What I have learned so far...

It has been almost 2 months since I have been in England and so, I felt it fitting that I share my observations with all of you so far.

1. A common greeting is, "You alright?" meaning "What's up?" I must say this still throws me off because I feel like I have something on my face whenever my flatmates say that to me. Cheers! is also a common universal phrase here. It can mean anything from "good-bye" to "thanks" to well, "cheers!"

2. There are no cookies here, only "biscuits". And they sell loads of them in stores for 'tea time'. My favorites are ones called 'Digestives'. It took me a few weeks of curiosity until I finally tried them and realized that they aren't for digestive purposes, just meant to be "digested".

3. Just like we have preconceived notions about British people in America, British people have the same things towards us. A sampling of questions asked are:
"Is Pennsylvania above New York?"
"Are you from California/Florida/New York?
"How do you say...[insert word here] aluminum?"
"Don't you say "garbage" instead of "rubbish?"
"Are you an Evangelist?"
"Is high school in America like 'American Pie' the movie?"
"What do you think of Obama/Bush?"

4. To some British, dinner is often called "tea". So it get's a bit confusing when one of my flatmates will say that they are "having tea" when it actually means they are making dinner. So if someone invites you to "tea" you have to make sure it is "tea time" and not dinner.

5. The water systems in England aren't necessarily the best. Over the 2 months I've been here, I've mastered flushing the toilet. Yes, I am serious, there is a trick to it. Some toilets will only flush if you push down the handle twice consecutively, others you have to hold the handle down for about a minute and others will flush normally.

6. If you are in a "line" here in England it is called a "queue". There is also queue etiquette you must learn. For all other queues, there is no "queue jumping", but at the pub it is basically a free-for-all for drinks. You are also not served at the pubs, you must go up to the bar and order or you will never be served.

7. While drinking non-alcoholic beverages here, there are also some things to note. First of all, Sprite is often known as lemonade here, which can be confusing because I am afraid one time I will order sprite and it will be actually lemonade. Also, fruit drinks are called "squash", which took me awhile to realize when my flatmates would tell me they bought squash today.

8. Jacket potatoes are baked potatoes. They are one of the biggest foods here. They eat them with beans and cheese (white cheddar always) or just white cheddar or tuna and corn. Almost every night one of my flatmates has a jacket potato. They are rather delicious.

9. I've also learned that anything with the words "spicy" before it, means it isn't spicy at all. It took me about 4 or 5 disappointed tries of such "spicy" foods to realize that spicy is often a misnomer. Unless you go to an authentic Indian restaurant and ask for it to be spicy.

10. Cornish pasties are the best food you will eat here besides chips and Indian food. They come in many different varieties and they are the best way to warm your inners when it is chilly out. 

11. Fancy dress parties here do not mean wear your best attire. Fancy dress means wear a costume. Luckily I did not attend the first fancy dress hosted party on campus for I would have worn a nice dress to a "farmers"-themed party. Whoops!

12. Never say you are not wearing pants, or you don't have pants on because you are wearing a skirt, etc. Pants=underpants. Trousers=pants. Underpants=Knickers. People will look at you very strange if you say any variation on the pants/underpants theme.

So far, those are my various encounters with the oddities of the English culture. It has been very fun and often embarasing making some of the discoveries, but here they are for you to enjoy.