The last one, I promise!

This was the conclusion of my UK series. The other articles were adapted to include recipes so that I didn't have to write two articles a week but this is just my reflections on the visit.

Reflections

Looking back on my three-week stay in the UK, I’m more than happy that I approached the visit as I did. It was the trip of a lifetime and while I had no idea what to expect, I did know I wanted it to be a memorable one. By keeping an open mind and being willing to try new things, I learned a lot about others as well as myself and to appreciate a wide variety of things that I hadn’t tried before.

I spent a couple of days doing the tourist thing in London but getting out of the city revealed a completely different England than most of us think of when we hear “London.” It’s an interesting city to say the least and even though I really enjoyed the plays I saw there, I can honestly tell you I liked the little villages and countryside far more.

From the outset, I was impressed with the friendliness and openness of the people. They are quite straightforward. None of the little I-won’t-tell-you-how-I-really-feel-because-I-don’t-want-to-hurt-your-feelings dances we are so good at here in the South. They say what they mean without being rude and almost all of them have a wickedly funny sense of humor. And their obvious affection towards America gave this American a warm feeling indeed.

Of course, there were a few things that took a little getting used to like hot water taps on the right, pepper shakers with more holes than the salt shakers, toilets with flush handles on the left, all those roundabouts, right hand drives, driving in the left lane. Not that I tried my hand at driving but as a passenger I have to admit it felt a little strange to be sitting on the left side of the car with no steering wheel in front of me. It took at least a week before I stopped going to the right side to get in as a passenger. Even then, I still did it occasionally.

One of the things that impressed me was finding so many bookstores and the large numbers of people patronizing them, many more than I see in the US. Town Centre in Chelmsford isn’t very large but it has two of them just a couple of doors apart. The sheer number and variety of magazines and newspapers available there as well as in several other venues was amazing to this avid reader.

A system that automatically interrupts your car’s sound system and notifies of traffic problems or bad weather is also quite impressive. When the alert is over, the radio or your CD will start back where it left off with no loss to the interruption. I don’t know how they do it, but I like it.

There were many foods I had heard of (and some I hadn’t) but never tried. I learned to enjoy roasted parsnips, couscous, Sharon fruit (Israeli persimmons), fresh salmon, scones, sticky toffee puddings, just a few among them. I also found I loved teashops and pubs, both the atmosphere and the food.

Both countries speak English but England’s English is a far cry from the American version. And Southern English often falls into a category all its own. Some nuances of their language are etched into my brain permanently and my vocabulary has been enriched with interesting examples like Sat Nav (GPS), calming devices (speed bumps), dolly-bird (an attractive young woman), spanner (wrench), whilst (while), gobstruck or gobsmacked (astonished), fourways (crossroads) and so many others it would be impossible to list them here.

Most them make perfect sense when you realize what they mean. I have to admit that calming device is much more pleasing to the ear than speed bump; and aubergine sounds more appetizing than eggplant while courgette lends a more exotic image than zucchini. I must admit that Swede for rutabaga puzzled me until I learned the Swedes introduced this root veggie to England in the 1700s.

I became accustomed to seeing words with an extra “u” in them like colour, neighbour, favour, flavour, labour, and others that use “re” instead of “er” as in centre, theatre, metre, etc. etc Words like defence use “c” instead of “s” add to the color. Or should I say colour? Six months have elapsed since I was there but I still catch myself using some of those spellings from time to time.

Some familiar words and expressions but with totally different meanings in Brit-speak are: caravan (RV), jelly (gelatin dessert like Jello), surgery (doctor’s office), car silencer (muffler), central reservation (median), zebra crossing (sidewalk), dummy (pacifier), clock (odometer), lights dipped (low beams),hoover (vacuum or vacuum cleaner), made redundant (got fired). And “cats eyes” does not refer to marbles but to reflectors embedded in the tarmac (pavement).

Different pronunciations also add lots of color to the mix. There are many unfamiliar variations of familiar words. For instance, migraine has a long “e” sound (mē′grān′) but my very favorite is the way the English say aluminum. The harsh, flat sound you hear in American English becomes positively lyrical when Brits say aluminium (al-yә-‘min-nē-әm). The extra “i” makes all the difference.

There is so much to learn that it would probably take a lifetime to absorb it all. Since I only had three weeks, I soaked in all I could and derived great pleasure from just simply being there. Things that were new and unusual to me, as much of it was, were just icing on the cake.

I have no special words of wisdom to impart to anyone planning a trip to another country. If I were asked though, I would say to be yourself and accept the new people you meet at face value. As I said earlier, keeping an open mind will allow you to see more and see it in a different light than if you go with preconceived ideas and opinions. Most of all, represent yourself and our country well. Let everyone know you are proud to be an American and by the same token, show respect for the country you are visiting.

To those who have expressed such positive feelings about this series, thank you again for making this journey over the past weeks. It was a great ride and I am happy you were there to take it with me this time. Hopefully we can go somewhere again very soon.