4th July - a day to celebrate?

One of the funniest things I have been asked regularly since I moved here is "So do you celebrate Independence Day in England too?". Well actually no we don't make a big deal of the day you guys decided you no longer wanted to be associated with us Imperialist, snooty Brit's!

Ok so I have my tongue firmly in cheek at this point and have often been tempted to wander out in my British flag shirt on this date, but I have refrained - so far! :-)

Here are a few of my thoughts on why we should all be grateful today that you did 'go your own way'. And also a few things you might have been enjoying now had you not gained your independence.

The Pro's - or what you have that we don't:

• You have far more room here than we do!


• You guys have NASA and get to send cool rockets into space


• You are far more gungho than we are and applaud winners


• You can enjoy Dairy Queen Moolattes


• Brad Pitt! ;-)


• You can wear cowboy hats in public without people assuming you're either on a 'bridal hen night' or gay!


• You did share with us Westerns, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Rodeo's, Cowboys - oh and Elvis for good measure


• You have cheerleaders!


• We can all enjoy Hollywood blockbusters


• Walt Disney and some magical childhood memories


• Less hours of your life wasted in traffic - seriously even in the cities like NYC, it's not as bad as London


• Doris Day! :-)


• The best BBQ sauce choices


• You are far more patriotic than us


• You have some amazing scenery and natural wonders


• Cheap gas and housing - I am serious!


• You don't have WAGS (Wives And Girlfriends of Soccer players with no sense)


• Mexican food

The Con's or what you're missing out on:

• You have seriously missed out on decent sausages and bacon


• You could all be talking with a 'cool' British accent! ;-)


• Decent beer


• You could all drive 10mph faster at least - legally


• You'd have a Royal Family and all the pomp that brings


• You could be playing the 'BIG' sports the rest of the world plays like soccer and rugby, and no doubt whipping us all!


• You could be eating Asian Indian Curry


• Claiming Posh Spice as one of your own! ;-)


• The strength of the British Pound


• Fish and Chips


• Ant' & Dec' - although I hear they're coming soon :-)


• Affordable German cars and appliances


• Decent tea and make that 'hot' too!


• We did share with you Cary Grant and The Beatles though!

Actually I think we all did pretty well out of the deal and at least we came out of all the shenigans as best buddies internationally.

Happy 4th July y'all!

You know this only just sunk in!

I watched a very nice video on Youtube today made by Dabrah of Fickle Muse with her new FLIP mini videocam. (The link to it is in the comments on the makeup post)

"So what finally sunk in" I hear you asking?

Just how very different and British I sound to everyone here and why I often get a very strong reaction when I speak! You see Dabrah comes from the very same part of England that I do and so we have a similar accent and she sounds sooo posh. It was like a serious "Whoa - that's how I sound" moment!

I think now I am out at work all day, I am mixing constantly with Americans and have less time to speak to friends and family back home. So to suddenly listen to a British accent like mine, was like a light suddenly turned on in my head and now I understand why they love to hear me talk.

I'm crazy I know, but it really was very wierd after 3 years of thinking what's all the fuss about? I guess I am just becoming so integrated I don't even think I sound different anymore - well oh boy do I ever!

I'm getting a FLIP on Monday, so I'll film something next week and post it with commentary, then y'all can have a chuckle at my accent!

US thing I have always wanted to do

Ever since I fell in love with 'Grease' I have always wanted to see a movie in my car at a Drive-In movie theatre. We only ever got to see it in the movies and it seemed like such a cool thing to be able to do!

We just do not have the weather in the UK for such a thing and it has always seemed like such a fun thing to do. The Hubster thinks there is still one open in OK somewhere and we know there is not too far away in Texas. So maybe one day I will get to achieve this ambition.

Have any of you ever done this and if so, what did you think, I would love to hear firsthand experiences?

One of my least fave things about the USA!

And I truly can't really believe I am writing this about any CHOCOLATE of all things, but "good grief" Hersheys chocolate is just plain nasty!

Y'all have my sympathies having to grow up thinking this was good chocolate, unless you have ever tasted European chocolate, then you have no idea how good it can be. I bought a bag of the Hersheys Nuggets last week and could barely get one down. Today I got in from work and fancied a small chocolate 'hit' and this was all I had in, so I gave it another go. Ewww I actually spat chocolate in the trash can (truly astounding) and gave it up as a bad job!

I have found that the 'Dove' brand tastes somewhat like European chocolate. But if you really want to taste awesome chocolate then buy yourself either some Lindt (Swiss) or Green & Black's Organic - both available in your local Walmart. Otherwise any Belgian chocolate would be a good alternative or Cadburys over here isn't bad, but it's still different to the European version.

My all time fave chocolate is either 'Lindt' or the 'Galaxy' brand, which I haven't found available to buy here yet. So I have to rely on visitors from the UK bringing it for me, as mailing it doesn't do it any good!

All I can say is you are being seriously short changed as a nation in the chocolate department!

Hey you Brit's reading this...

I hear it's been bucketing down over there now for a few days and last week was like winter all over again. Oh boy do I not miss the English weather ever!

Well you ought to be in Okieland my friends, here are our temps for the past 3 days:

Monday - 107 degrees
Tuesday - 98 degrees
Today - peaked at 102 degrees an hour ago
Tomorrow - predicted 98 degrees

I am sitting in my nice air-con' cooled house with all the curtains closed against the fierce sun and heat, using the lights! LOL

This is not the time for doing what most Brit's would do in this type of weather - lotioning up, lying out in it and turning into a lobster, trust me! Still nice though as we have low humidity and a breeze.

Can someone explain to me...

why your week starts on a Sunday!? After all Sunday is the 'day of rest' according to The Bible and so surely Monday is the start of a new week, but apparently not here!?

I find this utterly bizarre considering how religion is such a huge part of everyday American life. Even after nearly 3 years I still have to occasionally do a double take at the calendar to remind myself that the first day of the calendar week is Sunday here.

Were you even aware that in Europe, the first day of the week on calendars is Monday?

Sarcasm tune up required!

An American friend sent me an email last week, that I read with some disbelief before responding along the lines of "you're not serious are you"?! A little while later she replied saying "uh no, that was sarcasm actually"!

Well once I got over the appalling shock that an American had fooled me with their irony, especially as we say in the UK that Americans don't do sarcasm. I was truly horrified that my life has changed so much I am losing a well-known trait of the British.....the ability to recognise sarcasm, or be sarcastic at the drop of a hat!

I was a 'Queen' of sarcasm back home, it was just part of my daily conversation at work, out and about and at home. Usually it wasn't used in a spiteful way but just to jest with one of my colleagues/aquaintances or keep them on their toes. And I would receive just as much as I dished out; us Brit's may be aware that sarcasm is considered the lowest form of humour, but it's still the most entertaining and a national pastime.

I would utilise it the most when dealing with statements associated with 'the bleeding obvious' as we fondly refer to it. Examples might have included "Did you get a new car" - "No I stole this one in my lunch hour, what d'ya think!?" or "Did you get your hair cut" - "No I think it just shrunk when I dried it last night" or "Did you give that report to the boss" - "Nah I shredded it instead".....oh I could go on and on endlessly battering the recipient into submission with my smart Alec remarks.

When I first got here I quickly found those same remarks would either just make the Hubster mad, or result in a blank look from some unsuspecting American. So I just quit with the sarcasm, after all part of the fun was duelling with another expert proponent of the sport and I haven't found any here yet! In my experience I have found that it's generally not used and can be viewed as very rude, so wanting to make a good impression I gave up my addiction.

So last weeks email event was like a sharp slap being administered and has made me wonder whether I will be able to keep up with my friends the next time I am home. Or are they going to view me as this once driven ambitious woman, always ready with quick wit and a smart rejoinder; who returned happier, calmer but also a totally different and quieter personality type?

Some change is good and I needed to calm down certainly. But I don't want to lose my British character traits. And so lookout, I am going to be exercising my sarcasm back into existence and am getting my radar retuned ;-)

Feel free to test my progress or challenge me to a duel in comments!

What a fun, fantastic idea....

London and New York City have been connected by a huge telescope! Now you can wave and signal to Americans on the Brooklyn Bridge from the bank of the River Thames in London.

Read all about it HERE

This is definitely something I will be doing the next time I am home

Always on time!

One of the things that has been hard to get used to here, is that everybody (with the odd rare exception) turns up for events on time, in fact they are usually a few minutes early! For a Brit' girl this has taken some getting used to and a change in approach as well.

We enjoy socialising, so have often had friends around and also held a big joint party. The first few times I was nearly always still getting ready as our guests showed up early or on time. It was most disconcerting, in the UK if you tell people 7pm then they all know you will be expecting them no earlier than 7pm and probably closer to 7:15pm or even later! In fact if it's a party most people will probably roll up about 30 minutes late at least, because nobody wants to be the first to arrive!

We once had guests show up at our house 45 mins early for a get-together and they had no choice but to sit on the sofa whilst we finished our dinner! However, I think they were as uncomfortable as we were and I doubt it will ever happen again. I mean I'm sorry but it's not like you have to leave time for traffic jams around here!

In the Hubster's opinion, as a result I have a very slack attitude towards being on time and this has been known to cause a touch of tension in our household. But I do see his point, if you show up at an event that involves eating around here, probably half the food has already been consumed by the appointed start time!

So these days I am ready on time (most of the time) and I know to possibly even expect early arrivals. But it's been quite a turnaround for this Brit' gal, when back home it would almost be considered rude to show up early or dead on time!

This still tickles me!

The first time I came here to visit the Hubster, I was most impressed by the endless number of friends he passed whilst we were out driving around!

Everywhere we went it seemed other drivers were waving to him most of the time and he'd usually wave back. I was forever asking him "who was that?". What really bemused me was sometimes he didn't have a clue, it seems out here in NW rural Okieland people just wave to each other for the heck of it! LOL

I can honestly say (and I'm pretty well travelled), this is the friendliest place I have ever lived. People are just mostly 'nice' and along with that comes a ready smile and a wave. I can't tell you how refreshing that is after coming from outer London, where you're more likely to get a fist shaken at you, or the finger, than a friendly wave!

These days I am a 'waver' too, I have learned you don't need to know them, it's just a polite acknowledgement of someone elses's existence. It's not always a big 'in yer face' whole hand wave, most of the time it's just a finger raised as you pass - in a friendly manner!

Interestingly my wave % has gone up since I put my British flag tag plate on my Pickup. I guess now they can go home and say they waved to 'a Brit' just down the road today and have some fun with it!

So is this a national thing, or do they wave where you are?

How to guarantee NO SALE!

If you're an Okie, then the picture above is probably synonimous with one thing immediately - ridiculously pushy salesmen! If you're not I am still certain you will know a furniture store just like this one where you live.

The first time we went furniture shopping, which was within a month of me immigrating, I soon found out why I will never buy anything from Mathis Brothers. As you walk through the doors the salesmen are hovering in groups ready to pounce. The first to reach you and hand you their card, then apparently takes temporary ownership of your person and wallet until you escape!

Despite the fact that you tell them you are "just browsing" and "will call" if you need help, they will then stalk your every step from a discreet but still annoyingly visible distance and will 'wander over' with an encouraging comment if you stop to look at anything for more than 20 seconds! And these are not small stores we are talking about, they are usually on 2 floors and about the size of 4 football fields. So being hunted around something that big, when they have no guarantee you'll even buy, is pretty desperate. I quite enjoy splitting up and trying to 'lose them' for a bit of sport ;-)

It really is quite unbelievable how pushy these 'commission only' salesmen are and for me it's one way to guarantee I won't buy, even if I really like something there (which is rare in that store!).

When I left the UK I had not experienced being stalked around a furniture store to quite this extent, but there were a few stores known for being a bit pushy there too. But it's a whole different ball game over here and extremely offputting for a Brit' who likes to be left alone to decide.

Being a blunt Brit' and finding it quite easy to be rude if necessary, I got to the point where as they locked on to us I would just tell them "If you stalk us I will not buy a thing in here, give me your card and if I find something I will ask for your help, now go away"....and it works! In other stores I would tell them "I hate Mathis Bros because of the stalking, so if you want me to buy anything you'd better leave me alone".....that also works as the other stores know how bad the reputation of MB is for doing this to customers.

In the end though we bought nearly all our furniture from smaller family owned stores, where there was minimal pressure and a good discount for buying a few things there.

I just find it hard to believe that they can't see themselves how offputting this is for the average customer. I mean personally a salesman's opinion is never going to make the difference as to whether I will buy a piece of furniture or not! That comes down to what I need and what I like, so all the sales chat in the world won't make something right if it's not.

Give me IKEA anyday of the week, at least there they leave you to it and you find a salesman when you're ready, and you don't end up feel like punching someone (risking arrest) or telling them to 'bog off' in no uncertain terms!

I know Americans are just as capable of making their own minds up as us Europeans? So why does everyone put up with this and not complain. Generally I find Americans much more polite than the Brit's, but sometimes Y'ALL are far too polite :-)

This was a shocker at first...

The first time I visited the Hubster, one of the things I found most surprising was the widespread national advertising for prescription drugs. In the UK the manufacturers are not allowed to advertise prescription only drugs to the general public.

Over here they are regularly featured in TV adverts and every magazine you open is full of drug adverts. The drugs that are advertised seem to cover just about every possible medical problem and include: restless legs, heartburn, dry eyes, weight loss, high cholesterol, blood clots, overactive bladder, herpes, migraines, prostate issues and erectile disfunction (Viagra). If you're a Brit' reading this, yes you read that last one right, I was in disbelief at first too! They seem to have coined a whole new acceptable phrase here for what we call the inability ' to get it up' - Erectile Dysfunction.

But in all seriousness, some of these conditions I don't even consider serious enough to warrant a prescription drug. I had restless legs for many years and would never have expected my Dr to prescribe a drug to treat them!

All the adverts are filmed and presented very tastefully, although I have to say I do find the group of middle-aged men busking together and singing "Viva Viagra" ever so slightly disconcerting!

But what I find more bizarre is that due to advertising laws all these encouraging Ads end with a long spoken list of the possible side affects, admittedly read pretty fast, but still pretty scary. So an Ad will start off with a very 'Hollywood' happy presentation of how this wonder drug can change your life for the better, and end with the fact it could give you some very nasty named side-affects or even kill you "in rare cases". It seems to me you'd often be better off with the original condition than some of the far nastier side affects! They will then advise you to consult with your Dr as to whether it might be suitable for your condition.

I can just imagine how this would go over in the UK, where most Dr's are employed by the NHS and trying to avoid prescribing the new high cost drugs! I can also imagine the reaction if all their patients were coming in suggesting they might need a particular drug, because they had seen a TV advert for it!

No wonder the drug companies here have such control over the medical profession and the costs involved. With a thyroid disease I have certainly noticed the ridiculous cost of prescription drugs and no wonder, with all this high cost advertising going on.

In the UK there is a flat rate prescription charge that you pay for your drugs which is approximately $13.50. In Wales they recently voted to scrap the prescription charge altogether, and pregnant woman, children or over 60's also get free prescription drugs throughout the UK. This is funded by the National Health Service Medicines Budget.

Not long after I got here I had a bout of Athletes Foot and was given a presciption for a Lamisil one dose pill to clear it up. The cost of just that one pill was $220, as I wasn't covered by insurance I turned it down and bought a tube of the cream instead for $12!!

As I have said before here, I am not about to get into the medical system over here, but my personal opinion is it may give good care but the costs are totally out of control. A major reason for this from what I hear from Americans, is due to the government having little or no control over these all powerful drug companies. Maybe the first step needs to be a ban on all advertising of their products to the general public.

I have to say I still wouldn't dream of walking into my Dr and asking for a particular drug. But I would be interested to know whether the Americans reading this would?

Bugs and Snakes Okie Style...

I will freely admit I have always been of a nervous disposition where bugs are concerned, but now I actually have reason to be! It’s like the bugs here are all on steroids, they are so much bigger than the ones in the UK it’s not funny.

The yellow-jackets as they are known here, or wasps in the UK, are at least 3 times the size of their Brit’ counterparts. But we also have bugs I am not used to dealing with on a daily basis like huge Crickets, Grasshoppers 2 inches long, June bugs, Roly-Poly’s, Locusts that turn their distinctive sound on and off as if someone had flicked a switch.

Then there are the incredibly cool Lightening Bugs; these appear on summer evenings and have a phosphorous tail that glows on/off in the dark. You can catch them in a jar and watch them light up. We have loads of mosquito’s in the summer, so much so, we have invested in a special machine that attracts them, sucks them in and then dehydrates them.

The first summer here I was bitten alive by Chiggers, you can’t even see them but they live in grass and bite, leaving you with incredibly itchy legs for days. The most effective way to kill them is to paint the bites with clear nail polish and it will suffocate and kill them, stopping the itch. Yes, you understood that right; they lay an egg under your skin and it hatches there!!

I have always suffered with Arachnophobia and so living in a state with poisonous Black Widows, the Brown Recluse whose bite causes necrosis of the skin (and you see them alot) and finally HUGE Tarantulas' you can see crossing roads 200ft away, is my worst nightmare! Luckily so far I have avoided any of Tarantulas', but have already warned the Hubster I will probably wreck the Pickup when I do.

The first summer I was here, the Hubster got used to regular screeches as huge bugs discovered me on a daily basis! I am pleased to say I am now acclimatising better.

I am not however getting used to seeing snakes out and about, as in the UK the only snakes you see outside a zoo and very rarely, are small Garter, Grass or Adders (the only native poisonous snake in the UK). The native snakes in Oklahoma are Rattlesnakes, Bull Snakes (that do a great Rattler impersonation but are harmless), Copperheads, Racers (who will play a version of chicken with you!), Water Mocassins, Garters and Grass-snakes.

So far I have only had a very close encounter at home with a long but skinny Garter snake in our garage, but it was enough to have me screaming “SNAKE” down the phone to the Hubster. He raced home, unsure what to expect and dealt with it for me whilst demeaning it's size, by chopping its head off – EWWW!

Then one day last summer I was crossing a friend’s drive when an approx’ 3ft Bull Snake shot across the path in front of me, my friend heard my screaming in the house and raced out to rescue me…LOL!

I have another friend who lives out in the country who once had a big (4ft+) Bull Snake drop around her shoulders as she left her garden shed. Needless to say she took off at high speed screaming and almost having heart failure. Another time there was an 8ft Bull Snake wrapped around the front axel of her Mom’s Pickup, it was apparently quite a job getting it off.

Another friend who works in the oilfields had a very close encounter with a Rattler when his toolbox was blown off his vehicle into the grass. When he went to retrieve it a Rattler reared up ready to strike right behind it, he fell over in his haste to escape but did so and eventually shot it!

There are so many Rattlesnakes out in the country and canyons here, that they have Rattlesnake roundups in certain towns. Hunters will come in for a couple of days and catch literally thousands, display them and then kill and skin them. I have actually been to one of these and amazed myself (and my visiting Brit' friend) by making it into the appropriately named ‘Den of Death’, to view them in a big pen. I couldn’t believe the smell, how many were in there (ankle deep) and the size of some of them. I tried really hard to touch one being held by a handler, but just could not do it. Our visiting Brit' friend Andrew though went alot further as you can see above, totally freaking out his wife!

The local philosophy on snakes around here is, the only good snake is a dead snake, poisonous or not! How you do it is up to you, but the most popular methods are chopping off the head with a garden implement or shooting it.

So you can probably understand why I tread warily around my garden, keep my cell phone on me and NEVER use the grass verge if I get caught short when we are in the country!

This is the year...

I have decided to read the Holy Bible from cover to cover.

Earlier this week I had finished my book and late one night felt like reading before bed. The closest thing to hand was the Bible on our coffee table, so I picked it up and started reading from Chapter 1 - Genesis. Four days later I am in Ch. 14 of Exodus and it would be fair to say, finding it a gripping read and often during my day I will start just thinking back over what I have read and it's meaning. Most of it is very familiar and the lessons I learned as a child are all returning to me with each book.

When I was in school we had Religious Studies on the curriculum and I therefore studied the Bible for a few years daily and sat a final exam. From childhood I went to church and Sunday School with my family, but as is often the case at times I felt under parental duress to go. So as an adult this resulted in me deserting and questioning the church until I moved here. This did not however mean I ever totally forgot many of the lessons or entirely lost my faith.

When I moved here I decided I wanted to return to church and since then I have attended pretty much weekly. Last year I decided to take the next step and reconfirm my faith by being re-baptised in church. The fellowship I have received there has restored my faith fully and I believe my renewed faith is helping me grow into a better and happier person.

I live in the American 'Bible belt' here and so I would say 90% of the people I know attend church weekly. Back in the UK I came from a wealthy, middle class respectable area and have friends who like me were brought up attending church regularly. We were all in the exact demographic where you would expect regular church attendance. But I have to think really hard to come up with anybody I knew who attended church weekly (or would admit to it anyway!), that's how far the UK has moved away from regular church attendance.

Going to church here is also very different to the UK version. In the UK churches are usually beautiful but ancient buildings, often chilly and with few modern conveniences. Here the churches may lack character and stunning stained glass, but they are heated, have video screens and sound mixing, fully carpeted, with toilets and a fellowship hall or room for socialising. It's all very different and far more comfortable than the majority of churches back home.

I have no doubt some of my UK friends will read this piece in disbelief, find it funny or just think I've totally lost it and will never be the person they knew again. In fact when I returned to the UK after visits here and said I had attended church, a few friends ridiculed it and so I just quit talking about it in the end.

But, and the following is obviously a comment on where I specifically live in the USA, I can honestly see for myself that people here are just nicer, more considerate, politer and still have respect for each other. Neighbours are quick to help each other, the power of prayer is believed in throughout the community and if this is what attending church regularly brings to your life, then I believe it can only be a good thing. Community spirit is also far stronger here than in the UK and the churches are right at the very centre of this.

I have been and am still on prayer lists throughout the area for my Graves Disease, I do believe this has helped me recover against the initial odds, without the radical medical intervention. One particular Sunday when I was feeling especially sick and scared I went up to the altar to pray during the invitation part of our service. As I knelt there and prayed I was flooded with the most extraordinary burning heat in my upper chest and head area, and my problem is centred on my thyroid at the base of my throat. For me that was a major turning point in the strength of my faith and since then my health has grown stronger by the month.

So for any of you reading this thinking 'yeh, yeh', I was once at that stage but turned back and I can say wholeheartedly my life is so much better now.

Returning to church was the first step back on the path for me, choosing to be baptised again as an adult was the second step and rediscovering and really understanding the Bible is now the final step on my own path to faith, fulfillment and happiness. I have always believed things happen in your life for a reason, now is obviously the time when I am mean't to read the Bible and let it enrich my life.

So I hope if you feel unfulfilled in life or like you're missing something, maybe you will also give the church and faith another chance in your life, you may like me, be surprised at the result.

And something else about American loo's...

I can't believe I totally forgot this fact about American toilets, that I definitely don't feel the love for!

Whilst reading a fave blog last night, I managed to choke on my herbal tea when I came across this hysterically funny and accurate view of how us Brit's feel about the construction of your loo's.

As we say in Britain "Mind the Gap" and take a look here on Expatmum for one of our biggest paranoia's!

Driving me Crazy!

....and a few locals as well, my first few months driving here!

To understand the crazy part, you have to know where I was coming from driving wise.

In the UK I had 2 cars, I know very greedy and not at all eco-friendly! But I had reached the heady position at work where I had a Renault Scenic company supported car, a reasonably economical, comfortable motorway (freeway) friendly, multi-airbag car. It was great for fighting through the 112 mile journey to and from work, on one of the busiest sections of road in Europe.




I loved the fact I sat slightly higher in it and could see at least 6 cars ahead, vital when you're going from 85mph to 10mph every few minutes with no warning! Also comfortable on the usual journey of 2 hours a day, but great when that was extended to 3-5 hours a day dependant on some numbskull deciding today was their day to crash!

Then I had my fun, girly, glamourous, 'tart' car! A beautiful convertible silver Mazda MX-5 (Miata), with all the add-ons. Like the super-cool hard-top (I sold for a fortune separately on eBay before I left), chrome rollbar and glass screen that kept my hair perfect as I whizzed along sans roof. I loved that car, it was just so me and I hated to have to sell it, but it's not a practical car out here, especially as it would fit right under most Pickups!

I drove alot everyday in the UK and had done so for 21 years before coming here. At one point I was a Sales Manager covering a 1000 miles a month in heavy traffic around London and so I considered myself a pretty good, experienced driver.



Then I moved to Oklahoma and everything was turned on it's head!

I now drive a slightly retro Chevy Silverado Red Pickup and it's a lot of fun, plus entirely practical for my new life. And it's probably just as well it's bright red, as to say I was confused alot those first few weeks would be an understatement!

Not only are you on the wrong side of the road here, but you are also on the wrong side of the car. Plus both our Pickups are automatic and the lever thingy (I forgot the technical name) is on the steering wheel, not in the centre near the floor!

Lucky I live in a VERY smalltown! For the first few weeks I stayed within a 10 mile radius of home and concentrated on just staying on the right side of the road. And let me tell you, that was quite a challenge right there!

For once I was actually wishing for some traffic, ANY traffic to help me out. After all when you turn onto a road and the cars are in the right lane, it's harder to get that wrong and not hit something. But around here you often turn out and the road is completely empty for a few minutes. So if you were me, you just reverted to what you knew and sailed forth on the wrong side of the highway!

I gave a few locals a surprise they were not expecting those first few weeks. One day I approached our town rail crossing on the wrong side, only to meet a wide-eyed little old lady on the tracks, head-on! Another day I reversed out of a spot in front of the bank and happily drove the length of Main St on the wrong side, thinking how friendly the waving locals were to the new girl in town!

But by far my finest hour was when I left the Post Office and drove up Main St on the wrong side, until I suddenly realised I was about to have a head-on with our frantically gesticulating Deputy Sheriff. I swerved, missed him and he just waved me on with a big grin; he's still one of my favourite people around here!

So a bit of traffic would have been pretty handy as I tried to adjust.

When I wasn't driving I was forever walking to the wrong side of vehicles and trying to get in the drivers side. One day a friend picked me up and I just happily walked over and opened her door, to be met with "Oh! Are you driving us then?" LOL!

After a month I ventured to the 'big town' and had to deal with 4 way stops, the place where we would stick a roundabout in the UK. I have to admit I have sailed obliviously through a few here in my time and got really lucky no cars or cops were around. I am now at the point where I know their location locally, but elsewhere I have to concentrate alot harder so as not to miss one. I am sorry, but a roundabout in your way is just a whole lot easier to spot!



In July of 2006 I finally took my State Driving Test and passed first time, despite completely making a mess of parallel parking, something I had done pretty well everyday for 21 years in the UK! But around here there are very few chances to parallel park as you usually just pull into spaces and a Pickup is alot bigger than a car.

When I got back to my town I stopped in at our Quick Stop, where unsurprisingly as it was lunchtime, I found our local police force. I ran in waving my Oklahoma Drivers License and was met by a cheer and sighs of relief all round. I sat down and had a good laugh with them over the debacle of my previous 9 months driving. I also thanked them for not issuing me with any tickets or even pulling me over. They said they were just glad I was in such a highly visible vehicle and they'd figured I'd eventually get the hang of it! Somehow I don't think I'd have been so lucky in a bigger town, but then I'd have had some traffic to help me get it right!

It's still not entirely natural for me; I often have to peer at the dash to make sure I have hit 'reverse' with the shift, whenever I am driving a Brit' visitor and we're chatting I invariably end up on the wrong side of the street. I am pretty lucky I don't have a speeding ticket yet, I can rapidly revert to a Brit' with road rage if provoked and the Hubster still has to send me back to the passenger side pretty regularly!

What's going to be really interesting is the first time I drive back in the UK, one wrong move there and someone WILL hit me!

To Pee or not to Pee!!

Public Toilets (aka - loo/restrooms), now here’s an issue that deserves a UK vs US comparison!

First let me say upfront that my whole life I have always drunk way more water in the day than your average person. The result of this being ‘I need’ to know where the next clean public convenience is going to be or I am going to fret!

In the UK this is more of a problem than you may imagine. You see business owners back home are not as obliging with lending out their ‘facilities’ as they are here. Smaller garages (Quick Stops to you) often do not have a public toilet, the bigger ones do and but only the really big stores tend to have them. So if you are shopping in a Mall or Strip Mall you’re likely to find one, but if you are just out on a Main St, the shops won’t usually allow you to use their toilet. You can bet on a fast food shop like KFC, McDonalds etc….but a small café or restaurant won’t let you use it unless you are a customer!

We do have either old style city council toilets, which trust me are not the most inviting or clean places! Or even worse we have highly visible individual modern toilets, that automatically clean themselves after each customer. But they’re so darned conspicuous most people are wary of entering one, because everyone nearby knows what you’re up to…LOL! One of their most disconcerting features is an automatic door system, I have always been a too nervous to use one, as it might open early and expose me to the world!!

But more than anything I am ashamed to say that by comparison to the USA, our toilets are dirty, there’s just no denying it! One of my most embarrassing moments was getting off a flight from Chicago at London Heathrow and rushing with many American ladies to the nearest off plane toilet. It was filthy, one toilet was flooding and there was no toilet paper, I just stayed quiet so nobody knew I was British! The Hubster has asked me to report that the men’s restroom at Heathrow Airport hardly has room for a real man to get his tally whacker out it’s so cramped!!

Now compare this to what meets Brit’s at US airports on arrival. After using the ones at O’Hare I had to call my Mum just to tell her about the toilets! First of all I couldn’t even put my contact lenses back in (sitting on the loo is a great place to do this), without it flushing every few seconds…LOL. But even more amazing when I first went in, there was a paper cover on the seat that did a complete revolution when it sensed my movement, so I had clean paper to sit on – WOW! Then the water at the sink came on automatically, the soap dispensed automatically and the paper towels did too when I waved my hand around!!

‘USA = LOO HEAVEN’

Your toilets are nearly always clean! I mean there’s always the odd occasion when they are not, but trust me you are light years ahead of the UK on cleanliness in restrooms. I have also learned to relax about where the next one is going to be.

Just about every store, café, business or garage you go in, no matter their size, has a public restroom you can use and it’s usually stocked and clean. Only once since I arrived here have I been caught short and had to use a dirt road behind the Pickup (I was too nervous of snakes to venture across the bar ditch) out in the canyons.

So I can say hand on heart I would choose the US highly commendable restroom situation over the UK anytime. Having said that we are light years ahead of the French who have the filthiest public toilets and they always smell!

Then we have the Turkish public toilets that are often a hole in the ground, not literally, they are tiled and porcelain and the Turks value cleanliness highly. But when you're not used to it, trust me, having to squat will often cause instant constipation - been there done that!

So if you ever venture to the UK you have been warned, always carry tissues and do not get caught short. If you are a Brit’ heading over here, enjoy and be prepared for some eye opening restrooms!

Patriotism and 'national pride' in the UK?

This is rapidly becoming a 'hot issue' in the UK at the moment.

There are government plans afoot to introduce a new Public Holiday annually which will be a 'National Day' starting in 2012. They are also seriously considering have school leavers swear an oath of allegiance to Queen and Country. The former Attorney General who has researched the issue and is making the proposals, insists Britain is becoming a divided nation with little sense of belonging. He also believes it will help youngsters to foster a sense of national pride in their British identity.

It is proving controversial due to the arguments against the measures put forward by the pro-republic, anti-royalist lobby. They believe the proposals are an affront to democracy and many people would be unhappy about their children having to make such an oath.

Comments have been made about the approach here in schools; these have included it's an 'un-British idea imported from America' and an 'empty pointless gesture'. Some Brit's sneer at this very 'pro-America' attitude in the States, but they are probably the same people complaining about how the UK is not what it used to be!

Having lived in both countries, only immigrating just over 2 years ago and working in schools, I get to see the American system daily. I have to say I think it does develop a sense of national identity and pride in the youth of the country.

One of the first things that struck me forcibly after I arrived, was the far greater show of patriotism on a daily basis. In the UK there are 'occasions' and 'events' that seem to bring out national pride at certain times, but it is not a part of everyday life as it is here.

British flags only tend to come out in force for the big sporting events. Then all of sudden national pride and fervour will sweep the whole nation as they get behind the national Football, Cricket or Rugby team. But this is born more out a type of 'tribal' British pride for our sporting teams to win, than a pride in our actual country!

Just before I left there was an increasingly rare show of patriotism for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. I am sure this was in part due to her continued good reputation with her subjects and alot of affection for her. As long as she remains the monarch then a percentage of the population will continue to support such events.

But there is no doubt that the next generation of Royals do not command anywhere near the respect or affection she does with the British public. Many people dislike Prince Charles due largely to the 'Princess Diana' effect, who was very much seen as a victim in the UK and then his remarriage to Camilla, his unpopular long term mistress. There are serious concerns that the monarchy will struggle and never recover from Charles ruling, although when push comes to shove, I think they'll survive. After all they say you never appreciate what you've got until it's gone!

It may surprise many Americans to realise the level of either dis-interest, anti-royalist feeling, anger at their cost, or lack of pride in our Royal Family. There has been a definite shift in their popularity in my lifetime. I think alot of people below 40 in the UK today, really lack national pride and view the Royals as an archaic, expensive unnecessary institution.

The ABC special on 'The Royals' shown recently included a comment from a young Brit' who when asked about the royals said "I don't see what the point of them is, I mean what do they do for us?". That pretty much summed up for me the attitude of much of the youth of Britain today. I can't say I have ever felt like this personally, probably due in part to a life long love and respect for the history and heritage of my home country. Living abroad I probably appreciate now more than ever, how the history of our country, architecture and royal heritage helps our nation.

I doubt the UK would have anything like the tourist industry it does without this heritage and royal link. I get more questions here about our royal family than anything else, apart from maybe Stonehenge! Americans are just fascinated with the whole British 'thing' and we are seen as the epitomy of coolness and enviably rich in history. I have no doubt many Americans would willingly take on our heritage and the Royal family given half a chance!



I think it is only to America's credit that at every school the day starts with the 'Pledge of Allegiance', hand on chest facing the flag, in classrooms across this huge land. At their sports games they sing the National Anthem and there is always a flag flying somewhere.

Today I explained to some very typical, 'cool & trying to be hip' teenagers here in school, what they are thinking of doing in the UK and the reaction this has caused amongst some of the British public. I asked them how do you feel about swearing allegiance everyday and honouring your flag so regularly? Their reaction was surprise British schools don't do this already, they are happy to do it and everyone o