Hi blog readers, it has been a while, no? In my defense, I've been in the UK for the past 2 weeks, so, getting over jet lag, developing an addiction to Celebrity Big Brother, and walking all over the Northeastern coast, I've been busy. I would, however, like to take this opportunity to share my trip so far...
As my vacation dwindles to an end, I'm reminded of the things I loved about living in England, and the things I forgot about missing the last time I was away from the states. So in no particular order, here goes:
1. Being able to hop on a busy or train and get just about anywhere in the country in a reasonable time frame. I love it. Albeit, the prices are much more than they were in 2006-2007, but the feasibility hasn't changed. In Atlanta, I have to wait years for MARTA to get me from point A to point B and still, it takes years and many trips through varies hopes to get around Atlanta, let alone the USA....
2. Meat pies. I so missed a delicious Gregg's meat pie that cost 55p or something and taste like heaven. I forgot how great it was to eat cheap.
3. The weather was absolutely amazing!!! I'm sure it's not said enough, but I'd opt for windy, rainy, chilly skies over humid heat any day. I didn't nearly die from a heat stroke not once while I've been here, lol.
4.The beautiful mix of old and new...I love the buildings and the hillside scenic view that Weardale has to offer visitors. It's absolutely gorgeous and something I wish we had more of in the states. Unfortunately the part of the States I live in has tons of rundown places that were thrown up sometime after the Civil War (gotta love a shotgun house, eh?) and was built more for practical temporary living than monuments to the past...although, a trip to Savannah may offer me a glimpse of Georgian style stone buildings built circa 1800 something.....
5. What I do miss about the USA is the ability to be blunt and not risk offending anyone...or was that just me. The British have a weird concept of ignoring the elephant in a room. I realized how problematic this could be staying with my friend...with anything, it's hard being around the same person for an extended period of time, however, I think I offended her when she made this vegetable soup and I sounded less than enthusiastic about our vegetarian fare. I thought I did a superb job of mentioning how I don't care much for vegetarian meals, but admitting that it looked tasty and a good idea for lunch, to be fair, she did put a lot of work into it and it was homemade soup...but best laid plans being what they are, maybe I came off as ungrateful.
In the end, I did/am enjoying myself. My host family have been absolutely lovely and have gone above and beyond to make me feel welcomed. I couldn't ask for a better family to stay with. They've more than put up with my American ways, the one's I've pretended not to have, yet they still tend to come out when I've let my guard down, and they've treated me like one of their own. I hope I can return the favor one day in the future and yeah...I've got a golden ticket...(inside joke concerning a trip to Stanhope and a Wonka Bar).
Lady A
As my vacation dwindles to an end, I'm reminded of the things I loved about living in England, and the things I forgot about missing the last time I was away from the states. So in no particular order, here goes:
1. Being able to hop on a busy or train and get just about anywhere in the country in a reasonable time frame. I love it. Albeit, the prices are much more than they were in 2006-2007, but the feasibility hasn't changed. In Atlanta, I have to wait years for MARTA to get me from point A to point B and still, it takes years and many trips through varies hopes to get around Atlanta, let alone the USA....
2. Meat pies. I so missed a delicious Gregg's meat pie that cost 55p or something and taste like heaven. I forgot how great it was to eat cheap.
3. The weather was absolutely amazing!!! I'm sure it's not said enough, but I'd opt for windy, rainy, chilly skies over humid heat any day. I didn't nearly die from a heat stroke not once while I've been here, lol.
4.The beautiful mix of old and new...I love the buildings and the hillside scenic view that Weardale has to offer visitors. It's absolutely gorgeous and something I wish we had more of in the states. Unfortunately the part of the States I live in has tons of rundown places that were thrown up sometime after the Civil War (gotta love a shotgun house, eh?) and was built more for practical temporary living than monuments to the past...although, a trip to Savannah may offer me a glimpse of Georgian style stone buildings built circa 1800 something.....
5. What I do miss about the USA is the ability to be blunt and not risk offending anyone...or was that just me. The British have a weird concept of ignoring the elephant in a room. I realized how problematic this could be staying with my friend...with anything, it's hard being around the same person for an extended period of time, however, I think I offended her when she made this vegetable soup and I sounded less than enthusiastic about our vegetarian fare. I thought I did a superb job of mentioning how I don't care much for vegetarian meals, but admitting that it looked tasty and a good idea for lunch, to be fair, she did put a lot of work into it and it was homemade soup...but best laid plans being what they are, maybe I came off as ungrateful.
In the end, I did/am enjoying myself. My host family have been absolutely lovely and have gone above and beyond to make me feel welcomed. I couldn't ask for a better family to stay with. They've more than put up with my American ways, the one's I've pretended not to have, yet they still tend to come out when I've let my guard down, and they've treated me like one of their own. I hope I can return the favor one day in the future and yeah...I've got a golden ticket...(inside joke concerning a trip to Stanhope and a Wonka Bar).
Lady A
Note to the wise, heels, walking, and alcohol do not mix well in any combination...
ReplyDeletewelcome back!!! I just read this post I'm slacking as you can tell
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