Thanksgiving 2019

This year on Thanksgiving, I volunteered at the school once again for an American holiday celebration.

The Infants classes (which is Reception, Year 1, and Year 2) had a morning full of crafts and pin the tail on the turkey. But I had the best job of all - I helped in the tasting room. The American families brought in traditional dishes, and I passed out small portions to the kids. We had rolls and cornbread, pork stuffing, plantains, canned cranberry sauce, chocolate pie, pumpkin pie, and apple pie (with a sample of Cool Whip).

I served the foods while explaining what we were eating and some differences in American Thanksgiving and British Christmas dinner. Surprisingly, most of the kids at least tried everything, though they definitely didn't like it all. The most popular dishes of the day were cornbread, chocolate pie, and (for some) cranberry sauce. And I'm pretty sure that everyone loved Cool Whip- which was a completely new thing for the locals. The head of education, along with the head teacher and deputy head (like principal and vice principal) also popped in to sample all of the food.

At lunchtime, all parents and siblings of American students were invited to eat with the infants. The kitchen staff had prepared a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade creamed corn, stuffing, and green beans. It was very tasty, and fun to share our culture.

That evening, Matt and I had parent/teacher meetings, so we had a quick dinner of our traditional English turkey dinner pies.

The following day, we picked the kids up early from school for a surprise. Miles was slightly disappointed that we weren't "celebrating Black Friday," but he soon cheered up.

We went to lunch at Pizza Express (one of the kids' favorites).

Then we went to the cinema to see Frozen 2. We had secretly packed Lily and Clara's Anna and Elsa dresses, so they were able to dress up. All three kids enjoyed the movie and the general fun of the day.

The seats are so roomy and comfortable

We did have a big Thanksgiving meal on that Sunday, and we invited another American family from the school to join us. Somehow I didn't take any pictures on that day, but it was a great time with kids playing and adult conversation. I'll have to make a note to get pictures next year!

Chips (aka Crisps)

We were talking to the kids about planning a trip to the US (watch this space...), and Lily asked if they have crisps there. In the States, we refer to crisps as chips (which are thick cut french fries in the UK). I told Lily that yes, there are crisps in the US, but the flavors may be different than what she's used to.

That got me thinking about the differences in flavors, and I thought I'd share what seemed strange 2.5 years ago when we first arrived.

photo from wikihow.com

According to statistica.com, the top flavors of chips in the US last year included the following:

Plain
BBQ
Sour Cream & Onion
Salt & Vinegar
Cheese
Jalapeno


Those are all varieties I've tried before (and Ruffles Sour Cream and Onion are some of my favorite), and they probably all sound familiar.


I remember the first time we went into a convenience store in the UK, looking for a few staples to keep in the cupboard. The first thing I noticed was how the British like their meat-flavored crisps. That seemed really odd at the time, but having tried several varieties, they're actually pretty tasty.


A few common meat flavors are:

Roast Chicken (these actually taste like juicy roasted chicken)

Bacon (they're good, but don't taste like the bacon we're used to)

Prawn Cocktail (it took me 2 years to try these. They don't taste like shrimp so much as cocktail sauce, but they're not terrible)

Beef/Beef and Onion

Ham/Roast Ham/ some variation of this


There are also many flavors that are suitable for vegetarians:

Cheese and Onion (Lily's absolute favorite, and they're very good)

Tomato Ketchup

Marmite (hard no)

Thai Sweet Chilli (one of my favorites)

Salt & Vinegar

Ready Salted (which is plain to Americans)

Worcester Sauce

Paprika

Some kind of cheese and chutney


I'm not brave enough to try them all (I'm looking at you, ketchup, paprika, and Worcester), but it has been sort of fun and interesting to try different kinds. Last year there was a seasonal goats cheese and thyme flavor by Tyrrell's, which I loved. I think that Walker's has the most popular varieties (at least that's my impression), but we do also have Lay's and Pringles here. Also a small selection of Doritos, though Cool Ranch is known as Cool Original (due to the fact that ranch is not a UK institution like it is back home).

There's a brief and lighthearted overview of my experience with potato chips in England. Lily might be disappointed not to find Walker's Cheese and Onion crisps in the Midwest, but I'm sure she'll be willing to try new kinds. 😊

One Year

Yesterday was the anniversary of our arrival in the UK. It really has been a whirlwind at times, and seems like it has been much longer than one year. Here are some highlights (and some not so fun parts).

-Moving around 6 times in 6 weeks before we found our apartment.

-Having the kids start school a couple of weeks after we got here. Not knowing the unspoken details on uniforms (although the school was very forgiving), and just the huge transition for the kids starting school in a different country.

-I heard from another expat about moving to England from the US, that you're in a place where everything is just slightly different. That's spot on for me. Things are largely the same, but it is an adjustment. Converting measurements and temperatures, different words and phrases, and trying to find your regular ingredients at the grocery store, just to name a few.

- First holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Bonfire Night, Christmas, etc. Learning new customs (especially from the kids) and trying new things.

- Adjusting to not having as many visitors as we had in Colorado. Matt's mom visited in the fall, and we currently have visitors (yay!), but that's it so far. I think it's been rough on all of us to be so far away from friends and family.

- The beginnings of travel. So our only big trip so far has been Barcelona, but we actually have a couple more trips booked, so there will be more coming soon.

- Starting to make friends here. As an introvert, it's easier for me to stay in and do nothing, but I have worked on pushing myself. I'm taking it slowly, but it's coming along.

There's so so much more that has happened than just those things, but I wanted to keep it brief. It has been incredibly difficult at times, but if I knew then what we would have to go through, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'm so grateful for the opportunity we have here, and am so glad that we can share this with the kids. Now let's see where this next year takes us!

Little Things

Wow, I have been very bad at blogging this month. I think it's because we're just living our day to day life, and that seems so boring to share. So here are some of my random thoughts.

One of the things I thought I'd miss terribly about the US was Target. I went often, and it got to the point that if I asked Lily what she wanted to do, she'd say, "Go to Target!" But honestly, I'm not missing it at the moment. I can't think of anything I would need from that particular store. Not to say that my feelings won't change...

Another place I frequented in the US was Starbucks. Of course, there are Starbucks here (although not on every corner like in the Denver area). And I have been to the one in our town... once. I'm just not compelled to keep going. There are other coffee shops that are closer to home and have good lattes, so I just go there.

One thing I am missing at the moment is ice. We don't have an ice tray for the freezer, but I'm thinking I may want to get one. Since the weather has been a bit warmer I've been wanting cold water to drink, and I'll definitely need ice for mixed drinks in the summer. (Side note: I tried Pimm's and lemonade this weekend for the first time. It's a common drink in the UK, and I thought it was refreshing. Definitely something to have on hand in the warm weather.)

Speaking of the weather... We moved from a place that boasted 300+ days of sunshine per year, but the weather here isn't as bad as I'd thought. Sure, we get a lot of great days, and a lot more rain, but it doesn't rain all the time (or even every day).  The weather is very changeable, just like the places I've lived in the States. It just doesn't have extreme hot and cold like I was used to.

Okay, with those thoughts out of the way, it's time for pictures. Here are some recent trips to the park when the weather's been nice.

And of course when the wading pool opened, they had to get in fully clothed.

Lastly, here are a few from US Memorial Day/UK bank holiday. We didn't do much, just a little rainy day thrift store shopping. We did walk through the park on the way home though.

That's about it for now. We haven't done much traveling yet, even around England, but we're trying to make an effort to plan things so we actually go places.  So the are fun things on the horizon. I'd also love to answer any questions anyone has - about the move, living abroad, or whatever.  Cheers!

Around the House

Just to highlight some of the differences we're dealing with, I thought I'd take you on a little tour around the house.

Bedrooms/ Living areas 

Heating.  First of all, there are radiators in each room. I know some houses in the States have these too, but it's never something we've lived with. So we can't just set the thermostat at a nice, comfortable temperature and leave it. I know, it's not a big deal. It is a difference though, so I've included it.
We also have fireplaces in each bedroom, the living room, and the dining room, but as far as I know they're no longer functional.

Cooling.  There's also no air conditioning. And no built in fans. You cool your dwelling by opening windows, but there aren't any screens on these windows, so you just have an open hole. We'll see how this goes next summer...

Windows.  Speaking of open windows, we have to at least crack them at times all year long. Since we get a good amount of rain, and not a lot of ventilation, mold can grow very easily. So you have to try to keep the house dry. Also, we, like many others around here, have only single glazed windows. Even when the windows are closed, it's chilly and drafty. It's not uncommon for Americans to have astronomical hearing bills when they move here, because we're used to having warm houses. For now we have several throws in the living room to keep the chill off.

No closets. That's right, most places don't have closets at all, not even in the bedrooms (the horror). Fortunately, Miles and Lily's room has a built in wardrobe, and there's another large built in wardrobe in the hallway for Matt and me. Sorry, Clara, you're out of luck.

This is the one in the hallway

Kitchen/Bath

Faucets. In the States, we're used to mixer taps, where the hot and cold water flow through one faucet. In the UK, it's not uncommon to have two separate faucets, one for hot and one for cold. So after using the toilet, you get to choose whether you want to wash with over cold or soon to be scalding hot water. All of our rooms have mixer taps except one, so that's nice.

Outlets. There are no outlets (besides shaver outlets) in bathrooms, at least not in any of the places we've stayed. This doesn't bother me, since I rarely use blow dryers and heat styling tools. Another thing is that the outlets each have on/off switches. It took some time to get used to turning on the plug before using it, but now I like this feature since it saves electricity.

Small and slow washing machine. Wait, we're talking about the kitchen, right? Yep, unless there's a utility room (and there usually isn't), washers are located in the kitchen. They don't hold a lot, and are terribly slow. I think mine takes between 1-2 hours to wash a load, which means I'm never caught up.  Naturally, this leads us to...

Dryers. Some places (like our apartment) don't have a dryer at all, and most of the places that do have condenser dryers. Instead of blowing hot air over the clothes and expelling the moisture through a vent, all air is sealed in the machine. The air blows through the clothes, and the water condenses into another receptacle. The first time I used one of these, I ran it about 5 times and the clothes never got dry. Matt's been told that a nice dryer can work well, but I'm skeptical. I'll still get one though, since I really dislike crunchy clothes that have been drying all over my kitchen.


Small appliances. Our fridge is a typical UK size, which is between the size of a US refrigerator and a mini fridge, ha. It's been working for us so far, but you can't fit a gallon of milk in the door. It's an adjustment since we were weekly Costco shoppers in Colorado. Also, the oven is very small. The movers forgot to pack our flat pans, like cookie sheets. But it's just as well, since none of them would fit anyway. Basically my 9"x13" plans just fit inside. Thanksgiving will certainly be interesting this year - we may be eating a chicken!

I had to look up instructions on how to use this online.

Kitchen sink. I nearly forgot about my least favorite inconvenience (tied with the dryer)! Our kitchen sink is tiny. I can fit my crock pot in it, but washing it is a major pain. But I think the worst part is not having a garbage disposal. I can't stand cleaning slimy stuff out of the little basket thing. Yuck!

And that's a quick tour of the differences within the house. Really none of the difficulties are insurmountable, but it does take some time to get used to a new normal.

Because I'm Basic

Matt brought a little surprise home for me last night...

It's not as easy to find around here, so I was pretty excited. It's full on fall weather here, and I've been craving pumpkin desserts, and turkey pumpkin chili (got that recipe from Pinterest).

Now I just have to decide if I use it all now or save some for our Thanksgiving celebration...

Things I'm Missing/Things I'm Loving

Just a few things...

MISSING

Friends and family

Wifi (we have another couple of days before our internet is hooked up - 2 weeks after we called to set it up)

Colorado sunshine

Costco (there's one in Leeds, but we haven't gone yet)

Having a TV (we're getting one soon)

Having a yard

Tumble dryers

American sized ovens



LOVING

Being able to walk everywhere

We're starting to think about travel plans (& there's so much to choose from!)

Yorkshire Tea and an oaty biscuit or scone with jam and cream

Cider (the adult kind)

Being a bit distanced from politics right now

One Step at a Time

My grandmother never learned how to drive. Ever since I can remember, I had wondered why she didn't just get out there and do it, but after moving here I can completely empathize.
We've been here for a month and a half, and I'm still not driving. It's not driving on the left side of the road that worries me. It's the narrow streets in town, where cars park partly on the sidewalk on both sides. This leaves just enough space for two cars to get through (sometimes barely enough room for one). Even as a passenger this is frightening, as it feels like the left side of the car is much closer to anything than it actually is.
Roundabouts are another thing that worry me. I'm not talking about a dinky little roundabout like you can find in the States, I mean a 3 laner with 4 or more exits. And I can't even think about getting on the motorway yet.
But, I have to just get out there and do it, right? And last night I had a go. I drove from our place to the grocery store, which was about 2 miles and 15 minutes. I drove on one narrow street, and through two roundabouts. I got a little confused with the lanes in a roundabout, but I managed. I'm still anxious, and won't be trying to drive everywhere, but I'm proud that I did it. It has to get better from here.

Bits and Pieces

Two small accomplishments recently:
1. I gave a guy directions. They were insanely simple, but directions nonetheless.
2. I am now used to looking to the right first when I cross the street.

In the UK, the word pants means underwear. I know this, and still can't stop saying pants.
On a related note, the kids are picking up British words and phrases pretty quickly. Miles corrects me when I say certain things (like pants instead of trousers), and yesterday Lily told me that Miles "had a go" on something at the park.

The family is now enrolled in the National Health Services, so we can now see doctors here. Clara and I had our first appointments this week, and it was quick and easy so far.

I'm meeting many other parents at the kids' school. I can only remember about 5 names, but everyone is so welcoming and willing to start conversations. I haven't once felt excluded.

A standard getting around here is, "Are you alright?" I was very confused until I figured out that it basically means, "How are you?"

That's it for now, just some random thoughts.

Keepin' It Real

I feel like overall I've kept a pretty positive attitude with everything we've gone through so far, but I'd be lying if I said it's been easy. Here are just a few of the difficulties.

A random picture of countryside to break up the text

Not having easy access to public toilets. Especially with a 3 and 5 year old. Most restaurants or businesses have been really understanding if one of the kids really needs to go, but the reality is that many shops just do not have bathrooms at all.

Inconvenient restaurant times. Since we are still in temporary housing, we haven't been able to do much cooking at all. And it's not always easy to find a place to eat. There are sandwich shops, which are open late morning to late afternoon. Then the proper restaurants usually open around 6pm for early birds. There are a few fast food places, but not many (and no drive thrus). Also, if you don't have reservations for weekend dinner, you're basically stuck with takeaway.

We stayed in the round building for two days

Not having local friends. I know I will make friends, but it does get a little lonely not to have someone to text or hang out with. It's hardest for me in the mornings, when I feel chatty but it's still the middle of the night in the US.

Language barrier. Of course people from both countries speak English, but there's a wide variation of terminology. I'm trying to use the English (England English) words and phrases, but I haven't caught on with certain things. I say pants all the time, which means underpants here. Trousers. Trousers. Trousers. Someday I'll get it.
There's also a wide variety of accents. Not a big deal, really, it just can take a moment for your brain to catch up with a conversation including multiple people.

An actual key to one of the apartments we stayed in

Bacon. What they call bacon here is not what we're used to. It's thick and more hammy than bacony. We're still new enough that we get a little disappointed after ordering food with bacon.

Electric showers. Yes, these are real. It's supposed to be a more efficient heating method, as it only warms the water being used. Maybe we have only experienced awful ones, but it started out with a few minutes of ice cold water, followed by a few minutes of super hot water. And adjustments to temp in between take some time.

Park day

Moving around a lot. This has by far been the most difficult part of our move. The town we're in has a lot of festivals and events, so there hasn't been room for us to stay in one apartment/hotel until we get our own flat. We've been here four weeks, and are now in our sixth temporary residence. We've never unpacked anything since the longest we've been in one place is a week. Plus it's been really hard on the kids. It's bad enough that they don't have their toys and other things, but to be uprooted so many times has made them even more homesick. I'm really looking forward to settling in to one place and staying there.

I know that a lot of these things are either temporary or will improve with time (except the bacon). And once we are settled in and used to things, I'm very confident that we will really like it here.

Driving

A shuttle picked us up at the Bradford/Leeds airport and dropped us off at the rental car place. I wasn't about to try driving just yet, but Matt was game. We picked up the car (which was one of the largest they had - no minivans here!), and loaded up the luggage.

I still don't know how it all fit

Now, I was already having some anxiety about even riding in the car here, which I'm sure didn't help Matt at all. We loaded up the necessary address in his phone, and turned on the audio navigation. I think the combination of the unfamiliar surroundings plus the stress from traveling had a big effect. Matt made a right turn just a little too wide, jumped up onto the curb, and popped the tire. Luckily we hadn't made it very far, so we went straight back to the rental lot. Matt filled out some paperwork, and we called a taxi.

We were both pretty shaken up by this point, and I vowed that I wouldn't be driving at all while we're here. It actually took me about 3 days before I even got back into the car as a passenger. 

Anyway, Matt caught a ride with a co-worker on Monday, and picked up the rental car after work. He was much more calm, and has since become more comfortable with driving. 

I'm still a reluctant passenger. The streets are so narrow, and even when there are two lanes, they're not always big enough for two cars to go through at once. It's commonplace for people to just pull up halfway onto the curb to park, and it really feels cramped then!

Matt said that when he spoke to his work contact about taking a written driving test, he inadvertently mentioned how nervous I am. And now it's noted that I'm a nervous driver, haha. So we now have the names of a few driving instructors that I can choose to take lessons from. I'm sure that's for the best, but I still plan on walking as much as I possibly can.

Who wouldn't want to walk through this?