I am used to this place and now it is time to leave.
After seven weeks, I….
* don’t think bacon or sausage butty is a weird item on the menu
* realize that bespoke just means custom-made, like a bespoke suit. Has nothing to do with spokes on a wheel
* correctly pronounce Southwark as Suth-ick
* know how to tell time when it is 2200 or 2330
* have a bit of a handle on grams, mls, kms, Celsius and all that other metric stuff
* remember to hit the switch on the wall because just plugging in an appliance doesn’t do anything
* realize that I am the one that talks with an accent
* hear an abundance of words ending in ‘ly’ when I am in earshot of Brits in conversation (i.e. ‘seriously, you wouldn’t believe it’, ‘she was literally 20 years younger than her boyfriend’, ‘lovely, just lovely’, ‘actually I wasn’t involved')
* say cheers for hello or goodbye, so that I fit in
* realize I am the ONLY person in London that doesn’t smoke
* recognize most of the coins. Think that pence is a fun word but quid, not so much
* order a starter and then a main and try to save room for a pudding, if I am going to have afters, unless I am just at the restaurant to have a sharing plate
* have stopped looking for eggs in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, they are never there - always on a regular shelf
* shop for aubergines as they are not called eggplants
* will miss produce shopping at Elsey & Bent LTD but at least I have a reusable bag (which I can take to Von’s when I get home)
* say sorry because nobody says excuse me
* know that people use the loo instead of the bathroom
* realize that Zed is just how you say the letter ‘Z’ out loud
* keep walking up five flights of stairs (or take the lift) even though our flat is 40 B because ground is street level and then you go up to 1, and so forth and so on
* know that Night Nurse is what you buy at Boots (pharmacy chain all over London) when you need relief from a cold or flu.
* pay attention to signs or I would constantly be looking for traffic in the wrong direction.
* just found out that my underground ticket works on the overground, not to be confused with a train
* mind the gap when I get off the lift, the train and the underground
* found out that High Street in the UK is the equivalent of Main Street in the USA
* am familiar with all the weather choices that the BBC offers to describe what is coming up – sunny, sunny interval, white cloud, grey cloud, mist, light snow shower, sleet snow shower, freezing fog, etc.
* know that if I lived here any longer I would need a much prettier umbrella, like one of these:
* know to take advantage of Free Admission at the fabulous museums and galleries this city has to offer!
This entire adventure has been brilliant, simply brilliant, and I have enjoyed every minute!
And thanks to your brilliant commentary and photography, we've enjoyed it, too!
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