Fourth of July Weekend
We had a non-traditional but great Fourth of July. A had three friends spend the night Friday night and eventually they got moving Saturday afternoon to go off shopping. H and I went out to run errands. We ended up at the local farm picking strawberries and raspberries. Standing in the strawberry fields with a breeze blowing, the strawberry smell was heavenly. We finished off the day with an All-American meal of steak and corn on the cob.
Sunday we continued another American tradition that isn’t so fun, shoe shopping for A’s American feet. Couple a picky teenager’s taste with a lack of selection in the upper sizes and I felt myself trying to remain composed but screaming inside. By the end of the afternoon I was done and she was still without a new pair of shoes.
Labels: CulturalDifferences, Food
Manchester Town Hall
We had a function at the Manchester Town Hall and it is a beautiful building. The function that was taking place in the great hall ended while we were there so we got to take a walk through while it was being cleaned.
Labels: EnglandTourism, Work
Manchester Pics
Because I was there for work, the most I saw of Manchester was walking to and from the train station and then walking to the evening events. The most notable thing because it is different than London is the number of red brick buildings. I had lots of interesting conversations with customers, and most of them revolved around the North/South divide, accents, and the heat. Everyone looked more than a little bit wilted. One of our customers from Newcastle was telling me about moving not far up the road to Scotland and how the word “canny” has a different meaning in both places. I had to ask him to spell it and explain that word has no meaning at all to me! I found this Geordie dictionary which has a definition of canny. Geordie is the dialect spoken in the Newcastle area.
Labels: CulturalDifferences, EnglandTourism
We're Having a Heatwave
It is supposed to get up to 80 degrees today and I'm staying in a third floor hotel room that has no air conditioning and just one window that opens out about five inches. I got a bonus surprise last night when climbing into bed and finding no top sheet on the bed, just a quilt. This is common in the UK and it drives me mad. As someone said at breakfast this morning, they went to bed early thinking they would get a jump start on a sleepless night. The humidity is stifling.Labels: Weather
Off to Manchester
Last Thursday night, with my buddy C from Australia in town, we joined some co-workers at the local pub for the pub quiz. We mentioned that we were both going to be heading up to Manchester for work this week and several of my co-workers had a sarcastic comment to make about Manchester. In fact every time any town is mentioned there’s a sarcastic comment so I called them on it. I asked the group where I could say I was from in the UK and get a nice comment back. They sat their silent for a good bit until a few places got mentioned, all in the south besides Edinburgh. There’s some truth to the North/South divide.I’m keeping an open mind about Manchester. I want to hear that Mancunian accent in its natural habitat.
Labels: CulturalDifferences, EnglandTourism
Holidays
Everyone is asking about our vacation (holiday) plans and there’s nothing to say. The only thing we are orchestrating at the moment is our move next month. A few months ago I was reading the Sunday newspaper’s travel section and in the Q&A a reader was asking the travel expert for advice on planning a trip. The reader said that both she and her husband had been laid off and they had about £15,000 (around $25,000 these days) to spend on a once in a lifetime trip and wanted advice on where to go. They also had a 5 year old child. I had to read this out loud to H because I couldn’t believe that two people who had just lost their jobs would plan such an expensive vacation, unless maybe they didn’t need to work in the first place. I was also amused that the travel writer recommended that they rent a Winnebago and travel across America.I was recently listening to a Rick Steves travel podcast where he commented that Americans aren’t as rich as they think they are compared to Europeans. So is that why my hairdresser is able to take the month of August off to travel to at least three destinations? I have been wondering if priorities are just different. Do Americans spend more money on the day to day and not vacation as often where here it seems to be everyone’s God-given right to vacation. Something is different. Getting back to my hairdresser, the first time she cut my hair it was half the price as the bill she gave me this second time, so maybe that’s the answer to my question.
Labels: CulturalDifferences
Graduation Day
A got to take the day off of school on Monday which was probably the best thing to her. We went into London for H’s final graduation ceremony. The lunch was at the same location the others have been but it felt more festive since this was it. Many of H’s classmates brought their parents from far off places. I was visiting with one of his friends’ mother who had travelled from Greece for the ceremony. It was the first time she had been to England. As we talked she apologized because she said this was the only time she had ever used her English. I was amazed at how well she spoke. I always think if pushed to speak French, the only language I have studied for any length of time I could say things like “Where is the airport?” and “I love your hat” (who can forget chapeau once they learn that word). I don’t think I would be able to tell a stranger in French that my son was learning how to make all of our traditional family dishes as this woman told me. Like me, she was also amazed at how international the group is at the school.
It’s hard to believe how quickly he completed the courses. We are so proud of him.
archives
cast of characters
J: A 30-something wife and mom moving to England for a job change.
H: J's hubby and culinary school student.
A: J's 13 year old daughter, hitting the rough patches of adolescence in a new English grammar school.
L & P: Owners of the B&B, J's temporary home for first ten months in the UK.
Little B: Six year old son of B&B owners.
N: J's former housemate who relocated back to New Zealand.
K: J's partner in crime on the concert scene recently relocated to the heart of Dixie.
M: J's former workmate and tv soulmate in Houston.
Cousin N: J's cousin from Chicago who visited in October.
U: J's former housemate at the B&B and a man with issues.
Mel: J's longtime friend in Chicago.
