My Likes:
- Our house.
- The annual leave and maternity leave is great. It really is. American's are known as work-a-holics, and now I understand why.
- Nature. The greenery, the trees and flowers, the animals. Country life.
- Spring. So far I'm not the biggest fan of all the April showers, but I am so happy the weather is slowly getting warmer and all the flowers are in bloom. I adore the newborn lambs, goats, and llamas all over.
- I love how close we are to Europe. Flights are cheap and convenient, as is the Eurotunnel and ferry!
- The history. Being physically present helps me appreciate the history this country possesses, and the buildings! Many of them still have thatched roofs, lots of tudor houses with visibly crooked beams, and the cathedrals.
- I love my in-laws. I am so blessed to have them. I honestly would not be as confident, or feel as safe and secure here without them.
- It's legal to drink in public!
- The public transport isn't always wonderful, but compared to ours in the states, it's pretty damn good. Plus, most of the busses are double decker :-)
- London. I don't think I could ever get sick of London. And it's only an hour away via train/car!
- Daylight savings in spring and summer. I haven't actually experienced summertime sunsets, but from what I hear, it's still light out around 9:30-10:00pm. Win!
- Good wine and yummy cheese.
- Everyone has a garden that are typically filled with homegrown flowers, fruits and veggies. This has been an inspiration to me to start growing our own! So far we have basil, thyme, rosemary, tomatoes, strawberries, squash and spring onions growing!
- It's a new challenge for me. I was ready for a big change and a good challenge and it's been exactly that.
- Being with Peter. I probably say this way too much, but I never knew there could be someone so perfect for me! I am fascinated at how two people from two different continents can be so connected. I love starting and ending the day with him. I love watching us grow, change and progress in our relationship. Our love constantly assures me that we've made the right decision and have followed our destined path.
- Making new friends and meeting new people.
- Peter and I cook dinner every night. We rarely eat out, probably not even once a month. In San Diego, it's too easy to always eat out!
- Snow days. Especially if work is cancelled! ;-)
My dislikes:
- I am too far from home.
- Lack of SUN. San Diego officially spoiled me! For 24 years, I've been used to a warm sun, a tan, Vitamin D, the freedom to be outside anytime of the year, pretty much any time of the day. Here, it's quite the opposite!
- Certain things are really expensive. Electronics and jeans to name a few.
- Shops close too early! Like, between 5:00 and 6:00PM, and I don't even get off work until 5:00! This means that shops are insanely busy on the weekend. No. Thanks.
- Daylight savings in winter. I'm dedicating an entire paragraph to winter, so you're sure to hear about this again. It's dark when you wake up, and dark when you get off work. Sun goes down around 3:30pm. Hybernation, anyone?
- I don't necessarily dislike the food here, but I obviously can't quite satisfy my Mexican or sushi cravings. The food here is stodgy and filling and is admittedly easy to get sick of after a while. It's not as exciting to me anymore when we do go out because you can almost always guess what's on any menu, and nothing really tickles my fancy anymore.
- No hiking and no racquetball. Ask anyone what a hike is and they'll define it as a long walk. Haha. There is squash, but it just isn't the same, and it's kind of expensive.
- No toilet seat covers and you'll rarely find paper towels. Most "toilets" only have hand dryers.
- If you're looking for a plain cup of coffee, you'll likely only find an Americano (espresso). Not the best when you're after filtered coffee, it seems to be kind of rare.
- I never realized until now how much I look around for people I know. There are so many times I think I see someone I know, and then I have to remember, oh yeah, it can't be!
- When people ask me where I'm from and why I moved, the majority of replies are something along the lines of, "And you came here? I know where I would have moved!" Ugh. I know I shouldn't let that get to me, especially after the number of times I've heard it!
- Winter. Winter is pretty much non-existent where I come from, which makes it especially rough experiencing what everyone else knows as 'the most wonderful time of the year.' I can honestly say that winter has been my biggest struggle so far. From November until...now!? May!? it's grey and cold. Sometimes it's windy, sometimes it's rainy, SOMETIMES the sun peeks through. When I've talked about it with other people, some have suggested I may have S.A.D, Seasonal Affective Disorder. If you've ever thought or been told you may have a disorder, then you probably know how overwhelming and scary it sounds. It's hard to swallow that it could actually be true. I know S.A.D is fairly common, but when I think about the symptoms: Depression, sleep problems, lethargy, over eating, loss of concentration, social problems, anxiety, mood changes..and how close they are to what I was experiencing--it's actually quite scary how spot on it is! Here are a few of my winter struggles...
- No tan. I know this sounds vain, but I've always been tan, even in winter. I'm ashamed to admit, that when I looked in the mirror and saw a pale body and face, I found it hard to recognize my normal self.
- No motivation to work out. I love running and hiking and biking, but when it's cold, I have no motivation to go out in it. Peter and I even signed up to a gym, but that didn't really help as much as I hoped it would either.
- Weight gain. As stated above, over eating was one of those symptoms that I unfortunately had. I don't remember actively thinking about it, but because I missed home and couldn't handle the cold, I just allowed myself to fill up at dinner time and without working out as much as I am used to, I just naturally gained weight.
- Comfort food--another explanation for the weight gain. Soups, warm pies, pasta, hot chocolate...anything warm and filling is all you want during cold winter days.
- Since I've never seen myself so white before, I am still embarrassed to show my arms or legs at the gym. I know I shouldn't be, because if I am white, then so are others, but it's just not what I'm used to seeing!
- Mood swings. One day I was happy, the next few, I was sad. Repeat for a few months.
- Home sick. The cold weather brought me constant reminders of everyone and everything I left behind.
- Feeling drowsy, tired and unmotivated. I know you've felt it before on a gloomy day! This is almost daily and soon enough you don't know any other feeling....until the sun comes out again and you suddenly feel alive!
- This sounds really silly, but I can remember so many times I didn't want to wash my hands in a restroom because it was so cold out and you know the water is going to be cold too!!
- You can't really leave the house with wet hair. I'm so used to showering in the morning and letting my hair dry naturally--only if you want to freeze your butt off would you do this in winter!
- Our hot water takes forever to warm up in winter! Three people showering within a few hours of each other was a little risky...
- Seeing friends and family's pictures of San Diego or a sunny day on facebook. This always hit home. There's nothing quite like realizing life (and sun) still goes on with or without you.
- People vacation to the sun. In San Diego, you vacation to the snow. I'd much rather the latter, please!!
Until next time!
