Relaxing a bit...

The past two days have been mostly low key.  We've had class and been doing homework as well as hanging out and relaxing. It's been nice to not be "going going going" for a few days.  This weekend we have 4 day trips planned for 4 days, so it's going to be super busy.  We are going to Warwick Castle, Stamford, Cambridge, and...some place that is escaping me at the moment, but I'll be sure to post it later.

Last night we hit The Goose and the Infernos again.  There was a George Micheal impersonator; he was terrible, but the night was a blast.  We danced and hung out and had an amazing time.  Since I'm not old enough to get into bars in the States, its a great change of pace to really be able to "go out" with friends while I'm here.  I can't wait to turn 21 back home! :)

This morning in class we played a "British word/American word" game.  Dr. Murray gave us an American word or phrase, and we had to come up with the British version.  For example, a cookie is a biscuit, a raincoat is a macintosh, and a baby stroller is a pram.  It was super fun, and my team won!  It also made me think about all of the other things that are different over here.  I don't want to say "weird," because they're not, they are just foreign to me.  Here are some that I've noticed:

--the Accent! (of course)  And they have just as much trouble deciphering our accent as we do with theirs.

--Driving on the left side of the road.  I don't think I will ever get used to this.  It still startles me if I'm not paying attention.

--The ketchup.  It's definitely not Heinz

--Ranch dressing (the white dressing over here is a mix of Cesar and ranch, I think.  It doesn't taste bad, but it is definitely different from home)

--No ice cubes, and drinks are served at room temperature or slightly colder

--Portion size at restaurants is so much smaller.

(I just realized these are mostly food related--oops!)

--No free refills at restaurants.

--The lack of humidity.  I didn't think I would miss it until it's gone.  It's odd to have the sun shining, know it's summer, but not be hot and sticky!

--American DVDs do not work on UK DVD players

--Stoplights.  The yellow light flashes before green light.

--Air conditioning is not common, at least in the castle.  I don't think anywhere in the Manor is air conditioned.  Good thing there's no humidity! :)

--People read EVERYWHERE.  In London on the Tube, everyone was reading a newspaper, a book, or a magazine.

--There are a lot of flags.  There were probably over 300 in London alone.  There are hardly as many flying in the US anymore.

--The clothes sizes are a lot smaller.  They are approximately 1-2 sizes smaller; for example, an American size 10 is a UK size 12 or 14, depending on the store.

--People walk a lot more.  In Edinburgh and London, there were hundreds of people walking everywhere.  There were cars too, but not nearly as many as in the States.

--Speaking of cars, there are few to no trucks or SUVs.  I've seen one truck in Grantham, and it belongs to the University.  I saw only one or two small-ish SUVs in Edinburgh.

--The public transportation ROCKS.  Trains throughout the UK make traveling England so much easier, and the Tube in London is very simple to navigate (once you understand the color coding and the symbols).

This is a very short list; I know there are many more things that I've noticed, but I can't remember them right now.  I'll make a written list and post updates on here as time goes on.