Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming....

So I really, really suck at this whole blog thing. It just takes me so long to get an idea and really organize it the way I want it to look that I get halfway through and say, "Oh, look, it's time for lunch!" And end up playing video games for the rest of the evening.

Starting, well, now that won't be an option. Are you on the edge of your seat, wondering what has brought me back from the dead (so to speak...)? Well, hold on tight because here....we....go!

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

Okay, so that was anticlimactic. If you've been following my video diaries, you should know by now that I am in the UK. If you didn't know that, then either you aren't on my FB or have been living under a rock the last 6 weeks because it's all I've been able to talk about since I got accepted to Essex back in August. Yes, I spent the last six weeks reminding everybody how awesome I am...as often and in the most annoying way possible.

See?! Bigger crown=better than you

I've read a lot about what it's like moving to another country. So far, none of that has applied. Okay, now I'm just acting underwhelmed. No...much of that has applied. In fact, let's just move into list mode, shall we? It'll help explain all the ways the UK is different than the US (as I've discovered so far...).

 FIGHT! 

#1: Currency
Okay, so one of my biggest hiccups is the UK's currency. Whereas in the US, my change purse was rarely filled because I abhorred coins just from the shear weight of them, the UK functions pretty much solely on coin currency. They even have a £2 coin. I mean, look at all the coins they have compared to paper money:

From bottom right to upper left, those are the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, and £2. And of course, I don't know the difference yet, so I stand at the freaking counter for 10 minutes, rummaging out the appropriate coins to pay for my £1.90 soda or bus fare. It's not worse, just really different. I've yet to determine, by feel, the difference between a 10p and a 2p...and until I do, I'm going to be that "dumb American who can't pay fast enough." :(

 #2: Friendliness
I read somewhere that Brits were supposed to be ruder than US citizens; although, I also read that pretty much all of Europe thinks Americans are going to fly off the handle and kill someone for no reason (which I may do if I can't get this currency thing under control). However, to the former part of that sentence, I must say it is absolutely UNTRUE. Now I know where Canada gets it from. Everybody over here is sooooo nice. And accommodating. And really in love with America.

Yes, these exist here. And they're just as bad in person (I've seen them <shudder>).

 

I'm sure it's just because the people of Colchester and London are so used to foreigners (Essex has a HUGE international student population--they're known for it nationally, actually), but I am pleasantly surprised at the lack of scoffing and eye-rolling I was prepared for. Whenever I do something obviously wrong, whoever is closest just whispers or motions what I'm supposed to do without issue. It's pretty nice, actually. And almost makes me ashamed to be American. We, as a nation, joke about how inconvenienced we are by "ignorant foreigners," but it's just a fact of life here. Which is really nice because now I don't have to worry so much about insulting someone.

So you're saying that the currency isn't a good enough reason to kill someone?

#3: Road Travel
I almost don't want to buy a bike because I cannot get used to the traffic rules here. The first couple of days, I spent too much money on taxis because I thought I needed a bus pass to ride the bus instead of just paying for one trip like we do in the States (ignorant foreigner, remember?). During those rides, I gripped the "oh, shit" bar in the back more often than not because all drivers in the UK take wicked sharp turns, drive WAY too close to the person in front of them, and encounter more roundabouts than stoplights, per capita (I don't know if that's true, but it sounded right).

Seriously, roundabouts already confuse the hell out of me. Whose right away is it, when can you enter the roundabout, what lane should you be in to get off at the 2nd exit...it's crazy! And the people here know the rules so well! I mean, duh, they should, but these taxi drivers just zip into roundabouts, knowing exactly how fast, which lane, and how sharp to turn in order to get where they are going. They have streetlights but that's more for pedestrians crossing than for allowing traffic to pass. It's surprising how much I miss the stop sign. At least I know those rules...

There's a white border--that means it's "optional," right?

 #4: Pay-as-you-go and Home Utilities
Everything, and I do mean pretty much everything, can be "topped up" here. My electricity is monitored by a key that I put money on and put in my meter. When I'm getting close to being out of money (which, at this rate, won't be until mid-November), I take out the key, bring it to my local convenience store, add more money to it, then return to my house, put the key back in the meter, and my electricity resumes. Same with my internet, same with my phone (well, not the key thing, only the top up thing). It's really...different. I'm not sure whether I like it more or not, but it makes monitoring my usage easier. The electricity meter shows how much I've used. I started with £40 and in a little under a week, haven't even used £5 of it. Granted, I haven't learned how to use my radiators (which is going to suck here soon), but I kind of like knowing exactly how much I've used.

It's not THAT cold. There's still mercury in there...

They also have a cool way of limiting "vampire usage." You know, when you consume electricity by just having something plugged in? Every outlet in the house has a little switch next to it. When I need to charge something, I simply flip the switch next to that outlet and only that outlet becomes active. Same with the hot water. Rather than having one big wasteful hot water heater, each sink and the shower has it's own pull cord that turns on the individual water heater attached to the faucet. That way, I'm only using hot water when I need it instead of heating it all the time. Very efficient. At least, when I remember to turn them off, it is...

Overall, this past week has been already been a huge learning experience. Day 1 sucked horribly, but things have gotten better as the week has gone on. My classes officially start next week, as well as some of the social gatherings, so once I actually meet and start hanging out with people, things may get even better (or worse, who knows). I'll keep making video diaries and keeping a weekly blog. It might not always be about my experiences in the UK, but I will try to update it every Sunday or Monday.

If you haven't watched my video diaries (or forgot the link to them), go check them out at the here: Brittany's UK Adventure. If you want to email me, fill out the super awesome box on the right and it should magically find its way to my inbox.

Until next time.....!

P.S: All images used above are copyrighted through Microsoft Office...