Besides the obvious driving on the other side of the road from the other side of the car thing …
I use the word quirky as it is properly defined: something or someone unusual in an endearing or interesting way. These posts will be about the things that are different than what I am accustomed to as an American and instances of personal learning for me. I don’t mean any of this in a negative light nor do I know if these are the same across the whole of the UK and are written from my limited experience both in location and time here. I chose to come to the UK and live in this culture and so I adapt while knowing that my ‘American-ness’ will still be a part of who I am. Taco Tuesdays will happen!
But there are things that I have found odd and have made me laugh at myself. I’m sure they will become the norm in time but in the meantime I will have some fun with them. It’s good to laugh at ourselves. I hope you enjoy my fumbles as much as I am.
Here’s Part 1:
What I call “modern” door handles and locks. They’re complicated. I am an itelligent woman with an advanced degree, getting in and out of my house should not be this challenging. You have to lift the handle up to fully latch the door and you need the key to lock inside and out. Windows have to be locked and unlocked with a key, too. Soooo many keys….
Electrical outlets have on/off switches. Every one of them. On the outlet. I feel the need to turn it off if I’m not currently using whatever is plugged in (except the refrigerator which is technically always in use). I have a lamp that doesn’t have a switch on the lamp. I have to use the switch on the outlet, down behind the table the lamp is on. Every time. When I plug my phone or laptop in to charge if I don’t also turn on the outlet, I come back to a device still in need of charging. Listen for the “I’m charging” tone!
There are no electrical outlets in bathrooms. With or without on/off switches. There just aren’t any (well, except for special plugs for electric shavers). And bathrooms are only called a bathroom if it has a bathtub in it. If it has a shower it’s a shower room and if just a toilet and sink (this is important when you need to know where the “facilities” are in a public place) then it’s the loo or the toilet. When you are at someone’s house for the first time and need to “go”, ask for the loo or the toilet. Otherwise they might think you actually want to take a bath. You might be directed to a room with either a bathtub or a shower in it but just ask for the toilet and you’ll be understood.
Stove/oven combos are called cookers and stove tops are called hobs. You’ll need to know this when the instructions on the package refer to what temperature to set the hob.
Paper towels are called kitchen roll and toilet paper is toilet roll. Sausage rolls are something completely different and they are yummy.
When I changed the location on my laptop, it started autocorrecting my spelling to UK English spelling and I’m grateful because I’ve been spelling things the US way for many decades now and although I am an intelligent woman with an advanced degree, I’m not sure the spelling brain cells I have can be reprogrammed as this stage of the game …
Keep lovin’ louder than the hate, Y’all and stay tuned for more to come …
