January 13, 2008
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Feeling Rather Foreign
Just because this is “The Mother Country,” just because we speak the same language, just because we read the same authors and see the same movies doesn’t make England NOT a foreign country. (double negative intentional) I’m sure I’ll feel more at-home as the days wear on, but for now, things feel terribly different.
I mentioned before how everything over here has such history and is so old (in a good way). TGD was reading us a history of Cambridge tonight: “The Round Church was built in 1107.” I walked past that today. It’s not a ruin or anything. “The
first colleges of Cambridge University were founded in the Middle Ages.
Peterhouse was founded by the Bishop of Ely in 1284. Clare College was
founded in 1326. Pembroke College was founded by the Earl of Pembroke’s
widow, Lady Mary de Valence in 1347. Gonville and Caius College, 1348…Trinity Hall, 1350…Corpus Christi
College, 1352. Kings College was founded by Henry VI in
1441…” Are you absorbing these dates? Students are STILL living in these dorms and taking classes and eating meals in these buildings!
But, what makes me feel really foreign are the little things. The food is small. Potato chips–er, crisps–don’t come in a big bag. They come in a big bag which has six or ten individually-wrapped mini bags of chips, enough for a smallish serving. Imagine the average six-pack of Yoplait yogurt. Cut that cup size in half. That’s the regular size of yogurt (er, yoghurt) here.
No Cheer and Bounce for the laundry.
And speaking of laundry, here’s the dryer. I think this size is rather normal for a home. (That’s a regular spoon I’m holding for size comparison.) No, it’s not just the opening that is small. I think I fit in three pairs of jeans and two shirts.
The fridge comes up to below my shoulders. (Yup, CheesePuff, Wit has been putting the magnetic poetry to good use–making garden scenes.)
You flip the light switches up to turn them off and down to turn them on.
Now, none of what I’m saying is a complaint. Truly. It’s just different here. I think it will be good to escape the LARGE American mindset and view life from a smaller, well-crafted lens.
And, when I walk around the yard and see where we are living, I know that I’m not in America, and it’s just fine.
These heavenly-smelling yellow flowers are beginning to bloom on a bush in the back yard. Any idea what they are? Mamaglop–help?
Comments (23)
When I lived in Boston doing volunteer work one of my roomies was from London. He was totally amazed at the size of things here like food portions, appliances, apartments, and so on. RYC; Yes, I’m slowly poking my nose out to see if it’s safe to come out yet. Oh, and your comment about a Republican in the White House? Ahh, it cut me to the bone now.
Speaking of which, while you’re over there could you do me a favor and find out if The “Mother Country” offers political asylum to Yanks in case the election takes a bad turn?
Oh, I know you are not complaining! I imagine you are feeling a bit “displaced” or just at loose ends, because you are somewhere very different, even though the language is the same. I LOVE that the buildings are so old and still being used! Everytime I see some building being imploded here, I think “That’s why America looks the way it does, and Europe has wonderful old buildings and such history…we tear ours down and put up something new.” Thanks for the wonderful descritptions and pictures of what you are seeing there and experiencing. Because of my MCS, there is NO way I will ever be able to travel far again, and I will have to see Englad through your eyes. I think the light switch thing would seriously have me wigging at first! LOL!
Hee-hee! You’re reminding me of all of the things that I’d forgotten about our time there. Are your washer and dryer right in your kitchen? Ours were! It was interesting that by most standards, we were living in a pretty nice place there, but things sure were smaller and more sparse than anything that we were used to back in central PA. I’m sure that you’ll be feeling right at home, though, before too long!
Ah yes, the Ariel! And the tiny dryer! How is the washer for size? When I’m at my MIL’s, I feel like I’m doing laundry constantly–maybe I am. And Mum’s fridge is smaller than that one–doesn’t have a freezer compartment on top. Folk there seem to shop every day for their daily needs–that is why the small fridge.
Waiting to hear more culture shock stories–like when you go to the grocery store and the numbers are the same, but there is a pound sign instead of a dollar sign!
Oh, and DH experienced all this in reverse when he came to America.
Hi Sellers Clan. Glad to hear you made it over to Merry Old England. We miss you all already. Everything will seem huge when you return. Give yourself time to adjust to it all. Thanks for letting us enjoy your sabbatical with you through your blogs.
With a dryer that small you better stay on top of your laundry.
I’d love to visit England; I’ve never even been out of this country.
Hi, I left most of my comments on the previous post. I think your flower, (after some research) is a Holly Grape. (Mahonia Pinnata). Is it under 8′ tall?
I have a feeling the soundtrack of your life in England is going to be the washer and dryer humming along.
I’m sure all the differences are just beginning to sink in! Relish it!!
Itsy-bitsy, little England! Huzzah! And a well-deserved ‘lol’ to Wit’s magnetic scene.
I didn’t take any of that for complaints! I like to hear about the differences. Does the smaller portion size mean less obesity? or do they just eat twice as many times?
…and the small cars, etc… !
I felt similarly…
I think it’s helpful to move every so often to a new place, to help keep in mind that this world we live in is not our final home, we’re just passing through temporarily…
wow, i can tell this will be a great adventure for you and your family. i love reading about your experiences there. please continue to share with us, so we can “visit” england with you.
Yes, do keep us posted on everything English
- The washer/dryer size reminds me of the ones we saw in Beijing…. except there they only had washers that were tiny…. they didn’t have dryers – everyone just hung their clothes up in their houses to dry.
Ariel is a great detergent!! =) I love seeing your pics! I’m so jealous!
The place you’re staying in looks so cozy! I don’t like to travel much at all, but if we were staying in Cambridge or some similar place for a few months, I think I would enjoy the time. I love the thought of things being smaller–I think many things are grossly big over here
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Enjoy your time in England. I’m sure you’ll have so many wonderful, life-long memories. I hope your kids do, too.
Oh how perfectly delightful! I don’t know how the heck I got confused. It was like one day you’re talking about packing, and I’m like, “Where is she going?” I don’t know how I didn’t catch that you were going over seas. Golly! LOL.
I think that the house and yard is perfectly delightful! I am sorry about the differences, I am sure that it would be VERY difficult to adjust over there.
As far as what pictures I would like you to take? Oh dear! I am sure that you already have TONS of requests, but b/c you asked I’ll tell you what will interest me….Flowers, meadows, long grasses, ancient buildings, anything that looks rustic, charming, or just odd. I love the outdoors and viny buildings. Sigh.
Can’t wait to hear about your many-more-to-come adventures!
I’ll have to look up Mamaglops flower, but I wonder if this could be a syringa-a type of lilac. It looks so sweet to these winter worn eyes. I love how you photographed all the small offerings of England. I never knew that things we take for granted here were considered over-sized there. I bet I would lose weight in England….
Thank for for giving us a glimpse of your new world. It must be awesome being in an environment of such historic architecture that is still in use. Wow! Wow! Wow!
It all looks so quaint . . . and that’s not a word that describes the usual life here in the states . . . so maybe instead of “small” and “foreign”, you can absorb it all being so very “quaint.”
At first I starting reading and thought ‘What? You’re from England? I know, our chips are soooooo tiny in those individual bags!’ because I thought you were talking about America. (I’m American) But then I read on and figured out you were going to England from America. And I felt pretty stupid.
But that’s interesting about the lights. I never knew. It sounds like the answer to a riddle, or more like a red herring (stories with holes).
I saw you at Bookaholic blogring. How are you dealing with that wee washer?? Oh, to have to do so many more loads of wash…..I would so dislike that. Your house looks like something out of a George MacDonald book. Have you read his copy of, The Curates Awakening? I think he wrote it in that neck of the woods.