February 10, 2008
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What I Miss
Today marks the one-month anniversary of our leaving the US. I’ve been thinking about what I miss most being here in Jolly Old. So, I thought I’d tell you.
I miss my minivan.
I love my Toyota Sienna. I love driving it and “boomin’ out the stereo.” I miss hopping in the van and getting directly to where I want to go. This longing was greatly emphasized on Friday night. Lib and Gock had a youth group party at a house about three or so miles from ours. I went with them on the bus there, and then someone else brought them home. I came directly home after dropping them off. From the time I left my door until the time I returned, it was TWO HOURS. Yes, I could have walked the six miles in two hours I realized later. (Why two hours? Add it up: walking to and from bus stops and homes–30 minutes, waiting for buses to arrive (had to change buses in the middle)–65 minutes, riding on buses–25 minutes.)
I miss my American stationery supplies.
I long for my electric pencil sharpener. (I have a good one at home.) And, three-hole punched A3 paper cannot be found her. My portfolios will be an interesting mix of paper sizes this year. Yes, I am very lame.
I should say that I miss my friends back home, but I’m not really doing that–yet. I think my mind is still thinking I’m on vacation, and who misses home when they are on vacation? Sometimes, at night, like a paper cut, wishing I were home will come upon me. But, it passes fairly soon. I think Skype helps a lot.
I find myself heading to CNN headline news more and more often and bypassing the BBC feed. And, today at the pub on TV, they had a whole thing on the election and Hillary and Obama and McCain and Huckabee. And, I watched with rapt interest. My country. But, we are watching the Six Nations Rugby Tournament with great interest, too. (Currently, England is whomping Italy–whee!)
I’m glad we still have three and a half months left in our trip, van or not. I will have a shopping list for you, though, flutemom38!
Comments (37)
I wonder if I miss the United Kingdom when I head to the United States, even though it only for less then a month, it was be pretty much different but fun
I know the feeling well. Sometimes you get so sick of the accents…you just want to yell “STOP TALKING!” but I guess it’d different if you have your family there. I’m glad you have them
so they drive on the “wrong” side of the cars there, right??? hehe Just something that hit me….hahahahahaha Yeah, ya never know what you got till It’s gone, I guess….but still, I’m sure it’s kinda fun to be able to experience England!!! Good to see you on the big screen through skype the other night!! hehe
I also miss the minivan, but I would not trade this experience for anything. In my opinion, it has truly been eye-opening to have to walk, ride a bike, or rely on public transportation. It helps me better appreciate the plight of those we know who don’t own a car.
Looking forward to the upcoming week!
It is kind of a funny thing to be in another country and watch news coverage of what is going on at home, isn’t it? When we were in Australia, I was surprised by how much coverage there was of American news…and then thought it odd that we would (almost) never see anything about Australia if we were sitting home watching the evening news. Similar things could be said about England, I think.
You’re going to come a way with such a fresh perspective of what’s really important to you when you leave England. I’ve gone through this every time the Lord takes me out of my comfort zone.
God bless you, Mary!!
C.
Has it been a month already?! Impossible! Seems like you just took off….
whoooo!!! Toyota sienna! That’s what we’ve got. It’s shame you haven’t got it with you… On the other hand, you can make yourself feel better by saying “I’m more energy efficiant!”… maybe
I hate being homesick. It’s probably not as bad since your family’s with you, right? I guess you’re kind of homesick for the country itself, too.
Noticed your name on another site and thought I’d pay a visit to a fellow teacher person. Sounds like you’re having quite the adventure right now! Take care~
Asher would enjoy watching the rugby. He says if soccer doesn’t work out for him in college, he wants to play rugby. (They have just started a team here at the college in town, one college possibility for him to go to.) But I much prefer soccer.
I can’t believe it’s been a month! Who would have guessed a pencil sharpener would be one of the things you’d miss! I was on here earlier today showing ds#2 your site, and the sights. He enjoyed it very much. ((((HUGS)))) to you!
Sorry, I haven’t been reading your posts. I’ll catch up soon! I’ve been too busy on ebay…. lol
ryc: I’m only looking on ebay for an rv– haven’t bid yet. The one I’m looking at ends tomorrow at 4pm. We’re biding our time– plus Mike hasn’t really given me the ok to bid yet anyway. It’s a long drive to Michigan to pick it up if we would win it!!! And, no, I don’t own 200 cd’s, either. I probably never will…… but it was a lot cheaper than buying one brand new!
Yes, I’ve become somewhat hooked on Disney pins– I bought a Goofy one for Mike that says “confused” on it– perfect for him!! I think Goofy might be his fav character, but I’m not sure– never asked him. I “won” a Tigger pin for $2 on ebay (without shipping), and I’ve been looking at other pins on disneypins.com. I think I’ll check out the Disney store at the mall before I buy any more (for the girls this time).
Um, thanks for the dog– I think….
RYC: I’ve been teaching English (grammar, composition, what have you) to middle schoolers for about 23 years.
I’m too new here to know all your background info and why you’re spending time in England, but it does sound thrilling. Like many Pennsylvanians, my ancestors are of UK stock–England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales. I vacationed in the UK back in 2000, and wish upon a star that I’ll make a return trip one day.
Enjoy!
It is funny what you miss when you are overseas. There is so much to see and you will miss some of the inconveniences once you are back stateside. The one thing my husband and I noticed was that Americans live a much faster paced life than Europeans. We are always hurrying somewhere or needing something right now. In Germany you had to shop by noon on Saturdays, except long Saturday you had until 2pm. No shops were open in our area on Sunday except the mini mart on post. This all MADE you slow down. I miss that the most!!! Also, we began to appreciate the limited choices we had once we were barraged again with tons of choices for one particular product!!
Enjoy your time. Your family will look back on this as one of the most fabulous things you got to do when they were growing up.
Well I’m nor sure I would miss all of the political talk going on here right now…but I would want to know who is running. I hate the fact that the TV news people are already trying to figure out the elections…it is like reporting a sporting event before it happens. It would be interesting to figure out what the Brits think about our candidates.
I would miss my van also…
I can understand not missing your friends yet. You are so busy enjoying your adventures. Plus, good friends will always wait to talk to you.
Oh deary….it does come down to the “little things” in life doesn’t it? I still have it in mind to send you a box of things….but it will probably not be ready until you are returning home!!! (lol) I’m such a procrastinator!!!! (lol)
Hugs- and Happy Valentines Day!
Cass
We were in England visiting friends about 10 years ago and in many respects I considered England almost like a third world country. Perhaps a bit extreme, but that was how I felt.
I did acquire a taste for “pasties” which were one of the few cheap things that you could buy to eat. It was therefor good that they were so tasty to boot.
And speaking of stationery supplies, I lived in Germany for a year and let me tell you, do the Germans KNOW stationery!!! Yee ha!
Yay! Share the shopping list with the ‘manns!
What a fun adventure you’re having! I’ve never been out of country so I wouldn’t know what it’s like, but I’m sure it takes quite a bit of adjusting. Can’t wait to hear more about your home away from home…
ryc: Yes, England was indeed very expensive. I seem to recall I was impressed that it seemed “third world” (admittedly a strong term in this sense) in its amenities…
Aww, you realizing how much you are missing.. By the time you get back over here.. You gonna come up a list what you miss over there..
I remember doing that when I came back from Egypt. It was totally different from America to there..
RYC: LOL I was boiling water not cooking cajun stuff.. I put another blog how it happened.. Your comment was sure made me smile big! lol
Has it really been a month?
Have you found the good tissues yet?
btw- you are so NOT lame!!
If I sum you are an American teacher exiled in UK !
However Great Britain is a beautiful country . But one can be homesick .
Love
Michel
It doesn’t seem like a month to me either. Time has just flown by….I really enjoy reading your blog posts. It’s so neat for me to have a peek into England through you. Take care.
I think everyone should have an experience in a third world country, like that…… pshaww!! Did I just call England a Third World Country!! Ah! I see someone above agrees with me! I AM teasing. But, in comparison to the U.S., I must say, the whole bus system and all that seems to remind me a bit of Guatemala! Now, as far as good food goes, Guatemala had no lack, for sure! Thankfully, I discovered that I absolutely LOVED frijoles negros & homemade corn tortillas (which was served at least twice daily!) & it was still such a novelty to me that it was like eating out at a really yummy Mexican restaurant every day! The chicken heads and feet in the soup were quite a turn-off, but, as long as they had some rice, beans, salsa & tortillas, I was in heaven!!
Ho, hum. We are SO having “The Last Two Months of Winter Homeschooling Blues” here!! Today, my husband said that one of us needed to go to the bank & I told him that wasn’t an option! We BOTH had to go and get out of this house!! ….. it wasn’t long enough! I do, though, have several books on CD on loan from the library (I’m sure you’re asking “Which ones? Which ones?” with great anticipation! ;P). We have several Little House books (OF COURSE!!), Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery (another, OF COURSE!), The Hobbit by Tolkien (NOT so OF COURSE.), Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield, and Five Little Peppers & How They Grew by Margaret Sidney. We’re in the middle of The Hobbit, Rainbow Valley, and Ballet Shoes, all at once! No, we can’t just finish one and then move on to another, we have to start three at one time!! Do (twitch!) you (twitch!) wonder (twitch!) why (twitch!) we have (twitch! twitch!) a problem paying attention (twitch!twitch!twitch!)??
Have a great Valentine’s Day!
Dear Mary,
You are SO popular~I know another reason you don’t miss your friends yet, they are keeping up with all your escapades! I tried to call you today, but you must have been off field-tripping it. Hope you had fun. Please call me when your kids need a ride to Imapact/Gap. I would love to help you.
Looking forward to Friday.
Lisa
I thought the Texas Road House was really good!! They had the best fries ever!!! lol unfortunatly I couldn’t eat many of htem so I brought htem home in a box, and Court and my mom apperently finished them!!
But I really liked it!!!
That’s a long list of longevity!
Minivan…I could go without a car easily (we only have one), but M&M’s that’s a must.
RYC: One time at work (USAA) I was wearing a dress and my manager asked if I had on white tights. I laughed, but I’m not sure I was more insulted that she commented on my legs being that white or she thought I would actually wear white tights….
As for Marks & Spencer, I checked out their website…it’s a good thing the dollar isn’t doing so well, I might have shipped some adorable European outfits to the Lone Star State. Oh well, Old Navy is running a 40% off Kids Sale I”ll have to stock up with them.
I hope the three months doesn’t go by too fast for you. I bet you didn’t miss the snow storm we had here yesterday. You’ll have to let us know what they think of our Presidential race some time.
aww…sorry you are missing the U.S.
i have enjoyed reading your insights into the world you are experiencing though.
Enjoy it!! It will be over before you know it….
Aha! I should have read further before asking. A girlfriend of mine, a real rocket scientist, was in London for 4yrs on loan to the MOD. She missed Thanksgiving & Halloween the most, and got frustrated that her colleagues assumed all Americans lacked culture entirely. I don’t celebrate Halloween anymore, but she once flew home just for the day, so I went with her to a costume party and a night of feeling American again. Speaking of Halloween & England…when we lived there, we didn’t live on base. My mom isn’t American, and my dad traveled a lot one autumn. My brothers and I asked my mom that year if we could celebrate Halloween, so she helped us dress up one night and took us to base (Mildenhall or Lakenheath, I forget which). We knocked on a door in the base housing development, and a lady answered. “Trick or Treat!” my brothers and I yelled with the pent up enthusiasm of a few years of not having Halloween (we’d been in the Netherlands before England). “Honey,” the lady said to me (the loudest spokesperson), “Halloween was last week.” She went into her house and brought us some candy anyway. We went home feeling deflated and out of it.
@BigToePeople -
What a bummer! But, at least you got some candy.