Thoughts after a year in England.
A lot of the more general stuff has already been mentioned so I’m go try avoid repeating.
We live in the east midlands for context.
-Food, shopping for groceries is tough at first cause none of the brands are familiar. Online grocery shopping is our new norm because it’s just easier to browse and track what we buy.
-no masks,(thinking back now) besides a very brief period when we initially arrived masks are not a thing. Covid isn’t even a thing anymore. And that’s good. Liberating even.
-Leave days, you get a lot of days and mid year(summer) is holiday time. December not so much.
-History, you have pretty much none. Insurance was very expensive and credit score non-existent. It’s weird feeling like you have to start over. Good though, fresh slate.
-Spiders, so many spider webs. Everywhere.
-People are really nice. South Africans have a much harsher way of thinking.
-Driving is bliss, I’m always in the slow lane 10mph under the limit. Roundabouts make so much sense. You just don’t see wrecked cars on the road. Even really old cars somehow seem to have perfectly good chassis on them.
Very few people are rushing to their graves on the road. Bicycles and pedestrians have right of way for the most part and it doesn’t seem to frustrate anyone.
-Kids get a bad rep here but having interacted with a bunch of my kids’ friends I can say that they are mostly decent.
-Schools are fantastic.
-Renting sucks. There is utility in it because you get time to figure out where you want to buy but I don’t like paying rent.
-Work is great, I’ve got a good team and while the job was described as high paced, it’s not. Johazardburg pace is hard to match.
-People aren’t as formal as I’d expected them to be. First time I’ve ever gone to work in shorts and felt comfortable. Working class pride, eff off with your suit.
-No matter what you are into you can find an interest group for it. You will find your people.
-Trains are awesome. Growing up on the woes-rand I forgot how much I love a train ride.
-London is awesome. Have zero desire to live or work there but damn it’s a great place to spend the day.
-Things work.
-The postal service works so people still physically mail you documents.
-No place is crime free but I can’t actually believe what we had become used to as a norm.
-Walking is a thing, and you get into it if you thought you’d like it or not. These are the real outdoor folk. Walking in the streets or your local woods is very enjoyable. Weather smether , rain doesn’t even have you looking for cover.
-Cold, -7 is cold. First time I’ve really felt cold and now 5+ feels warm.
Overall I find the country overwhelmingly beautiful. And we haven’t even gotten further north than Leeds yet.
It’s been an incredibly busy year so I’ll have more to add at some point.
Similarly in summer, shirts not required. Seeing topless dudes in the Tesco is something. You also realise that nobody gives a damn. Pretense level zero.