I've been in the UK for a little over a week now. I'm not sure why I waited this long to put a post up here.
It's been a bit of a tough week. I've felt overwhelmed. I didn't think I'd have such a hard time with everything, but I have. There's just so much that's different. And mainly it's the little things that have gotten to me over the week:
- Still getting used to the money; I'm not sure what expensive is anymore, and I'm still getting used to the change. I'm trying not to constantly convert pounds to dollars in my head.
- I haven't found brown sugar yet. "Brown sugar" here is the stuff like Sugar in the Raw in the States; it's unrefined natural sugar. Michael thinks US brown sugar IS available here, though, so we'll check when we make a trip into town (Milton Keynes) sometime.
- The roads are smaller, and the buildings (for the most part) are all butted up against each other, which in comparison to sprawling San Diego can feel a bit claustrophobic at times.
- This may be a bit odd, but it's a little disconcerting to not be surrounded by Hispanic people and a constant flurry of Spanish after being in the thick of it for a good chunk of my life.
There are a few more things, but really they'll all just take getting used to. I do love it here, despite my whinging and homesickness.
Michael and I did have a couple of fun nights out last week. Thursday was a games night, and I played a lot of board games I'd never played before. It reminded me a bit of when Greg (a roommate from years past) was a game reviewer and roped all the housemates into playing random games.
Friday was a twofer. We first headed into town to see The Rocky Horror Show with a few of his friends. I'd never seen the stage show before, and it was excellent. Steve Pemberton of League of Gentlemen fame was fabulous as the narrator. After the show, we headed back home to Newport Pagnell to meet a bunch of Michael's coworkers in the pub. Well, two pubs. The first one closed after our first drink because the till was broken. It was a lot of fun.
On Saturday I got to experience X-Factor live for the first time. I was never a habitual viewer of American Idol back home, but it's kind of fascinating how X-Factor is such a nationwide phenomenon over here. But then again, there seems to be a bit of a pop obsession over here, more so than in the States. That said, I'm hooked and am looking forward to the show next weekend.
My plan this week is to get out of the flat more, and go on more walks. I'd also like to take some pictures of Newport Pagnell and post them up here.
But for now, there are a few more dishes waiting to be washed. So I'm off for now!
