I promise that I'm not going to be discussing COVID-19 or what's happening over here during all of this craziness, although that could be a future post when there's more distance from the reality. No, instead, I'm going to talk about my experiences with the buses here. It's not going to be a particularly thrilling post, but it is a new experience that I've had and that many in The States may see as foreign as I did when I arrived here.
When I first came over in August on my "scouting" trip, hoping that my visa issues would be worked out before I left, I did A LOT of exploring as some of you know. I was very comfortable taking the train and walking didn't bother me either. The one thing that I was EXTREMELY hesitant to try was taking the bus. There are many reasons for this, some of which some of you may identify with.
First, the schedules didn't make sense. Living in an area of Texas where public transportation isn't readily or easily available, the knowledge of reading a train or bus schedule was not something I had. Train schedules are pretty easy to decipher, but the bus schedules are like Egyptian hieroglyphics to me, even still. Luckily, I have now figured out how to find a bus stop on Google maps and see the times for every bus that makes a stop there. MUCH easier to understand.
Paying for the bus was also intimidating to me. At the train station, you have kiosks you can use or a nice person to buy your ticket from. There aren't any kiosks or people waiting to sell you bus tickets at the bus stops, though. I was unsure of how to pay on the bus or if you had to have a pass. Luckily, when Caleb and I moved over, he was smart enough to find that the main bus company in this part of England has an app you can download and then buy tickets through that. Everything is contactless here, too, so you can use your UK bank card and tap to buy on the bus. Not as intimidating as I'd made it up to be in my head.
What did, and still does, scare me is figuring out when to get off. Unless you're on one of the fancy buses that has an automated announcer telling you the next stop, you have to know exactly where your stop is and ring the bell before you get there. You also can't ring it too early or else the driver won't stop, which has happened to me twice. I don't know what I'd do without Google maps; get lost, probably.
The last, and probably most important, reason why I was hesitant to try taking the bus was pure prejudice. In The States, I think the primary belief is that the bus is only for those of lower economic status. They (the buses) are thought of as dirty and scary with scary people on them. Here, they're a normal way of transportation. Yes, there are still a lot of people with cars, but with gas being so expensive (right now it's the equivalent of about $5.30/gallon for unleaded), there are plenty who don't. I'm happy to pay someone else to drive me where I need to go so that I don't have to worry about that kind of cost. Also, the buses are very clean. There are some questionable people on them sometimes, but the majority are everyday people just going to or from work or shopping.
I'm glad that I finally branched out and take the bus. I do love the train, but it's more expensive and crowded than the bus. But for long jaunts, like into London, the train is the way to go - shorter and more comfortable. Either way, I'm starting to feel a little more like a local.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Monday, February 17, 2020
Weather woes
I haven't written for a while because I haven't really been inspired to. Life is becoming more normal, if you can call it that, and I'm adjusting to the differences pretty well, I think. However, one of the areas that does cause some disappointment and frustration is the weather.
Weather in Texas is unpredictable, to say the least. It could be snowing in the morning and then in the low 60s by afternoon with tornadoes popping up that night. I'm used to not really knowing what's going to happen with the weather hour by hour and day by day. That's not really the problem here. The problem is, what many of you have probably already guessed - the rain.
My friends from the Pacific Northwest will know what I'm talking about for sure (and maybe have some suggestions as to how to deal with it). Coming from Texas, where we've been in a drought since becoming a state (it seems), having to deal with so many days of rain is quite a new experience for me. I have always liked the rain - the sound of it, the act of cozying up on the sofa during it, falling asleep to it - but here it's a little different. There ARE those times when it's a steady pitter-patter, but for the most part it's just drizzle or sprinkles, which is just annoying. It's not really enough to use an umbrella, but if you're out in it too long, you do get soaked. Plus, when it's in the 30s and 40s, you feel like you might just die.
Then there's the wind that comes with it. No matter how hard it's falling, when the wind is involved, it's completely miserable. You can't hide yourself anywhere to avoid the wind and your umbrella ends up getting turned inside out, which is truly the worst. Needless to say, my love of rain is waning (no pun intended).
Now, let's talk about how this effects the public transportation systems. You would think that a country that has been dealing with this weather since it's creation would have a better system of how to deal with it. There have been numerous times when Caleb and I have been on the train into Guildford and it's delayed or slowed because of a landslide. Why hasn't this been addressed YEARS before now? Surely they have civil engineers in this country that can shore up the areas around the tracks to make sure that there isn't erosion that causes landslides. And don't get me started on my 30 minute train delay yesterday because a train crew employee was late to work "due to the weather". Come on!
To be fair, I have been told that we moved here at the worst time of the year, and I've been here in the summer many time,s so I know that there is hope of less rain. I just need that hope to hurry up and become a reality.
Weather in Texas is unpredictable, to say the least. It could be snowing in the morning and then in the low 60s by afternoon with tornadoes popping up that night. I'm used to not really knowing what's going to happen with the weather hour by hour and day by day. That's not really the problem here. The problem is, what many of you have probably already guessed - the rain.
My friends from the Pacific Northwest will know what I'm talking about for sure (and maybe have some suggestions as to how to deal with it). Coming from Texas, where we've been in a drought since becoming a state (it seems), having to deal with so many days of rain is quite a new experience for me. I have always liked the rain - the sound of it, the act of cozying up on the sofa during it, falling asleep to it - but here it's a little different. There ARE those times when it's a steady pitter-patter, but for the most part it's just drizzle or sprinkles, which is just annoying. It's not really enough to use an umbrella, but if you're out in it too long, you do get soaked. Plus, when it's in the 30s and 40s, you feel like you might just die.
Then there's the wind that comes with it. No matter how hard it's falling, when the wind is involved, it's completely miserable. You can't hide yourself anywhere to avoid the wind and your umbrella ends up getting turned inside out, which is truly the worst. Needless to say, my love of rain is waning (no pun intended).
Now, let's talk about how this effects the public transportation systems. You would think that a country that has been dealing with this weather since it's creation would have a better system of how to deal with it. There have been numerous times when Caleb and I have been on the train into Guildford and it's delayed or slowed because of a landslide. Why hasn't this been addressed YEARS before now? Surely they have civil engineers in this country that can shore up the areas around the tracks to make sure that there isn't erosion that causes landslides. And don't get me started on my 30 minute train delay yesterday because a train crew employee was late to work "due to the weather". Come on!
To be fair, I have been told that we moved here at the worst time of the year, and I've been here in the summer many time,s so I know that there is hope of less rain. I just need that hope to hurry up and become a reality.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Food, glorious food!
Anyone who has known Caleb and I for any length of time knows we like food. Anyone who has traveled with us knows we like to try any kind of food from haggis to Icelandic hot dogs (which are A-MAZING, by the way) to cuy (cooked Guinea pig). Moving to England, you might think that there wouldn't be a big difference, if any, in the food, and you'd be partially right. The food isn't as strange as cooking a household pet, but haggis actually comes from Scotland, which is less than 400 miles away. (I LOVE haggis, by the way. 😃) But there are some differences so let's begin.
England has their traditional hearty breakfast, or "full breakfast" as they like to call it, just like the US. The difference is in what they offer. There's toast (normal), eggs (normal), sausage (pretty normal but not the type of breakfast sausage that the US has), streaky bacon (pretty normal - think similar to Canadian bacon), tomatoes and mushrooms (now we're getting weird), baked beans (getting more weird, especially because the beans are typically served on the toast), and black pudding. (One of the most deceiving names for a food ever! It's nothing close to pudding but actually a blood sausage made with pork blood, fat (either pork or beef suet) and a cereal like oatmeal or oat groats.) The beans on toast sounds weird but it oddly works. I can't eat it very often, though. I think it's just a mental block that beans are meant for lunch or dinner, not breakfast.
Another trick name for something here is a "flapjack". Here is is NOT a pancake but a cereal bar made of oats, butter, brown sugar and golden syrup. They are one of my favorite go-to breakfasts or snacks, especially if it has chocolate chips! They're VERY filling but still relatively healthy. Definitely a must-try for anyone who hops the pond.
Now, I think everyone knows about the difference between US "chips" and UK "chips". They do still have "fries" here, though. "Chips" are the thick-cut potatoes, like steak fries back home, but "fries" are the shoestring type. Caleb and I both have adapted to calling each the correct type, especially Caleb with him being around food all day at the pub, but if I slip up when we're out and I say, "fries", I'll still get some good old-fashioned fried potatoes. Now if you're wanting US chips, then you have to ask for "crisps". Now, luckily, they do have Dorito's, albeit in some weird flavors, but they do have cool ranch; it's just called "cool original". 😆 And they have Pringles, which are my personal favorite, so all is not totally lost where food is concerned.
"What about 'cookies' and 'biscuits'?" you may ask. What we call "cookies" back home the Brits call "biscuits". There are some larger, softer cookies that are actually called "cookies", but when you have tea, you're going to have British biscuits with it. Now, what we call "biscuits", they just call "bread". That may not seem too strange, and it really isn't, but it's just another example of how we're technically speaking the same language but not at the same time.
So Caleb and I haven't really changed our diet any since moving here, although there are a couple of dishes that we love, like bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and treacle sponge pudding (a super delicious dessert that STILL isn't a pudding but a steamed cake with a special syrup - the treacle - on top and all served with custard). And there are MANY things that we miss that we can't find or have decided to make ourselves because the British version isn't the same, like salsa. They have Dorito's and Old El Paso brands, as well as British brands, but when it says "hot" it is NOT. Also, macaroni and cheese is one that I personally miss. They don't have KRAFT mac and cheese and the brand that I tried was just weird. They do have it in a can, which surprisingly isn't too bad, but I miss the old school powder in a box kind.
All in all, while there has been some adjusting to the local and national cuisine, it isn't nearly as difficult as if we went somewhere like France or Germany or even Iceland. Thank goodness for that.
England has their traditional hearty breakfast, or "full breakfast" as they like to call it, just like the US. The difference is in what they offer. There's toast (normal), eggs (normal), sausage (pretty normal but not the type of breakfast sausage that the US has), streaky bacon (pretty normal - think similar to Canadian bacon), tomatoes and mushrooms (now we're getting weird), baked beans (getting more weird, especially because the beans are typically served on the toast), and black pudding. (One of the most deceiving names for a food ever! It's nothing close to pudding but actually a blood sausage made with pork blood, fat (either pork or beef suet) and a cereal like oatmeal or oat groats.) The beans on toast sounds weird but it oddly works. I can't eat it very often, though. I think it's just a mental block that beans are meant for lunch or dinner, not breakfast.
Another trick name for something here is a "flapjack". Here is is NOT a pancake but a cereal bar made of oats, butter, brown sugar and golden syrup. They are one of my favorite go-to breakfasts or snacks, especially if it has chocolate chips! They're VERY filling but still relatively healthy. Definitely a must-try for anyone who hops the pond.
Now, I think everyone knows about the difference between US "chips" and UK "chips". They do still have "fries" here, though. "Chips" are the thick-cut potatoes, like steak fries back home, but "fries" are the shoestring type. Caleb and I both have adapted to calling each the correct type, especially Caleb with him being around food all day at the pub, but if I slip up when we're out and I say, "fries", I'll still get some good old-fashioned fried potatoes. Now if you're wanting US chips, then you have to ask for "crisps". Now, luckily, they do have Dorito's, albeit in some weird flavors, but they do have cool ranch; it's just called "cool original". 😆 And they have Pringles, which are my personal favorite, so all is not totally lost where food is concerned.
"What about 'cookies' and 'biscuits'?" you may ask. What we call "cookies" back home the Brits call "biscuits". There are some larger, softer cookies that are actually called "cookies", but when you have tea, you're going to have British biscuits with it. Now, what we call "biscuits", they just call "bread". That may not seem too strange, and it really isn't, but it's just another example of how we're technically speaking the same language but not at the same time.
So Caleb and I haven't really changed our diet any since moving here, although there are a couple of dishes that we love, like bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and treacle sponge pudding (a super delicious dessert that STILL isn't a pudding but a steamed cake with a special syrup - the treacle - on top and all served with custard). And there are MANY things that we miss that we can't find or have decided to make ourselves because the British version isn't the same, like salsa. They have Dorito's and Old El Paso brands, as well as British brands, but when it says "hot" it is NOT. Also, macaroni and cheese is one that I personally miss. They don't have KRAFT mac and cheese and the brand that I tried was just weird. They do have it in a can, which surprisingly isn't too bad, but I miss the old school powder in a box kind.
All in all, while there has been some adjusting to the local and national cuisine, it isn't nearly as difficult as if we went somewhere like France or Germany or even Iceland. Thank goodness for that.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Trying
With the beginning of a new year and a new decade, I've decided to try once again to do a little extracurricular writing. I've had it suggested to me by a few people (one of which may or may not have been my mom) that I should write down/journal/blog about my experiences through this move to the UK. So this is me trying. I'm not going to make any kind of commitment as to how often I'll post; that's a lot of pressure. But I will commit to trying.
Which is where I want to start with this whole experience. If you know me even a little, then you know how much I have loved Scotland since my first visit back in college. It was then, over 25 years ago, that I decided that I wanted to live there. Now I know what you're thinking: "But you're not in Scotland. You're in England." And that is true, but it's a start and I'm closer now than I was 6 months ago. And I'll still try to get there.
We all have dreams, goals, ideas that we think we would love to achieve but we can't or won't for whatever reason: finances, relationships, self-esteem issues, etc. And believe me, I still have those same issues. It's really expensive to live here; the pay is ridiculously low and rent is ridiculously high. Relationships are hard to cultivate sometimes because everyone lives so far apart. And living in another country, being a foreigner, definitely messes with my self-esteem. However, with all of that said, I wouldn't go back and change my decision to make one dream come true.
It's all a matter trying. Two years ago I had breakfast with two good friends where we talked about our hopes and dreams and promised to encourage each other with achieving them. It's been a long two years to get here, and I know it may seem like it all happened in a blink of an eye, but there was a lot of work that went into making this decision to move and to start all over in another country. I tried for two years to love where I was working but even with amazing coworkers and some amazing students along the way, the obstacles and frustrations were too large and I decided to leave after 12 years of teaching in that school. I tried to make it work, but there were other paths for me to take. So then I tried to get a job here, which was easier than I thought it would be. The difficulty came in the visa process, but I continued to fight and try to get it all straightened out.
Trying doesn't mean that everything turns out okay. Trying means that you try. You TRY to do something that you're interested in and that you've never done before. You TRY to talk to that person that you've always wanted to but were too nervous or intimidated to. You TRY to make one dream or goal become a reality no matter what the obstacles. You TRY to live the life that you've always wanted without listening to the negative voices around you. Life isn't easy, as we all know, but at least if you try to do those things in life that will make it better for you, then you've made the effort to improve it. What have you got to lose? Just try it.
Which is where I want to start with this whole experience. If you know me even a little, then you know how much I have loved Scotland since my first visit back in college. It was then, over 25 years ago, that I decided that I wanted to live there. Now I know what you're thinking: "But you're not in Scotland. You're in England." And that is true, but it's a start and I'm closer now than I was 6 months ago. And I'll still try to get there.
We all have dreams, goals, ideas that we think we would love to achieve but we can't or won't for whatever reason: finances, relationships, self-esteem issues, etc. And believe me, I still have those same issues. It's really expensive to live here; the pay is ridiculously low and rent is ridiculously high. Relationships are hard to cultivate sometimes because everyone lives so far apart. And living in another country, being a foreigner, definitely messes with my self-esteem. However, with all of that said, I wouldn't go back and change my decision to make one dream come true.
It's all a matter trying. Two years ago I had breakfast with two good friends where we talked about our hopes and dreams and promised to encourage each other with achieving them. It's been a long two years to get here, and I know it may seem like it all happened in a blink of an eye, but there was a lot of work that went into making this decision to move and to start all over in another country. I tried for two years to love where I was working but even with amazing coworkers and some amazing students along the way, the obstacles and frustrations were too large and I decided to leave after 12 years of teaching in that school. I tried to make it work, but there were other paths for me to take. So then I tried to get a job here, which was easier than I thought it would be. The difficulty came in the visa process, but I continued to fight and try to get it all straightened out.
Trying doesn't mean that everything turns out okay. Trying means that you try. You TRY to do something that you're interested in and that you've never done before. You TRY to talk to that person that you've always wanted to but were too nervous or intimidated to. You TRY to make one dream or goal become a reality no matter what the obstacles. You TRY to live the life that you've always wanted without listening to the negative voices around you. Life isn't easy, as we all know, but at least if you try to do those things in life that will make it better for you, then you've made the effort to improve it. What have you got to lose? Just try it.
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