Finally

I promised to start posting about my trip so here it is. I'm writing a series for the paper and am going to share it here. With such a big readership, The Telfair Enterprise might not get around to everyone. Here is this week's article:

They talk funny there, too!

“England and America are two countries separated by the same language.”
~ G.B. Shaw

Recently, I spent three weeks in England and they were probably the most relaxing, enjoyable ones of my life. The weather was typically March, windy and cool, but only two days of the “dreaded” rain I’d heard so much about. (I had planned to visit a little later but my friend Richard invited me to come for his birthday so I moved the trip up a little.) Most of my visit was spent in Essex and, other than at our home base of Chelmsford, we spent a lot of time utilizing public footpaths to explore the countryside and visit some the lovely little villages and landmarks there.

I had a great host and tour guide and saw many of the requisite sights in London but I didn’t rush around all the time trying to see and do everything only to wind up not enjoying any of it. Instead, I tried to assimilate myself into the day-to-day routine of Richard’s life and fit into his British lifestyle instead of being a typical tourist. I think I pretty much succeeded except that I’m quite sure he doesn’t ordinarily go to as many places as we did in the same length of time, but he and his friends and family do walk frequently, sometimes even going away for several days to explore other areas of the country. However, those treks are normally spread out over longer periods of time than our expeditions were.

We also paced ourselves, taking enough down time enough to relax and rejuvenate before starting the next activity and this made my time there much more enjoyable. Actually, I’m convinced that I was more worn out from all the family/friend activities than those long walks. That is, except for the two days we spend in London wandering about and seeing a play both evenings before taking the train back home. The trips on the train from Chelmsford to London were only 35 minutes long: it was all the wandering about we did in between those rides that nearly did me in.

Let me say here that it didn’t take very long at all to dispel the myth that British food and excellent cuisine don’t go together. I found the food there to be exceptionally good and the subtitle of this series, “Eating my way through Essex,” isn’t too far off the mark at all. As a matter of fact, I didn’t meet a pub or teahouse I didn’t like and I’m sure Richard will support this opinion wholeheartedly.

Even though I had several wonderful restaurant meals, the ones I enjoyed most were by prepared by Richard and his family members and friends. The best by far was a Moroccan style dish made by his son Kevan (sans a recipe), but the one his daughter Justine served ran a very close second. Richard is also a good cook in his own right and introduced me to properly prepared tea and the joys of Sharon fruit and other delectables sold at the markets there.

I also learned I can’t cook on a gas cooker (stove) and that I can go three weeks without a computer, cell phone, microwave, dish washer and clothes dryer. Surprisingly, I missed the dryer the most!

In another vein, I found the British to be a friendly, well-mannered lot on the whole and, with the exception of some members of the older generation, I also discovered they don’t find it necessary to nod and/or speak to people they don’t know as we frequently do in Deep South, USA. They aren’t being rude. They don’t know you, therefore, see no need to acknowledge your presence. Makes sense to me.

Neither do they find the need to use unnecessary definite/indefinite articles. If you’re sick, you might be in hospital. Or if you are pursuing higher education, you’re said to be at University. You might even decide what to do in future while there.

Almost everyone I encountered had a phenomenally funny sense of humor despite the bleak economic forecast they and the rest of the globe are facing. It’s not that they aren’t taking important things seriously: they just refuse to let it get them completely down. Their quick, somewhat dry sense of humor makes it a pleasure simply to be in their company and all the jocularity provides an especially welcoming, comfortable atmosphere.

They had several laughs at my expense and didn’t mind when I laughed at them in return. One instance when I explained that knocking someone up does not mean knocking on a person’s door in America brought a hearty laugh and another idiom evolved from it. The person explaining it to his wife told her in the United States, knocking someone up means, “giving her one.” That was funny too but at least I understood it.

I can’t even begin to list all the other expressions and terms I learned. For instance, one’s partner is not necessarily a significant other of the same sex, as we tend to think of that phraseology here. Also, they do not have to be living together; just being in a long-term monogamous relationship qualifies.I could go on and on but unfortunately there would be nothing left to write about when I share entries from the journal I kept during my trip. Other relevant information and comments will also be included as I recall things I failed to enter into the diary. I’m looking forward to this project and I hope all of you are too.