(On the eights.)
One of the biggest challenges of moving here was the act of crossing the street. The driving on the left side of the road thing really threw me. (I can hear a few of my uncles scoffing—“uhh, it’s just the opposite of what it is here”). FALSE. It is not simply the opposite—it is against every traffic instinct of my being. When I first got here, I was a big American tornado of confusion whenever I had to cross a street—look right, look left, look right, check behind me, look right again, attempt eye contact with the driver paused at the corner, be confused when that car still revs up even though I just made eye contact, let that car go, check all lanes of all roads of the intersection, pray, then sprint. It was just really difficult to be sure of where cars were going to come from. Going running was also pretty tough, because obviously I wouldn't want to stop and go through that routine at every single corner. But, it would all improve. The day I realized I had always been making eye contact with the person in the passenger seat was the day that marked a significant increase in my chances of surviving a street crossing (because it turns out that not only do they drive on the wrong side of the road, but they also sit on the wrong side of the car). (I knew this in theory, but apparently not in practice.) I’m proud to say, after more than two months, I can now confidently cross the street with minimal frenzy. Roundabouts still get me (are they really necessary at the intersection of two streets?), but sometimes I can avoid them by jaywalking.
The temperature here now is consistently in the 50s during the day and into the 40s at night. (Still don’t easily do the whole Celsius thing—apparently it’s 5 degrees right now.) Living in Houston for the past four years has turned me into a big wimp. I am pretty cold here. And (as Ashley and I were recently discussing), this weather has trained us to expect Christmas fairly immediately, as Houston only gets this cold in late November at the earliest. But, Christmas is still 65 days away. I really do like this temperature though, and it has been nice to have a Real Fall. Last weekend, Ashley and I went to Hyde Park, and the leaves on the ground smelled really good.
And now, the Osgood File, with Charles Osgood.
I tried to explain crossing the street, but I guess that I failed in that effort. I understand that an American's learned instincts about traffic are completely wrong in Britain. That is why I said that you must think all the time when driving and not do any driving based on behaviors that were learned here.
ReplyDeleteAt least you figured out which side of the automobile is the driver's side before being asked "Are you driving today?" over and over.
The rate of change in the average temperature in London is much less than most places here in the U.S. However, the rate of change in the sunlight duration per day is much more, and that will be noticed very soon.
Comment on another post: Colleen should be comfortable with the "British" word for eggplant, because "aubergine" is really a French word. You did not include "check/bill" in the list of terms that demonstrate how the U.S. and the UK are two countries separated by a common language. I infer from that omission that you don't eat at restaurants very often. For your Mom and Erin you should explain the American and British contrasts for the terms "serviette/napkin/diaper".
Hey Uncle Pat!! Don't worry, I remember our conversation and knew you were sympathetic to my crossing the street woes! You are correct in guessing that we don't eat out very often here--lots of pasta and soup and PB&J! I'll have to look up the serviette/napkin/diaper terms, because I haven't encountered them yet here!
ReplyDelete