What else is wrong with the U.K.
They don't have 8.5 x 11 paper. Doesn't exist. Consequently, all handouts, syllibi and other random sheets of paper I've received have had to be folded before going into my folder, which is really annoying when you're sifting through your papers trying to find one of the 40 release forms and emergency contact information sheets I've had to fill out. I mean, can't the U.S. impose their will and force all foreign countries to abide by our sheet paper regulations? Why is no one else talking about this? Do they have #2 pencils? Or do I have to convert that too? For those of you keeping tabs on the exchange rate, that would be about a #1.15 pencil in London. I'm actually getting way more enraged over this issue than I thought I was when I started typing.
They measure liquids by millilitres and litres over here, we all knew that. And on maps, the map scale will usually be shown in increments of 500 meters or a kilometer. Yet, on the highways, distances listed on signs are miles. I'm fairly certain of this at least, because I timed the trips, and there's no way it took us an hour and 45 minutes to go 45 kilometers. This is ultra confusing to me. I've completely given up on trying to decide whether 73 pence for a 500 mL bottle of Diet Coke is a good deal. I'm pretty sure it isn't.
While we're talking Diet Coke, let's talk about the huge difference between brand name and generic item prices here. As a rule, 2 litre bottles of brand name soda are 1 pound, 32 pence (about 2 bucks). I bought a bottle of Sainsbury's Diet Soda today, the equivalent of Our Family or--I don't even think Cub or Rainbow has their own soda--I've already forgotten the generic brands--anyway, I bought a 2 litre of Sainsbury's Diet Soda for 18 pence. (35 cents or so). You could buy 7 bottles of generic soda for the price of one Diet Coke. Needless to say, my cupboard is full of Sainsbury's. Not only are the generic prices cheap, but they have different levels of generic. Let's take soup, for example. A can of Sainsbury's extra chunky vegetable soup is 52 pence. Or you can go with Sainsbury's regular vegatable soup for 38 pence. Or you can put on your super generic pants and buy a can of Sainsbury's Basics vegetable soup--with a plain white label--for 19 pence. Take a guess at what I'm buying. These things need to be talked about--they should be in every travel book. Everybody knows the Tower of London is here, we've all seen pictures of Buckingham Palace, but did you know there were three tiers of generic soup?
There are a couple things I like about London. Everybody drinks everything and everywhere. On the bus, walking down the street, in Harrad's, on the Tube, in the shower (B.I.T.S.), it's terrific. And you can buy a 3 litre bottle of cider (7% alcohol, might I add) for less than 3 pounds. And the beer is so much smoother. I really haven't had one that I disliked. The chuggability factor goes up exponentially here. The "I Bet You Can't Mug" seems fairly pedestrian now.
People here are my size. I really do not feel short here. My pants feel a little loose, but everyone knows I'm American anyway. Actually, one really refreshing thing about classes here, and mostly this has to do with my professors, but there were no "Let's go around the room" introductions, or "Here's a 3x5 notecard, write 3 facts about yourself, 2 of which are true and 1 that's false and we'll all guess!" routines. No get to know each other games. I would guess that 2/3 of my classes began like that. I began coming up with the most ridiculous "facts" about myself just to keep myself interested. Such as:
"In 7th grade, I mistook an owl pellet for a burned mini corn dog and took a bite, only realizing it wasn't one when I felt the vole bones crunch."
"I was in a raggae band in high school called ""An Appreciation of Our Tokin'" and we opened for Jimmy Cliff's son's band in South Dakota during the Sturgis rally."
or "I've been dumped because I was too nice and once got dumped due to her suffering relationship with God."
No, wait. That actually happened to Conor. But you get the idea, those games are tired. Well they don't bother with them here! I'm especially excited tonight, however, because I get to watch Monday Night Football (Well here it's Tuesday Morning Football) live in my flat! I've got the Sainsbury's Diet Cola on hand.
They measure liquids by millilitres and litres over here, we all knew that. And on maps, the map scale will usually be shown in increments of 500 meters or a kilometer. Yet, on the highways, distances listed on signs are miles. I'm fairly certain of this at least, because I timed the trips, and there's no way it took us an hour and 45 minutes to go 45 kilometers. This is ultra confusing to me. I've completely given up on trying to decide whether 73 pence for a 500 mL bottle of Diet Coke is a good deal. I'm pretty sure it isn't.
While we're talking Diet Coke, let's talk about the huge difference between brand name and generic item prices here. As a rule, 2 litre bottles of brand name soda are 1 pound, 32 pence (about 2 bucks). I bought a bottle of Sainsbury's Diet Soda today, the equivalent of Our Family or--I don't even think Cub or Rainbow has their own soda--I've already forgotten the generic brands--anyway, I bought a 2 litre of Sainsbury's Diet Soda for 18 pence. (35 cents or so). You could buy 7 bottles of generic soda for the price of one Diet Coke. Needless to say, my cupboard is full of Sainsbury's. Not only are the generic prices cheap, but they have different levels of generic. Let's take soup, for example. A can of Sainsbury's extra chunky vegetable soup is 52 pence. Or you can go with Sainsbury's regular vegatable soup for 38 pence. Or you can put on your super generic pants and buy a can of Sainsbury's Basics vegetable soup--with a plain white label--for 19 pence. Take a guess at what I'm buying. These things need to be talked about--they should be in every travel book. Everybody knows the Tower of London is here, we've all seen pictures of Buckingham Palace, but did you know there were three tiers of generic soup?
There are a couple things I like about London. Everybody drinks everything and everywhere. On the bus, walking down the street, in Harrad's, on the Tube, in the shower (B.I.T.S.), it's terrific. And you can buy a 3 litre bottle of cider (7% alcohol, might I add) for less than 3 pounds. And the beer is so much smoother. I really haven't had one that I disliked. The chuggability factor goes up exponentially here. The "I Bet You Can't Mug" seems fairly pedestrian now.
People here are my size. I really do not feel short here. My pants feel a little loose, but everyone knows I'm American anyway. Actually, one really refreshing thing about classes here, and mostly this has to do with my professors, but there were no "Let's go around the room" introductions, or "Here's a 3x5 notecard, write 3 facts about yourself, 2 of which are true and 1 that's false and we'll all guess!" routines. No get to know each other games. I would guess that 2/3 of my classes began like that. I began coming up with the most ridiculous "facts" about myself just to keep myself interested. Such as:
"In 7th grade, I mistook an owl pellet for a burned mini corn dog and took a bite, only realizing it wasn't one when I felt the vole bones crunch."
"I was in a raggae band in high school called ""An Appreciation of Our Tokin'" and we opened for Jimmy Cliff's son's band in South Dakota during the Sturgis rally."
or "I've been dumped because I was too nice and once got dumped due to her suffering relationship with God."
No, wait. That actually happened to Conor. But you get the idea, those games are tired. Well they don't bother with them here! I'm especially excited tonight, however, because I get to watch Monday Night Football (Well here it's Tuesday Morning Football) live in my flat! I've got the Sainsbury's Diet Cola on hand.
posted by Kristie at 12:02 AM
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