My Daily Questions

Recently I've been meeting more and more people.

That sounds weird. But now that I'm out and about more because of work, Saturday park runs, and Monday night group runs, I'm interacting with more people who are intrigued by my desire to live in England.

And they tend to ask me the most ridiculous questions. But these ridiculous questions are pretty consistent across the board. These are questions I get asked about once a day at least. Which makes me wonder where these people's priorities are!

I don't know if any other expats get asked these ridiculous questions as well, so I thought I'd share both the questions (and answers, in case anyone was too shy to ask!)

Why are earth did you move here from Florida?!

And yes that mixture of question mark and exclamation point is completely necessary. I probably get asked this the most. It's a fair enough question. It's the passion that they put into it that is the most hilarious. It's like they're instead asking "are you out of your mind?"

And I really don't think I need to go into detail here on why I moved. It's pretty obvious now, isn't it?

It wasn't the weather.

So you went to a real American high school? / Is high school just like the movies/TV shows?

Yes I went to high school... In America... And it was in fact real...

I always say high school is definitely not like movies/TV shows. Maybe for some people 90210 and The OC portrayed their lives perfectly. However, I was in marching band and AP classes. So no, high school is not all about standing around at your locker for 7 hours of the day and wearing pink on Wednesdays. At least not for me anyway!

This is me in high school senior year. We wore marching band polo shirts on Friday. And no, don't quote American Pie at me please. 

What do you think of our food portions compared to America's? 

I never know how to seriously respond to this. I mean, I don't really notice a massive difference except when it comes to like specified or set sizes. (So like, a large drink at McDonald's in England is an American medium, a medium drink is an American small, etc.) But it's not like I'm walking around going "OMG I'm so hungry! If only British portions were bigger!!" Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but I don't eat Cheesecake Factory sized food all day everyday. The only thing I miss about the food industry in general is FREE REFILLS. It's an epic concept.

I've also been asked....... 

Do Americans understand sarcasm? (No..... Not one bit.)
Have you met the Kardashians? (Oh gawd no.)
Does it snow in America? (Yes.)
Do you love Wal-mart? (Absolutely not.)

My shining moment in question asking was when a 9 year old asked if I was Hannah Montana because she never met anyone with an American accent before. No, I'm not Hannah Montana. But I was willing to sing Best of Both Worlds to her if she desired. (She didn't.) 

Anyone else get asked funny/random questions??

6 Month Expat Check In

Hello! Happy Monday! (Actually, now that I'm working full time, I know that there's really no such thing as a happy Monday.... Apologies....)

So all of last week I was so excited for Friday. Not only was it Friday (TGIF!), but it was also my 6 month anniversary of moving to England! I had big plans of celebrating this day. And then Friday rolled around and I didn't remember until about 9 PM! Talk about anticlimactic.

But I did remember that back in September, I wrote about my great expectations for my big move across the pond.

Obviously, I have to check in and see how these are doing 6 months down the line!

Learn to drive on the other side of the road... and the other side of the car...

Look! How very strange!

Well, remember that one time I learned to drive? Yeah... That's been the only time so far. I've been busy. Alex has been busy. The weather has been crap. It's okay. I don't plan on getting a car any time soon, if ever. But I'd still love to get back out there and try again! (When I say "get back out there", I mean "get back to the abandoned lot where I can't destroy anything.")

Run more (and in colder weather). Well, that did happen. I had a half marathon to train for, after all! I was running about 4 times a week at one point. Now, I've been super lazy about running. Oops. And the running in colder weather has been inevitable! So that's definitely happened. I need to get back into a routine and train for something....

Race more.

I actually look like I know what I'm doing here. I'm probably thinking "I want Nandos" or something.

Yep, did that! I've done 4 races in England so far, so I've more than doubled my amount of races that I did in America. I do actually love racing. The trouble is finding races close-ish to me. I feel like they skimp on races here. (Can anyone recommend any races in the south of England??)

Join a gym and/or running club. I joined a running club! Best. Decision. Ever. I'd recommend it to anyone regardless of whether you're an expat or new to an area or not. I haven't joined a gym, but I have looked into it. I think I will actually join one within the next month or so now that I'm working.

Understand the London Underground. Yes. I understand the tube and have used it (by myself! Just this past Saturday actually!!) I'm so very proud of my abilities.

Understand public transportation in general. I've taken trains on my own and stuff. Does that count?? I'm going to say it does.


Spell words with u's and s's and y's and such.

Where's the Z?!

This is honestly an epic fail. I spell things like an American. From now on, I'll be trying my hardest to spell things "properly".

Learn more about the Alex. When I wrote my original expectations list, I wrote "sometimes at random moments, I find myself going 'Hmm... I wonder if he likes blue cheese.'" I can now confirm I know he likes blue cheese. You're welcome for that fun fact.

Be a close knit family. I really wanted to embrace the proximity of Alex's family to each other. I guess I kind of have...? I don't know where I was going with this expectation. Nobody hates me yet. But I also let them freely call me a yank and talk about that time I said the word shit in front of Grandma. (It slipped out. I promised I am ashamed still) So we're close!

Keep in touch with the other side of the pond as much as possible. Skype and Whatsapp are amazing things. So are normal phones, when people remember how to use them!

The end.

I think these 6 months have gone by both slowly and quickly. It feels like I've been here ages. And 6 months sounds like an incredibly long time. But time has also flown by! It's April! (In case you didn't know!) And I feel like I've done a lot in the time that I've been here!

Can't wait for the next 6 months!

Guest Post - Spring Has Almost Sprung

(Hi friends! Today's post is brought to you by the Expat Hub, which is a Taylor approved expat site full of guides and articles! I'm super excited for them to be talking about spring time! Minus the fact that it's been so cold here lately... Seriously, it was colder here than it was in Wisconsin! Regardless, Spring is going happen sooner or later, so let's talk about it!)

Spring has almost sprung; it’s time for festivals and celebrations

With spring literally being just around the corner many towns and villages are preparing to celebrate the end of the winter and the beginning of a hopefully hot spring. The UK is an extremely old nation and as such some of the traditions we are about to list have been held on a yearly basis for hundreds and hundreds of years, Some even date back all the way before the Norman invasions in 1066! Here are just a few of the most fun and well known.

Flora Day (Helston, Cornwall held on May 8^th) 

Every year on the 8^th of May (unless the 8^th is a Sunday) the town of Helston located on the Lizard peninsula of Cornwall welcomes huge crowds of visitors to watch the ancient Furry dance. The town is covered in bluebells as up to 1,000 dancers make their way through the colourfully decorated streets.

The day sees four dances with the most famous being the children’s dance and the adult’s mid-day dance. The men are decked out in top hats and tails. The women wear their best frocks. The band plays as the dancers weave their way through the offices and on up the main street. No one's quite sure anymore how it all began, but local legend says that it is a celebration of St Michael’s victory over the Devil. The town of Helston itself is named after the giant rock the Devil threw at the archangel in battle. Where the rock landed became Helston or ‘Hells stone’.

The Furry dance is believed to be one of the oldest British customs still being practised today possibly making it over a thousand years old! 

Cheese Rolling (Stilton, Cambridgeshire held on the first Monday in May)

The Stilton Cheese Rolling Festival is one of the year's highlights in the small Cambridgeshire town of Stilton. Participants compete in rolling large rounded blocks of wood along the high street for a prize of cheese and bottles of port. Many of the teams compete in fancy dress and although the sport has become better-behaved in recent years, you will still see a fair wince inducing tumbles and falls. It's a knockout competition with quarters, semis and a grand final, so you're in for a full day's entertainment.

Sweeps Festival (Rochester, Kent held on the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th of May)

The town of Rochester celebrates and commemorates the chimney sweeper. In the days of the industrial revolution men and boys would do the messy job of cleaning and unblocking the chimneys of the coal burning houses and factories.

The annual festival recreates the joy and laughter enjoyed by the chimney sweeps as they celebrated the only day of the year they could take a day off. The modern festival is a mix of music, dancing and entertainment and sees up to 60 groups of Morris dancers and other entertainers celebrate throughout the three days of the festival.

Obby Oss (Padstow, Cornwall held on the 1^st of May)

The first day of May In the small town of Padstow is Obby Oss day. The origins of this ancient tradition are lost in the midst of time but it is thought to be some form of ancient fertility festival. the town is dressed with greenery, flowers and flags, with the focus being a maypole. The climax arrives when two groups of dancers progress through the town, one of each team wearing a stylised recreation of a 'horse.' The two 'osses are known as the "Old" and the "Blue Ribbon" 'osses.

All of the Padstow born folk traditionally dress in white with their family loyalties dictating whether they follow the Red Old Oss or the Blue Oss.

Cotswold Olimpick Games (Gloucestershire held at the end of May)

400 years ago in the Cotswolds lived Robert Dover, a man who was fascinated by the tales of the ancient Greek Olympic Games. His love of those games inspired him to begin the Cotswold Olimpicks, an event that has been held every year since. Events include wrestling, jumping, sack races, dancing and the infamous shin kicking contest (yes it really is as painful as that sounds!). Before the days of health and safety competitors from rival villages would meet with iron tipped boots or coal hammers acting as shin guards, back in the day many a leg was broken.  Thankfully today’s event is a lot less brutal. The games also see plenty of music and other activities.

This guest blog was provided by The Expat Hub, a top online stop for expatriate advice, support and information.

Follow the Expat Hub on Twitter and Facebook! 

Traditions Across The Pond

Day 2 of Wedding Week is a Bridal Battle of epic proportions. Just kidding. I like to be a bit dramatic.

I get asked all the time, "What are differences between American and English weddings?!"

I end up babbling for hours on the subject and eventually give up and just say "Google it". 

Sometimes I would ask Alex "is this normal??" or "is this how you do it??" regarding our wedding planning. He would respond, "I don't know, I've never gotten married before!" Thank Zeus and all the heavens he has a pretty accent, because he was seriously zero help at times.

Obviously, American weddings and British weddings have a lot of similarities.

But there were also plenty of differences everywhere, from planning the wedding to the actual ceremony to the party in the evening!

With my experience of planning a wedding in England, this is what I noticed are some major differences between American and English weddings.

(Note: Our ceremony was a civil ceremony, which meant no religion was incorporated or even allowed. Our wedding planning/ceremony is where this list of differences comes from. It may/may not differ from other types of ceremonies.)

Ceremony vs. Celebration

In America, you tend to invite everyone to both the wedding ceremony and the party afterwards. Everything just sort of flows into the next event without more people arriving.

In England, the wedding ceremony is much more intimate. It's really only family and close friends that attend. And they're the only ones who eat a full sit-down meal, as well.

The celebration guests come later. This consists of all of the people from the ceremony, plus other friends and colleagues. There is usually a buffet for the evening guests throughout the night, but nothing like the presentation and elegance of the intimate sit-down dinner.

(Our wedding consisted of about 40 ceremony guests and 120 evening guests.)

The party has arrived! By the way, in no part of the evening was I drunk. I know it appears like I am, but I'm not!

Personally, I like this concept better. I know there's always stress knowing who to invite and "whether you want to spend the money on a meal for your mother's sister's grandchild's stepsister". But for us it was pretty clear who was coming to the ceremony and who would just be coming to the evening celebration.

The only thing I will say is that because of this, we had to have 2 different invitations with 2 different times to arrive. It honestly wasn't that big of a burden, but just make sure you stay organized so you know who you invited to which part!

Location 

In America, you can get married practically anywhere! Getting married on the beach is common where I lived in Florida. All you have to do is arrange someone to come marry you at a certain time. You don't even need to reserve the part of the beach or let anyone know.

In England,  they are much more strict (which I found incredibly frustrating when first planning the wedding). The venue has to be licensed. Because of this, they are also quite pricey.

And also because of this, getting married in a registry office is common.

(Here's where I'm going to sound like a snob. I have no intention of sounding like a snob, but I know I will. It's not my intention to offend anyone, so I'm sorry if I do.)

There is nothing that I wanted less than to get married in a registry office. I felt like Alex and I had sacrificed enough in our 3+ years of dating, and that we deserved not to have to settle for a registry office wedding. (See, I told you. Snob.) Especially when we could get married on a free beach in Florida and have a gorgeous surrounding instead of a stuffy registry office. (Snob.)

I kept telling Alex that I would rather get married in our back garden than a registry office. (Snob.) He just kept saying "you can't do that!" and I didn't understand why! He said it's to preserve the meaning of marriage and I said "bullshit, I don't care."

We ended up finding a lovely, affordable place to have both the wedding and the evening celebration.

But keep all of this in mind if want to get married in England.

Giving notice vs. having a marriage license

I was completely clueless about both of these things to be honest.

In America, you get a marriage license. (Which sounds hilarious to me.... Like a drivers license for your wedding.... Waiting for hours at a DMV to take a test and a bad picture...) I couldn't tell you the first steps of how to get a marriage license.... Good thing I never had to!

In England you "give notice". It's basically giving your intentions to marry. They post your intentions to marry, as well. They ask you basic questions about each other. (spelling of names, birthdays, occupation, very basic things) You can get married 15 days after giving notice and it's valid up to one year.

Carrying a horseshoe 

I've never heard of this custom in America, but I also haven't been to or been a part of many weddings. So I just decided to go with this one. 

I was given a small, decorative horseshoe a few days before the wedding. I opened the box, looked up at everyone, and just said "I don't get it". They said it's for luck. Noted.

Then, when I was nearly ready at the venue, someone handed me my bouquet and the horseshoe. I was like, "what do I do with this??" Finally, someone had explained to me that you hold it with your bouquet. I wish someone told me this sooner so I didn't sound like an asshole the whole time wondering what I was supposed to do with it!

Stuffing cake in each others faces

Purely an American tradition, and I was set on keeping it that way. My husband, however, had other plans....

Nice picture before he went to the dark side...

We talked about it and agreed no caking stuffing. But when the moment came, my American family starting shouting "Stuff it in her face!!!" and like a good in-law, he did.

(I also got the feeling that if I did it to him, some of the older English family would be appalled. Like I would get the "Ugh... Americans..." glare and head shake. I know that's probably not the case. I just felt like that at the time.)

The wedding party was sitting

Alex and I had a small wedding party consisting of 2 people..... His Best Man and my Matron of Honor.

I was utterly confused when they had them sit in the front row (on their respective sides) instead of standing next to us during the ceremony! I thought maybe it's because we had a civil ceremony instead of a religious ceremony that things were less formal. But then I Googled it and it turns out it's normal in the UK.

Something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe

Everyone knows the rhyme "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" for items the bride wears on her wedding day.

In England they add "and a sixpence in your shoe" meaning an old form of currency.

I didn't do this one. Not for any reason. I could have found a sixpence somewhere (and John Lewis actually sells them for brides at a ridiculous price.... Ridiculous considering what they're worth really...) Oh well!

Oops upside your head

This is a popular dance done at wedding celebration parties in England.

I had never seen it before until it was turned on and I was dragged to the dance floor and plopped on the ground! (in a white dress... classy) It's like a Macarena, Electric Slide, or Time Warp dance... Everyone just knows what to do!

Basically, everybody lines up and links legs while sitting on the ground and you shimmy or clap your hands from side to side a certain way. My freakin' hips and legs were killing me afterwards! Even though you're sitting, you're moving your upper body around so much and your hips take the brunt of the strain. Maybe I'm just out of shape!

Regardless, I don't think my American family participated. Actually, that's a lie. One of my family members stood at the front of the lines and conducted everyone into perfect synchronization! But no one got down on the ground to clap and shimmy with me. 

In the end, both weddings get the job done, am I right? I'm sure there are plenty more differences (Bachelorette Parties vs. a Hen Do, bridal showers, etc.) but these are what played major roles in our across the pond UK wedding!

Anything else you can think of? Have you been to a wedding that was different to your traditions? What traditions did you/will you incorporate into your wedding?? Have you done the "oops upside your head" dance??

Give Me Some Tips On Tips

Let's talk about tips.

Not tips as in "here's a tip, eat the new Snickers limited edition 'more nuts' chocolate bar because it tastes like love." (No but seriously, that's a real tip. You're welcome.)

Tips as in money.

I went and got my hair cut yesterday.... 

Awkward selfies! Don't mind my Donald Duck sweatshirt....

I didn't know if it was standard to tip the hairdresser. Or expected. Or customary.

I always noticed that people don't really tip in England. And if you did, it's because someone went above and beyond.

(From personal experience, we tip at nice restaurants here. But never so much as 18-20%. It was always usually a few pounds.)

But to be honest it always just felt wrong not leaving tips. Not because I genuinely feel strongly about it, but because of habit. I've grown up tipping. I've worked in a restaurant and "lived off of tips". It's just what I'm used to. I'm sure if I grew up here and went to America and was expected to tip at least 15% I'd feel outraged!

So I took my issue to Google.

This is what I noticed. (Nothing is directly quoted. This is the jist of the um-teen billion forums I read.)

Pro tipping:

"Why not show them that they did a good job?"

"Service industries should be tipped."

"They don't make enough money without tips."

Against tipping: 

"I work in a supermarket/office/store and I don't get tipped when I do a good job. And I don't expect to be."

"If they want more money, they should increase the price." 

"I'm already paying a ridiculous amount for _____. Why should I pay more?"

And then there was the dilemma of how much to tip (if at all). There was zero agreement on this.

For example, say you were getting a pricey hair cut/style/colour/etc.....

"If you can afford a £70 hair treatment, you can afford a £5 tip to the hairdresser..."

"If you're getting a £70 hair treatment, you don't need to tip because you already paid a lot for the service."

(At this point I wanted to throw my laptop and say "I quit!")

And a lot of people blamed America for putting it in worker's heads that tipping is the norm.

(Not my fault, I promise!)

The most common consensus was to tip about 10%, or round up to the nearest 5/10 pounds. But even that had counterarguments.

"Don't you feel giving them a measly £2 is a bit insulting?"

"Any amount is always appreciated! Even 50p!"

What is an expat to do?

So, what do you think? How do you feel about these differing opinions? Why is it the "norm" but "not the norm" at the same time?

Times When My New Home Frustrates Me

I love England!

Have I mentioned that enough lately?

I'm literally running around places shouting "I LOVE ENGLAND!" No, I kid. This is just a shameless plug of my first nice running photo EVER from this past Saturday.

I like being somewhat familiar with my surroundings, and I like calling this my home. Sometimes I slip up and I'll refer to Florida as "home", but it's probably because it's been home for over two decades. Old habits die hard.

But sometimes, not going to lie, I get frustrated here.

So here's my list of times when England frustrates me. (Don't worry, I'm a lighthearted blogger, so this is a lighthearted list. I promise.)

When I want to just call a friend from back home. Yeah, Whatsapp is pretty cool. It's the year 2012 and I like texting. But when I want to rant to my best friend about my wedding dress dilemma while I'm stood frazzled on the high street, I can't!

(While we're on the subject of wedding dresses....)

When I'm wedding dress shopping. I have my dress, and it wasn't too painful of a process. But I wish I had my friends there when I was trying stuff on to give me the A-Okay on whether it makes me look like a lovely bride or whatever I'm supposed to look like.

When I really miss Target.

Target is like my mother ship. Anything I needed back in America, I just went to Target. Socks? Go to Target. Toiletries? Go to Target. Clearance sunglasses? Go to Target. Cute stuff I don't need? Go to Target.

Do you see a trend forming?

If I need something here, my first reaction is "go to Targ-ahhhhhdamnit!!"

When I Skype my parents and they are making spicy chicken wings. I'm sorry, my step-mom makes the best chicken wings. I'm salivating just thinking about it.

When I want to speak to someone but can't because of the time difference. Sorry for waking you up at 6 AM, sister!

When I'm in a store specifically looking for something. Well if I had just gone to Target I'd know EXACTLY where it is located! Seriously, it takes me an hour just to find shampoo here.

When I'm forced to respond to HIYA, YOU ALRIGHT?!? Which is like, ten times a day at least. I just feel so unnatural responding to it the way other British people do. Because when I do reply with "Yeah, you alright?", they either don't respond at all or laugh because it sounds so strange coming from me.

When I get an e-mail that one of my favorite American stores is having a massive sale. This whole week I've been unsubscribing myself from all those store emails that just get deleted anyway. But sometimes I'll read one and just cry on the inside because my favorite scarf just got marked down to $5.99 and I wish it didn't cost an extra $90 to ship to me here! Screw you, sales! 

As you can see, expat problems really do exist. But then I just douse some chips in vinegar and eat my feelings, so it's okay!

This guy makes it better, too.

What are some things about your "new home" that frustrate you? What are some familiar things that you wish you had when you're not at home?

So Apparently I'm Canadian, Eh?!

(Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't read this blog for more than 5 seconds: I'm not Canadian.) 

People ask me all the time where I'm from. I think it's really cool! It makes me feel interesting.... even though I fully accept that I am the opposite of interesting.

Lot's of people guess that I'm American. Without even opening my mouth, my first name kind of gives it away.

"Ohhh, like Taylor Swift! You must be American!"

And then I talk.........

And sometimes people get excited, especially if I'm talking to girls around my age or if there's alcohol involved.

"You're from Miami?! I love your accent!! Have you met the Kardashians?!" 

I promise I did not make that quote up. It happened.

And then, more often than not, people ask if I'm Canadian.

The epitome of Canada right there. And then just smother this picture in poutine.

I always understood the confusion. Sure, Americans and Canadians sound quite alike. We are neighbors, after all.

I never thought anything of the mix up except "Oh cool, I can pass as a Canadian! I should put that on my resume! I really like Canada! And Caesars! And poutine! I'm hungry...."

And I do genuinely love Canada! I've been to Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, and little towns in between. I've also seen the inside of Toronto's airport. Does that count??

The Fiance and I in Vancouver this past May. See, we love Canada!

But then on Saturday, someone asked the Fiance if I was Canadian. He obviously replied no, she's American, which the other person then followed with this:

"Well I was going to say American! But I didn't want to offend them in case they were Canadian!"

Say whatttttt?! You didn't want to offend a Canadian by calling them American?

Obviously, I could care less about that statement or any way of making fun of Americans for that matter. I love a good laugh. And I just epitomized Canada with a picture of a moose. I can be a cultural ass, too.

I may not be a cultural ass in this picture, but I just look like an ass anyway. Maybe this could be offensive to other giraffes. I don't know... I just needed a picture to break up the seriousness and keep things funny.

It makes me wonder..... Does everyone just ask if I'm Canadian out of politeness to other Canadians? Do they just revert to that in the off chance that they meet a Canadian? Or have they met Canadians mistaken for Americans before and just reluctantly lived to tell the tale? Should that guy just have kept that statement in his inner monologue?

But again, I'm making this very clear.
1. Not offended.
2. Not trying to be an American jerk.
3. Just curious.

But I did want to hear YOUR opinions on the matter. 

So what do you think? Is this normal? Are Americans allowed to be called Canadian, but not the other way around?