Since we haven't been out letterboxing yet, thought I'd make some notes on lifestyle changes. As a general rule, it really is quite surprising that the UK and US have a great deal in common. Obviously a lot of the specific systems differ. That was to be expected. Some for the better, some for the worse. But, all in all, it's a similar world.
That being said, these are the things that stand out. . .
-washer/dryer combo units (this is just such a bizarre concept that I'm not sure what to say - they're small and I've yet to figure out how to get clothes dried without them coming out wrinkled beyond belief. my domestic skills are looking bad.)
-hot and cold taps switched (instead of hot on left, cold on right in the US, it is opposite here - at least in our rental house. I keep burning myself and it's really annoying.)
-no mail pickup (the good part is that our mail delivers by 10AM. didn't even know mail COULD be delivered that early. the bad part is that they don't take outgoing mail. hence, you see the red mail boxes for pickup everywhere.)
-no extra trash pickup (maybe it's just our family, but we seem to create tons of trash every week. unfortunately, the 'rubbish' is only picked up one day every other week and then they only take the one standard trash bin. if you have more, you're out of luck. our chore this week is to find the landfill asap.)
-no pay at the pump gas (if you have young kids, this is really a drag. now I have to get them out of car seats, wait in line to pay, then back into car seats. boo.)
-military time (we bought a digital clock when we got here. imagine our surprise when we realized it was in what I've always called military time. 24hr time. I struggle looking at a clock that says 21:00 - what time is that, stop, figure it out. . .9pm. boo. I find myself using the analog clock and my watch in the afternoons and evenings.)
-TV license (did you know you have to have a license to have a TV in the UK?!)
I guess those are the most annoying things right now. I'll have to amend my list as time goes on. A few years from now I'll probably look back and laugh that these things bothered me at all! :)
4 comments:
Ahhh! I knew I was missing something on this washing/drying unit. I'll give it a go. Thanks!
I'm just barely starting to say 'postal code' instead of 'zip code'. . .and now I have to say 'postboxes'?! ('Postman Pat, Postman Pat, Postman Pat, and his black and white cat')
the way to manage your washing machine/dryer is to take out half the wash before it goes into the drying mode. That way they don't get so crumpled. Usually the max weight for the dryer is only half the max weight for the washing..
Also now you are in England those red boxes on the road side are not mail boxes - they are letterboxes:-)
August 28, 2007
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