What I miss (and don’t miss)

Moving to a new country for me has been challenging in the best ways, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get homesick! A lot of times I find myself comparing my life in London to the one I had in America. Even though we speak the same language, there’s times when I feel like we’re from different planets. Here is a little list of things that I find myself really missing, and also a couple that I’m so glad to be away from.

1. Sugary Drinks

This is the first one that comes to mind because I think I might be going through sugar withdrawals. Here is a little background info- in 2018 the UK introduced a sugar tax as part of their childhood obesity strategy, and to try and reduce sugar consumption. From what I understand soft drink makers could either put less sugar in their drinks, or make them more expensive for consumers. It sounds all well and good but die hard sugar consumers like myself know that zero sugar Sprite just doesn’t taste the same. I always find myself wishing for a soda with a LOT more sugar than the ones here.

2. My Family (and Friends)

Pretty obvious. I miss my mom!!! I didn’t realize how comforting it is to see a familiar face after a stressful day at school or at work. I totally took it for granted when I was surrounded by family and friends all the time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely an extrovert and love meeting new people and making new friends, but when everyone is a new person and you never get that little comfort of seeing your family and closest friends, it can be so exhausting.

3. Good Ole American English

I didn’t realize that there might be a language barrier. We’re all speaking English, but about 20% of the time I really can’t understand what people are saying. The slang is so different, and the accent is great, but can be difficult to decode if you’re not used to it. Don’t even get me started on school. They spell words differently and the grammar rules just don’t make sense. No one uses the oxford comma, which is especially confusing to me because Oxford is in the UK, didn’t they like invent that? I’ve gotten really used to just smiling and nodding when I don’t understand something, and sometimes it’s not something that I should be smiling about.

4. Cooking in My Own Kitchen

Trying to follow a recipe that I remember in cups and is the worst when all I have is a kitchen scale that measures in grams and measuring cups that only say the milliliters. The measurements aren’t the only thing, they just do stuff differently here. I need to get used to things that seem a little weird to me, like boiling the water in the kettle before you put it on the stove to cook your spaghetti. It’s all little things that come together to make me feel really American whenever I’m cooking in front of other people here. Also instead of french toast, they call it “eggy bread”. And no maple syrup!?

5. Nice weather

It rains all the time. Like, so much.

6. Island Time

London is a huge city, and everyone always seems to be moving so fast. Living in Florida for 9 months made me get used going a bit slower, and walking on the street next to real Londoners makes me feel like a tortoise. If you take an extra 2 seconds trying to tap your oyster card on the underground, people act like you’ve just ruined their whole day. This one is kind of a double edged sword because even though it stresses me out sometimes, I love how fast paced the city is. It just takes a little bit of getting used to.

Okay I really hope I didn’t sound whiny with all those complaints. I really do LOVE London. I am so grateful to be able to study here, and every single day I feel like I’m learning something new. I can’t stress enough what an insane learning experience it is for me. Moving on from the things that I really miss, let’s get on with the things that I don’t miss at all!

1. Driving

London public transport is AMAZING, and don’t let anyone tell you different. If I’m stuck in West London at 3 AM on a Saturday night I can always find an okay route home on the bus or train. As much as I enjoyed driving, it is so nice to have downtime while I travel. I can always pull out a book and zone out when I’m taking the train to school, and I really love having that little bit of time to do my own thing. Taking the train or bus makes sure that I get a little bit of walking in, which back home I never did, so I feel a little bit healthier as well. And who can argue with not spending money on gas?!

2. Guns

I wont go too in depth on this one, but it’s pretty fucking cool that they don’t have guns here.

3. Small Towns

Small towns are awesome and everything, but I think I’m city girl at heart. There’s something about being in a huge city that puts you in your place in the best way. I’m always stuck between feeling really small, and also feeling important and cosmopolitan just because I live here. There’s always something to do or someone to see, so I spend so much less time at home doing nothing.

4. Feeling like a Child

If you think about it, it’s really strange that in American when you’re 18 you can go fight in a war, but you can’t have a glass of wine. Drinking could be it’s own section on this list, but I think it’s really interesting how it evens the playing field between generations. I always feel a little bit more adult here because I’m allowed to have some alcohol.

5. America in General

You guys know the deal. American politics, food, and people, honestly everything American, is a lot. I love learning about a new country where so many things are different, in good and bad ways. British politics right now are about as much of a mess as American politics, but it is so interesting to be learning about it and experiencing it. Brexit is a mess, yet I’m so fascinated by how British people talk about it and are dealing with it. There’s so much to learn.

6. Being Comfortable

Like I said before, I am so grateful just to be here. I’m so proud of myself for just doing the damn thing. It’s not easy, but every time I do something even though I’m uncomfortable or stressed I feel like I’m stronger, and a more self sufficient person. And I do stuff like that every day! Going to school and making new friends, or starting a new job, or even taking a new bus route to school can all be kind of stressful for me, but I that’s why I feel like I’m growing so much.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for my first post. Thanks for tuning in and I hope you guys enjoyed!