Things We Learned In Our First Year in London.....

• London is an amazing, international city…but there is no place like our home in Chicago.
• Our Children:
1. are much more resilient than we give them credit for.
2. are much better travelers than we give them credit for.
3. could navigate the entire Tube system solo if needed.
4. provide a lot of entertainment.
• ATMs will give your card back first and then your money - so don't walk away.
• Most ATMs do not charge a fee if you use a different bank.
• Scotland has it’s own design for UK money. That would be like Iowa having it’s own dollar design.
• Italians don’t make shirts for US built guys - see previous post.
• Everyone wears scarves.
• Customer service in the US is great. Don’t take it for granted.
• Target, the best store on Earth, is a luxury.
• Movie theater popcorn is just NOT the same here…why no butter?? What is up with the “sweet” option? (which Owen loves by the way).
• Movie theaters give you assigned seats when you buy your ticket. No need to arrive early and save seats. GREAT IDEA!!!
• You have to really search for a place to get a diet coke WITH ice. There are no 7-11’s or White Hens to run into and grab an ol’ 44oz cup to go.
• Starbucks is exactly the same and like in the US there is one on every corner.
• Everything in America is bigger. We miss our big washer and dryer the most.
• Always look right when crossing the street
• Don’t tip at a bar – it is insulting
• Don’t tip cab drivers more than one pound, simply round up.
• Don’t tell a girl “nice pants” unless it is your wife.
• Don’t tell a guy “nice pants” unless you want to see them.
• It is obvious why the US never switched to the metric system; it makes grocery shopping too difficult…kilograms, grams, millilitres, and litres? However, the clever English still measure beer in pints.
• Having your groceries bagged for you is also a luxury.
• Bathroom light switches will be found outside of the bathroom.
• There are no outlets in bathrooms. You will dry your hair at a desk or from a closet, I mean cupboard.
• That extra “outlet” in the bedroom is really the panic button for the alarm system. Whoops.
• Drinking at lunch is perfectly acceptable.
• Drinking after work each weekday is perfectly acceptable.
• Drinking at school parent-teacher functions is perfectly acceptable. They actually supply the booze and insist on “topping up.”
• Drinking at children’s birthday parties is not only acceptable but also expected and necessary.
• Undershirts are not the “norm” here but should be.
• Dry cleaning is unreasonably expensive.
• England embraces its history and revels in it much like Chicago does with the ’85 Bears.
• “Coming around for tea” actually means guests are staying for dinner.
• When the sun is shining it will be cold. If it is raining the weather will be quite mild.
• Cell phones are call “mobiles” and it is perfectly normal to talk very loudly on them anywhere.
• The politics here remind us a lot of City Council, but the English MP’s have more polite and humorous ways of disagreeing and insulting one another.
• Cheese is a really nice dessert alternative.
• If someone asks, “You alright?” – they don’t really care, it’s how they say “hello.”
• We will never fully understand Cricket nor will anyone else.
• When driving think, “STAY LEFT.”
• The Brits love reality television.
• Don’t freak out when you 6 year-old son asks you for a rubber - he is asking for an eraser.
• In addition to “rubber” we are still getting used to words like “rubbish” (garbage); “chips” (French fries); “crisps” (potato chips); “plaster” (band-aid); “jumper” (sweater); "take away" (to go); etc.
• Walking through London is like a game of “Chicken” – you will be the one expected to give way unless you don’t make eye contact.
• There are no screens on the windows. When the weather is nice and we can open the window and enjoy fresh air we also get a few flies in the house.
• There really is such thing as blackbirds singing in the dead of night…those darn birds keep me up!
• Swans are property of the Queen and there is a guy whose job it is to count them in all Royal Parks. The Parks are also the Queen’s property and she lets us all use them.
• The city shuts down with 6 inches of snow. Buses, Tube, all just shut down.
• We love visitors! The Lodge is always open!