pre-posting
Knowing I'll be away, I've pre-written 2 weeks worth of posts . . . hope that's okay with everyone (this post will stay on top while I'm gone so you will know to keep searching through the month of November archieves (click on Nov on the right side bar) so you don't miss any of the exciting differences between the UK & US or my sorry attempt at poetry.
Labels: NaBloPoMo
Telly UK Style
In the US you have to pay for cable & rarely use just the aerial or bunny ears as I called them growing up. Whilst here in the UK you can get the 5 terrestrial channels with bunny ears & to get any more than that you must hire a cable company such as SkyTV or Virgin Media. ALSO every different from the US, you must have a TV licence if you own a telly! There is a massive fine of £2000 (yes that's $4000) should you be found without one. The licence is only about £170/year. It enables BBC1 to have no commercials, which is kinda nice.
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Fridge/freezer UK Style
Over here in the UK the primarily the fridge is on the top whilst the freezer is on the bottom & MUCH smaller than in the US. Many houses have a fridge freezer unit that fits under their counter tops in which case the freezer unit is inside the fridge. Many over here in the UK are also not frost-free, so you have to defrost it at least once a year causing a massive flood in your kitchen, if you're not super careful about it.
Due to the much smaller size of fridge/freezer storage we tend to shop more often & don't buy in bulk often, unless it's non-perishable items.
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Taps UK Style
In the bathroom & even some bath tubs there are
separate hot & cold taps (faucets) in MOST sinks here in the UK, while most of the time in the US it's one tap with two handles, which I must say I rather enjoy b/c here you either get cold water or burning your hands hot water.
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Post UK Style
In the UK, all letters & cards being mailed abroad must be individually weighed, until in the US where you can just buy an international letter stamp for certain regions, here I have to go to the post for every flippin letter I mail.
Other big difference is within the UK you can choose 1st or 2nd class stamps (I don't think you can do that in the states, but I might be wrong).
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Phones UK Style
Mobile (cell) phones in the UK all have a different prefix than land line numbers and cost more to call to. All mobile start with 077, 078, or 079, while most London land line numbers start off 020 and as you get outside of London you will find 018, 013, etc.
In the US you can't tell a mobile from a land line number at all & costs are the same . . . which I must say I like much better, though it is kinda nice to know if you're calling some one's house for mobile, but I'm not a fan of the price difference over here!
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
for Rifkin Alexander
Size of a walnut, emotions open and shut
We talked and we walked
So hard to decide, with goings on inside
Limited by time,
decisions all mine
Hours past dawn, you were gone
Maybe I'm rotten, but you're not forgotten
Labels: NaBloPoMo, poem
prepping to leave part deux
I'm all jabbed up (vaccinated) . . . luck for me the vaccines are good for life (after I get a booster in a year).
Also this morning I did:
1. exchanged £100 for 6000.00 thai baaht
2. exchanged £100 for US$200
3. mailed a parcel to Matt & John (which Jim got them back in August & I just never mailed)
4. made 3 copies of my passport front page, UK visa, and Vietnam visa
5. got 2 sets of keys made for my flat
6. bought sponges for the kitchen at work - to clean our tea mugs with
7. bought 2 new pillows
8. bought a new duvet cover and fitted sheet (always good to have 1 spare)
9. bought 2 light bulbs for the lamp I got at IKEA this past weekend (I forgot at the time bulbs weren't included)
10. got my Hep A vaccine + typhoid (combine jab) in my right upper deltoid
11. got my polio/diphtheria/tetanus (combine jab) in my left upper deltoid
12. got anti-malaria tablets (cost of £90, but essential!!!)
13. got anti-diarrhoeal "kit" (not spelling difference to US)
14. got bug spray with 50% DEET - not just against malaria but all the other not so nice illnesses the mosquitoes carry in the areas I'm going to
all of which was done probably within a 3 mile radius, most of the buying was on Kentish Town Road (where I use to live) and the jabs were all in Belsize Park (2 stops north of Camden Town but on the other branch (so equally north of Camden as I am in Tufnell Park), if that makes any sense?!?!?!
All of the above was done by noon, now that I'm at work I've gotten my poster printed & they have a "messed up" copy which I'm allowed to keep & will bring home at Christmas for everyone to enjoy & marvel over (since I know you're all dying to see it!!!!)
Labels: differences in the UK, holidays, jabs, NaBloPoMo, travel
Haiku 4
how does one begin
it is not your decision
troubles all around
Labels: haiku, NaBloPoMo
Random differences
- In the UK most shoppers bag their own groceries while in the USA most do not
- American television is much more "censored" and conservative than in the UK (not uncommon to see naked boobs on prime time telly.
- American beds are made using sheets & blankets with a bedspread/comforter. Over here it is a bottom sheet and then covered with a "duvet" (pronounced doo-vay) which is similar to a comforter but has a removable cover which can be washed since there is no top sheet.
- Apparently the light switches are different as well, the down position is off in America, while down is on in the UK
- And lastly another tid bit of random differences to add to your knowledge bank is that toilet flush handles are (in most cases) also on the opposite side (I think in the UK it's on the right side)
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Haiku 3
new life beginnings
what not to love about it
gone in an instant
Labels: haiku, NaBloPoMo
different expressions 3
The word "rubber" has two totally different meanings depending on which side of the pond you happen to be on.
Over here in the UK a rubber means an eraser
In the USofA it refers to a condom
Imagine the poor English blog sitting in an American college class who lean over to an American student and ask to borrow their rubber.
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Spelling UK Style
First there is the issue of "our" vs "or" like in colour and color.
Next there is the issue of "
ise" vs "
ize" like in realise and realize.
Another one is the issue of "re" vs "er" like in theatre and theater.
And there is the issue of double lettering like in travelling and traveling.
The issue of "
ae" vs "a" is another difference like in paediatric and pediatric.
And then there are a bunch of randoms where I can't figure out the logic behind the differences, like tyre and tire, pyjamas and pajamas, kerb and curb, mould and mold, programme and program, grey and gray (which I can never keep straight which country spells it which way!)
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Pronunciation UK Style
Brits tent to pronounce their t's, while Americans have a habit of either drop their t's or replace them with a "d" sound, like in mountain being said, moun'in or letter being said as ledder.
Another difference I see is that American do not pronounce the "g" in many words ending "ing". I find myself saying runnin instead of running and so on . . .
One that has taken awhile to get use to when listening to Londoners speak is their tendency to drop their r's at the end of words. The word generator would be said, gena-ray-ah and the word meter would be mee-ah.
The letter "i" is also pronounced differently like in "anti", I would say an-TYE, while Jim would say, an-TEE. For vitamin, I'd say, vye-tamin, while he'd say, vuht-amin.
A few other ones which I giggle about sometimes are schedule, where I'd say sked-jule and he's day, shed-jill. with the word pedophile, I'd say peh-dofile and he'd say, pee-diofile.
And lastly is hearing Jim say "I should think that you will like this." Whereas I probably would have said: "I would think that you would like this".
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Working UK Style
In most of the UK annual holiday (vacation) is 4-5 weeks and goes up with time, while most of you already know the US vacation scheme is nothing like that. Public holiday are a bit different (or so I'm told as this still confuses me a bit). According to the US, which public holiday is given as a paid holiday is largely determined by the employer (apparently some only give 5 days, but the federal ones are New years day, Martin L King's Birthday, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labour Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas) In the UK all public holidays are given as paid, but a reasonable average is 8 public holidays a year (New years day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May bank holiday, Spring Bank holiday, Summer Bank holiday, Christmas, Boxing day (26th Dec))
Over here companies contribute 100% and more of what the employee pays for pension plans, while in the US it's rather variable & according to stats I've seen the average is 5-15% contributions from the company.
Salaries are a bit different as well with the USA normally getting paid every two weeks, while over here in the UK most workers are paid monthly. Another minor detail is that I'm use to the US term of a salary increase in the USA being called a pay "raise", while in the UK it's apparently called getting a "rise".
And this last part is according to what I've been told, but in the UK employees can only be "fired" for provable dishonesty. Being let go for bad work/inefficiency has to be supported by a lots of verbal and several written warnings (all relating to a similar offences in a specific time period). AND, the kicker is that even then this can be overturned with the help of a labor attorney (if changed you can get back pay and even return to work).
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo, work
different expressions 2
Yet another example is the slang word "fag".
It's an expression I hear a lot living in London. Course I learned quickly, a fag is slang for a cigarette. In the USA the same word is slang for a gay man!
Imagine my shock the first time someone asked me, "hey can I bum a fag?" (meaning can I have a cigarette)
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
Haiku 2
doomed by pure passion
month was long and tiring
finished all so fast
Labels: haiku, NaBloPoMo
different expressions 1
"knock up"
To all
Americans get a girl pregnant is to knock her up.
To all Brits it means knocking on
some one's door.
Imagine this . . . An American man shows up in a London hotel lobby to meet a female friend for breakfast. He asks at reception if Miss. Smith has come down for breakfast yet. To which the man behind the counter
replies: "No, but I did knock her up this morning!" Can you imagine the scene this could cause . . .
Labels: differences in the UK, NaBloPoMo
my holiday is just a week away!!
So for those of you who care, my holiday in Asia is just round the corner, it starts on on 25 November (after a work conference in Khon Kaen, Thailand) . . . don't worry I've got all my VISAs sorted, got the appt at the
free travel clinic on Thursday morning for a few jabs (aka vaccinations - typhoid & something else I've already forgotten - luckily I've 2 arms) and my anti-malarial tablets (which are required for Laos!!!!!)
Now I know the part about jabs didn't make you jealous, but maybe this next part will . . .
Days 1-2 BangkokA longtail ride along the city's khlongs reveals why Bangkok was once known as the Venice of the East. Check out the enormous reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. There is free time to experience a relaxing Thai massage or take a ride in a tuk-tuk.
Day 3 Chiang Mai
Enjoy an aerial view of Chiang Mai from the mountain temple Doi Suthep. Make like a local and slurp down a bowl of kao soi noodles at the night bazaar.
Day 4 Chiang KhongTravel through rural Thailand to the border town of Chiang Khong. Mingle with Mien and White H'mong villagers while taking in spectacular views of the Mekong.
Day 5 Pak Beng/Mekong River
Take a slow boat down the Mekong, soaking up the laid-back river lifestyle of the Lao. Stay overnight in tranquil Pak Beng and see the hundred of Buddhas carved into the limestone cliffs at Pak Ou Caves.
Days 6-8 Luang PrabangSoak up the quaint colonial atmosphere in Luang Prabang, packed with temples galore. Delve into local history at the Traditional Arts Museum and swim in the turquoise waters of nearby Kuang Si Falls.
Days 9-11 Vang Vieng/VientianeCall in at the backpacker hangout of Vang Vieng to admire the stunning limestone karst scenery or wander through the local market. Explore laid-back Vientiane and head to the riverbank to savour a Mekong sunset with a cold Beerlao in hand.
Day 12 Lak SaoRevel in a striking montage of mountain, forest and karst scenery en route to Lak Sao.
Days 13-15 HanoiBrowse the Old Quarter for traditional artefacts, take in a water puppet performance and enjoy a final farewell meal.
Labels: jabs, NaBloPoMo, travel
Virtual Tour . . . sorta
my desk
shani sitting on the floor of my new flat, before I had any furniture, eating our £3.95 indian take-away, which is just next door & fab as well!
putting the dresser together
the nightside table slowly assembling (you can see the matress is still on the floor at this point)
wardrobe finished - YEAH!
bed assembly (VERY SLOW process)
kitchen
bath
bed fully assembled & in possition (opposite from the windown below)
view straight ahead while in bed
view completely left from bed
Understand these photos are a mix from my phone & camera all from about 2-3 weeks ago, so it does look a bit different now, but you get the idea . . . I hope
Labels: flats, NaBloPoMo, photos
my desk
shani sitting on the floor of my new flat, before I had any furniture, eating our £3.95 indian take-away, which is just next door & fab as well!
putting the dresser together
the nightside table slowly assembling (you can see the matress is still on the floor at this point)
bed assembly (VERY SLOW process)
kitchen
bath
bed fully assembled & in possition (opposite from the windown below)
view straight ahead while in bed
