The first difference worth noting is that nothing is open late over here. Actually, there is a very short period of time in which you must allow yourself to do any sort of shopping. Sunday's are relatively similar in this regard in the states. Most things are either closed or open from 12:00-5:00. On Monday-Wednesday things open maybe around 9:00 and close around 6:00. Thursday is the late day, don't ask me why, it just is. Thing's stay open until 8:00pm. WOW. How exciting?! Yes, that's sarcasm. Friday and Saturday are quite similar to Monday through Wednesday. Having a fun night of drinking and want something to eat afterward? Forget about it. Need to catch a bus home? Good luck. I am beginning to think work ethic is not something that is held in high esteem over here.
That brings me to my next thing, drinking. In America if you want to go out you would probably start your "pregame" drinking around 9 or 10, depending on how you're feeling because you are more than likely going to stay out and continue drinking until 2:00am. There is really not much of a need to "pace" yourself because there is a certain rhythmic pattern of drinking that we are accustomed to. Pubs rarely stay open past midnight here, if that, therefore drinking begins much earlier. It is not odd to be at dinner and find that everyone surrounding you is already quite drunk or "pissed" as they would say here.
Dinner and eating in general is another difference. In America we get our food and we get out which is probably why we have grown to love our fast food chains. Here in England it would not be odd to sit down and eat dinner for upwards of four hours because dinner is a very social thing as well as being a type of "pregame" to a night out. The waiters don't bring the bill (it is never referred to as a check here) to your table because it is considered rude to do so as it appears as an attempt to rush you. You must ask for the bill if you would like it. One nice thing is that tipping is not necessary here and in fact not expected. The downfall to this is that everything includes a 20% tax, so although it does not appear that you are paying any tax at all, it is included in the ticket price.
There are places for quick meals here though. America's esteemed restaurants such as McDonald's, Burger King, Subway and even KFC line the busy streets but they do not often offer what is common on an American menu and if they do, the portions are much smaller. I ordered chicken nuggets and instead of the normal ten piece that accompanies a value meal I found only six. I am not complaining about this though as I have only witnessed maybe four people that could be considered obese while I've been here and at home it is essentially an epidemic. Starbucks is quite popular here as well but again, the menu is very different. What I noticed first in Starbucks that I quickly realized applies to many other places as well is the lack of trash (rubbish) cans. You are expected to leave your trash on the table for someone who works there to take care of. I am not sure why this is how it is but maybe that, along with the fact that the work ethic seems to be low, could explain why customer service here tends to be quite poor.
Obviously you can cook for yourself, as I have done many of the nights that I have been here, but good luck navigating your way around the supermarket. Popcorn in a bag? Boxed potatoes of the scalloped or au gratin variety? Peanut butter? Cookie dough? Or basically anything else that is quick and easy? Forget about it. Again, maybe I shouldn't complain. No preservatives and no excuse to be lazy. Even the coffee is strange here. There are NO coffee makers. What happens is you boil water in a kettle and then pour it into a cup filled with finely ground coffee. That's it. How convenient. I wouldn't advise ever actually letting the water boil however or else you'll find yourself with a mouth full of third degree burns. Believe me, I know firsthand.
Today I did laundry for the first time since I've been here and as disgusting as that sounds, I wish I would have put it off longer. The washing machines hold two pair of jeans (trousers) at most. Okay, that's an exaggeration but not by much. And it costs £2 per load! £2 would be nearly $4. The washer has a strange place to put the detergent in and unless you are already skilled in knowing where it goes, good luck. I'm not even sure where my detergent ended up. To dry the clothes it is 20 pence per every 6 minutes. Again, 20 pence would be sort of like 40 cents. I dried my laundry for 30 minutes costing my £1. This essentially stopped them from still dripping but that's about as far as that went. £5 for laundry? Extortion. And people claim that American's are the Capitalists.
A much more different thing that I've noticed here compared to America is the way that guys hit on girls. I've had numerous occasions when I'm grocery shopping or doing some other trivial task in broad daylight where a guy will past me making kidding noises. Is that supposed to turn me on? Am I supposed to be flattered that you are making noises to me that I would make to a dog? And don't even get me started about how they hit on girls in clubs. I've been kissed on the cheek by more strange men than I can even count. They don't even say anything, they just walk up to you and kiss you. This is definitely not my ideal way of having a man approach men. In fact, I am finding myself more and more appalled by it.
If they aren't doing these things, or if someone is just simply greeting you, they use the expression "Are you alright?" This is apparently an alternative to the American phrase "What's up?" Well, even though I know this, I always answer with a simple "yes" and that's that. Everyday each of my roommates and me that, meaning what's up and I say yes. That's super awkward on my part. I'm waiting for the day when that stops.
And now for the biggest difference that I've found and my biggest pet peeve (aside from the fact that they still spell tire, tyre) which is the difference in schooling styles. On a typical day at Westminster I would be working at least one of my jobs, if not both, have softball practice, have a host of meetings to attend for various reasons, have class (anywhere from 1-5 hours Monday through Friday), have a plethora of homework, etc. On a typical day here at Kingston, I have two, maybe three, hours of class-only on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday's, and that's where my obligations end. There is no homework, no papers to write, no exams to study for. While in class there are no questions to answer, the information is just read verbatim from a powerpoint which is made available online and therefore there in no reason to actually attend class because attendance and participation account for no portion of your grade. The professor's are not addressed as such and there is literally no structure. If you are ten minutes late to class you are twenty minutes early and if you are not on your cell phone in plain sight, you are the minority. Yesterday in my class a boy was chugging wine in the second row. Not one comment or strange look went his way. To me this is all extremely strange. I am happy to be having the experience on a different teaching style and I am also happy to know that it is not a permanent thing. You may think that having numerous exams and papers in a bad thing but when you find yourself twiddling your thumbs for most of the day you begin to miss the hectic nature of it all.
There is much I enjoy about being here though. I've obviously already touched on certain aspects I've encountered but another one happened today. I woke up feeling energized and decided to go for a run. On my journey I literally stumbled upon King Henry VIII's palace. That does not happen in America. It was quite a beautiful surprise.
I will not be blogging again until Sunday or Monday because I will be away at Amsterdam all weekend! Rest assured I will have much to tell you when I arrive back.
-Tricia
PS. I would like to add that everyone in America should enjoy all of the chances at free wifi because over wifi is gold and very hard to come by! And sometimes a girl just wants to send a snapchat while she's walking down the street and that's just not a possibility.
PS. I would like to add that everyone in America should enjoy all of the chances at free wifi because over wifi is gold and very hard to come by! And sometimes a girl just wants to send a snapchat while she's walking down the street and that's just not a possibility.
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