In honour of my 4 week anniversary of being arrived here in London (!), I submit the following list of things that I've noticed are different here in this great city.
1) Plumbing - European cleanliness as a whole sits at a way different level than Canadian or American standards. Back home, (and I do realize there are plenty of people in Canada and MANY other countries who do not enjoy the benefits of dependable plumbing, but to generalize) you would traditionally find a single tap that produces clean running water that you may adjust to the temperature of your pleasing. You then rinse your hands thoroughly with soap and dry them on the paper towel or super fast air drying machines that are nearby. In London you may find two taps, one for hot water and one for cold, and struggle with trying to fling the thin stream of hot water across over to the cold water so that your hands are neither scalding nor freezing while a glob of soap (if you are lucky and in a place where they care about things like soap....don't count on it) rests in your hands. Eventually you will give up on this and be content to wash your hands in the ice cold water and then dry them on your pants as there is either no paper towel or a super old air dryer that doesn't work or maybe just nothing at all. And this is not just in shabby places either. I've been to museums, coffee shops and office buildings where the bathrooms are like this. Maybe it is because so much of the plumbing in London is so old, and I'm sure the current water shortage here doesn't help either. Maybe it is because we are in Europe where things like germs and drinking before noon are just plain not as big of a deal. Bottom line: washing your hands is different in London.
2) Street Signage - This one I noticed when I was looking for work/flats/places and wandering around London getting perpetually lost on my first few days here. We are privileged in Canada to have such clear, marked signs on our streets, which generally run either North/South or East/West and have the same name all the way along. I would often find myself walking along trying to figure out what street I was on and there would just be a huge number 50 on the side of a building....with seriously nothing else. 50 is great. I love knowing that I'm at number 50...just would it kill you to also put what street that would be? After a few weeks I'm getting better at it, and often the street signs are on the side of a wall or building or somewhere that you have to go looking for them. I'm getting lost a lot less now that I go to the same place every day for work. But don't even get me started on those roundabouts.
3) Elegant Vocabulary - I like hearing small children speak with very good diction and vocabulary. It amuses me and I find them so much more sophisticated than Canadian children. I also like the words I hear on the tube like "alight" and "mind the gap." I'm sure this will wear off soon...
4) Etiquette - I get called "Miss" here all the time. I was trying to think if we have a substitute for "Miss" in Canada, but I think we would usually just say "hey, you" instead...Also I think people are more polite here at times, what with their proper English manners and whatnot.
5) Food - I do not want to put something called Salad Cream on my salad. It is what it sounds like...and my first experience with mushy peas did not go well.
6) Slang - I used the word "bangs" three times before I realized that the person I was speaking to didn't understand what I was saying and that I ought to say "fringe" instead. They were remarking on how I cut my bangs/fringe myself...it was an adventure.
I will add to this list as time goes on and I find more things that are interesting or amusing about this fair city. So far we seem to be getting along just fine.
I attended a showing of Titanic 3D on the 100 year anniversary of its sinking this weekend. It was very intense, I remember being so terrified as a younger person that the ship actually sank and all those people died. This time I was able to appreciate the story a lot more so that was nice, and I did even shed a few tears over dear Leo. I have to say, though, if it had been me, I think I would have just stayed on that rescue boat. Seriously, Kate...
This week I am reading Jane Austen's Emma and attempting not to eat all of the Belgian chocolate I brought home from my trip in one sitting. Wish me luck!
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