently. It efficiently operates more numerous trains more frequently even with far more stations and people. Even the escalators are faster! (and not broken down and rendered into stairs, like in DC) And how the overground manages to circulate the volume of buses with the volume of people in the city without hitting anyone is commendable. I am surprised to say that I personally wouldn't even want a car in the city unless I was one of the people who could afford the afore mentioned Aston Martins and Ferrari's that litter the streets.

5) Coinage: In the US, the average person walks around with less than $1.50 in change in their pocket if they are carrying physical money at all since so many have gone totally plastic. A few quarters perhaps accompanied by the remnants of the fiver used to buy coffee and the resulting handful of unwanted penny's and nickels. Americans tend not to like coins and not use them outside of quarters. Last week I realized there was about ten pounds of coinage in my pocket, speaking both physically and monetarily. One and two pound coins, non existent in the states, are rather useful. The 2p coin which initially seemed silly and pointless turns out is great as tax is included in prices causing it in many situations to be easier to pay with 2p coins compared to 1p coins. Becoming accustomed to paying exclusively in coins is quite foreign to an American, but in a good way.

6) Unit Conversions: A science teacher way back in elementary school turned me on to the benefits of the metric system and I have been a fan ever since. For most of my life while doing math and science I have made a conscious effort to use the metric system whenever possible and keep up with conversions and the like. Turns out converting lengths, distances, and weights are pretty easy on the fly with a bit of practice. After two weeks of cooking, however, the nutritional facts on food packaging and the fact that most everything is measured in grams and liters still bother me. 5 degrees Celsius=41 degrees Fahrenheit, no problem. Why is this pack of tuna 126 grams?

7) Name Confusion: It's football, not soccer (which I tend to agree with, the English did invent the sport so we should call it by the correct name). Biscuits, not cookies. Many of these little translation issues I was aware of before and understand for the most part what people say. Many foods and produce are here reffed to in a different way which can cause inconsistencies if you are asking the location of biscuits at the market or ordering something from a restaurant. For example, there are no eggplants, only aubergines. Luckily enough, most produce is called buy it's default name in French, which is easy for students of French or anyone who is involved in the culinary world. Next time I'll remember to ask for the tin opener, not the can opener.

8) Technology: It surrounds you every day and we all take it for granted. My first lecture on the semester was on the increased globalization of international business over the past 20 years. Step back and consider that trans Atlantic flights were a serious bother and consisted of no fewer then 6 refueling stops between London and Chicago. International calls barely existed until the 80's. Ten years ago cell phones were heavy and could only call, text, and maybe support tetris (in black and white, of course). Here in 2010 I feel incomplete since leaving my full keyboard phone in the states and reverting back to a similar model to those of the late 90's. At the same time, it is abnormal for there to be any sort of chop or delay in the feed while I video chat with my family back in the US. I have a new found respect for how far we have come in such little time and how well we all have it. I challenge anyone to go a day without using their phone or the internet.