I have heard many people complain about this country, mostly about the weather. It is true that the UK doesn't have a tropical climate; here, when sun shines at midday does not mean it won't rain one hour later. We get cold and snowy winters, but also sunny and really hot summers!
I have been living in Bristol for over two year now. I found several things I really like in this country but also some others that I would never get used to. Perhaps you will share some of my likes, maybe you won't... Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy the post and leave a comment below!
THINGS I LIKE...
I like the politeness of British people. "Thank you" and "Sorry" are words I listen very often. Sometime, it even comes out too easily and I don't really feel they are truly sorry. However, this is better than not acknowledging they are sorry or thankful at all.
I like the fact that all shops are open on Sundays. It doesn't happen in my country. Sundays are supposed to be the day where everybody have rest and therefore, all shops are closed. The only plan for Sundays used to be either to go to a restaurant/bar or to the cinema. Here on the contrary, I go out and don't feel the sadness and depressing feeling of Sundays.
Most people will hold the door for me, which makes me feel uncomfortable sometimes, as I barely get the chance to hold the door for them and return the favour! I realise about how important it is to be polite when I go back to your country and waiters and shop assistants don't care about me at all!
Queuing is a national "sport" in the UK. And I like it! British people queue for anything and everything, and most importantly, they respect the queues. Do not dare at skipping the queue! Once, my brother and I were in Bratislava waiting to get a flight back to London and as somebody started queuing before boarding by leaving his suitcase and getting a seat closeby. The next one did the same and in a matter of minutes, there was a complete queue of suitcases, as you can see in the picture! The most amazing fact was that when we were about to board, everybody respected the suitcase-queue!
Queuing is a national "sport" in the UK. And I like it! British people queue for anything and everything, and most importantly, they respect the queues. Do not dare at skipping the queue! Once, my brother and I were in Bratislava waiting to get a flight back to London and as somebody started queuing before boarding by leaving his suitcase and getting a seat closeby. The next one did the same and in a matter of minutes, there was a complete queue of suitcases, as you can see in the picture! The most amazing fact was that when we were about to board, everybody respected the suitcase-queue!
I like the fact that all shops are open on Sundays. It doesn't happen in my country. Sundays are supposed to be the day where everybody have rest and therefore, all shops are closed. The only plan for Sundays used to be either to go to a restaurant/bar or to the cinema. Here on the contrary, I go out and don't feel the sadness and depressing feeling of Sundays.
Postcard shops are a dream for me. I really like sending (and receiving) postcards. Birthday, Christmas... anything is an excuse to send postcards. UK is the dreamland for postcards-lovers, while postcard sections in my country barely take a couple of metres. Mobile contracts are really cheap here. You can have a huge amount of minutes and internet data for only 5 pounds with "low-cost" companies such as Lebara, Giffgaff or Three. Nonetheless, these kind of companies are recently getting more and more popular in Spain too.
It is also very convenient to be able to withdraw money free of charge at cash machines different to your bank. It does not happen back home. There, you need to find a cash machine which belongs to your bank. Otherwise, you will be charged a fee every time you withdraw money from other bank's cash machines. I also like not to be charged for money transfers between different bank accounts. Back in my country, if accounts don't belong to the same bank, you would be charged 2-5 euros per transfer. Insane!!
Not to mention the cash-back service. I first heard about the cash-back when I was in the USA about 5 years ago. When you buy something, you can ask to be charged more and you'll get the money in cash. Very useful service which doesn't exist back in my country.
The variety of ciders and beers is another good thing in the UK. It is the only thing a student can afford, anyway! Most cities have many local breweries and produce their own local beers and ciders. It is getting popular as well to brew your own beer at home and most supermarkets sell kits for you to produce your own beer at your place. I haven't tried it yet, though!
The best invention of all are the kettles. I haven't seen a kettle until I got to the UK and even at the beginning, I didn't think they were very useful. However, I changed my mind. They are the perfect tool to cook pasta without needing to wait long time waiting for the water to boil. The kettle will do it within seconds. Thanks kettle!
THINGS I WILL NEVER GET USED TO...
First of all, I have to clarify that 'English punctuality' is a myth! I have checked it at work as well as with some friends and there is nothing like English punctuality. British people might be more structured than us, for example, and develop more project plans and schedules, but the bus always runs late!
I will never get used to those tiny little traffic lights for pedestrians. Even though some of them are located where they should (right in front of you), many times I found those lights are located in one side!! This is totally useless unless you are standing right next to it! If there is a crowded crossing, I can't see if the light is red or green!
However, some weeks ago I realised that these side traffic lights are strategically located: if you look at those traffic lights, your head will automatically looking at the direction where traffic comes! Very useful for those who just arrived to the country.
British people will probably disagree with the following but with all respect I have to say that the two only good things of the British gastronomy are the English Breakfast and the Sunday Roast. And maybe I can add Fish & Chips to the list if you are in a coastal town. The fact of having beans for breakfast is something very surprising to my friends back home, but I have to admit I like it (and beans are probably the healthiest thing you can eat in an English Breakfast!). The rest of the British gastronomy are pies and cakes, full of butter and calories!
I also have to complain about how many Spanish people there are in Bristol. The crisis brought many young and unemployed people to this country and Bristol is a common destination: it's not as big as London and yet has the benefits of a big city. It's not that I hate Spanish but I have to say that sometimes I don't really feel that I am living in the UK anymore. I am at the city centre and the only language I hear is Spanish!
Wine is another concern. Why is it so expensive? Back home, we had a litre of (bad) wine for less than one euro. Why the cheapest wine here costs at least 5 pounds? If at least it was good wine... I like drinking "Kalimotxo", a traditional Basque drink which has fifty-fifty wine and coke, something traditionally drunk by young people as it is very cheap. However, to drink a kalimotxo in the UK is as expensive as having a Rum-Coke! Not fair!
I also cannot understand why they take so long at the pharmacies to give you what you need. I am not sure if it happens just at my local pharmacy, but when I have a prescription, they make me wait (what in my opinion is) too long. They take your prescription and they ask you to take a seat. Then, you join other 5-6 people that are also waiting for their stuff. Meanwhile, the pharmacist is taking other people's prescriptions and asking them to take a seat. Wouldn't it be easier to just give each of us what we need when they read the prescription? I am sure they have a system, though. If anyone knows about it, please, let me know!
Although I like the fact that British people don't really care about what the rest thinks about their clothes or look, sometimes it gets too extreme. When I go shopping for example, I see clothes that I wonder who would wear them... and half an hour later I see somebody! I have seen two 15-year-old mums wearing animal onesies walking their kids and I am not sure who looked more childish! Crazy!
Last but not least, why do I see so many people burb in Bristol? Anytime, anywhere... they don't really care if somebody is around! It's disgusting! Come on, guys!!
The best invention of all are the kettles. I haven't seen a kettle until I got to the UK and even at the beginning, I didn't think they were very useful. However, I changed my mind. They are the perfect tool to cook pasta without needing to wait long time waiting for the water to boil. The kettle will do it within seconds. Thanks kettle!
THINGS I WILL NEVER GET USED TO...
First of all, I have to clarify that 'English punctuality' is a myth! I have checked it at work as well as with some friends and there is nothing like English punctuality. British people might be more structured than us, for example, and develop more project plans and schedules, but the bus always runs late!
I will never get used to those tiny little traffic lights for pedestrians. Even though some of them are located where they should (right in front of you), many times I found those lights are located in one side!! This is totally useless unless you are standing right next to it! If there is a crowded crossing, I can't see if the light is red or green!
However, some weeks ago I realised that these side traffic lights are strategically located: if you look at those traffic lights, your head will automatically looking at the direction where traffic comes! Very useful for those who just arrived to the country.
I also have to complain about how many Spanish people there are in Bristol. The crisis brought many young and unemployed people to this country and Bristol is a common destination: it's not as big as London and yet has the benefits of a big city. It's not that I hate Spanish but I have to say that sometimes I don't really feel that I am living in the UK anymore. I am at the city centre and the only language I hear is Spanish!
Wine is another concern. Why is it so expensive? Back home, we had a litre of (bad) wine for less than one euro. Why the cheapest wine here costs at least 5 pounds? If at least it was good wine... I like drinking "Kalimotxo", a traditional Basque drink which has fifty-fifty wine and coke, something traditionally drunk by young people as it is very cheap. However, to drink a kalimotxo in the UK is as expensive as having a Rum-Coke! Not fair!
I also cannot understand why they take so long at the pharmacies to give you what you need. I am not sure if it happens just at my local pharmacy, but when I have a prescription, they make me wait (what in my opinion is) too long. They take your prescription and they ask you to take a seat. Then, you join other 5-6 people that are also waiting for their stuff. Meanwhile, the pharmacist is taking other people's prescriptions and asking them to take a seat. Wouldn't it be easier to just give each of us what we need when they read the prescription? I am sure they have a system, though. If anyone knows about it, please, let me know!
Although I like the fact that British people don't really care about what the rest thinks about their clothes or look, sometimes it gets too extreme. When I go shopping for example, I see clothes that I wonder who would wear them... and half an hour later I see somebody! I have seen two 15-year-old mums wearing animal onesies walking their kids and I am not sure who looked more childish! Crazy!
Last but not least, why do I see so many people burb in Bristol? Anytime, anywhere... they don't really care if somebody is around! It's disgusting! Come on, guys!!
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Do I forget anything? If you are a foreign person, what else do you like or dislike? If you are local, what did surprise you? Please, feel free to leave your comment! :)
HAHA ! Awesome ! I agree with most of the things but things I totally diagree with:
ReplyDeleteThings I hate:
- British politeness !! It's true that it is relaxing that everybody is sorry or thanks people when you are in the streets, but there is nothing worse thant politeness form people you know. For foreigners, it can be a bit difficult to understand what they really think, and some politeness sentences can clearly be mean. When someone is not happy about me or does not like me, I prefer one tells me that straight away ! Also, an interesting fact is that hypocrisy does no have the same meaning in French and in English, which is probably due to the politeness.
- I hate that British people are too scared of getting food poisoning if keeping potatoes for too long or reheating rice.
- I hate traffic lights in the roundabouts, and roundabouts in the motorways.
- Work canteens: expensive, poor quality, small amounts.
Things I like:
- The fact that British people don't care about what they wear. I don't find it extreme personally :)
- I like the fact there are many foreigners in Bristol :) It feels like it's an international city and I can practice my Spanish haha ;)
- I like English Breakfasts, Sunday roast and curries ! So many curries that are not actually Indian, but which were invented in the UK. I also like Cornish pasties ans Fish and Chips. I won't say it's more fat than in France because we eat everything with cream. But the bad thing is that most of people buy fat ready-meals rather than cooking themselves something healthy.
- Christmas crackers !!
- The wild coasts of Cornwall and Wales with no big uggly hotels and buildings.
- The fact that Bristish people are always so well equiped for camping and outdoor activities.
Hahahaha, I like your comment!! Especially, the food poisoning thing!! Soooo funny!
DeleteAs a Bristolian living in Bristol I would like to add my own comments, to you and Joana^ :)
ReplyDelete-I genuinely thought Kettles were used worldwide, just like toasters or microwaves! Why not?!
-You are absolutely right about punctuality, infact most of us English constantly complain about everything being late ALL THE TIME - mainly buses and trains - the Swiss are the punctual ones!
- It is true that British cuisine is limited and fattening, although we can partially blame it on the climate, however I like to think we have embraced 100s of other cuisines, I personally eat alot of Italian, Spanish and French food. It is a shame about the ready meal reliance - they are very bad for us, but most people deny that they have enought time to cook a proper meal - they do!
- My family always uses up all the food we cook, no food goes wasted, just like we did in WW2
- I have never really noticed many Spanish people in the centre, alot of Eastern Europeans and Asians maybe, alot in the East of the city, but not so many Europeans, maybe I'm wrong ;)
- If you have time to visit the Lake District, Wales, Yorkshire, Scotland etc, unless you already have ofcourse, then you must! Bristol may be the best city in the UK ;), but the countryside is spectacular in the North West in particular!
Great blog, and very funny story about the suitcase queue! Keep it up
Hahaha. I also like using up all the food I cook! Today's leftovers are lunch for tomorrow! :)
DeleteAnd I definitely agree about the country side! I have travelled quite a lot around the UK but still haven't been in places like the Lake District or the mountains in Scotland. I should plan a trip there in the near future. Thanks for the advice and the comment!