State of the Union Jack 2017
Also known as: "Where we are 6 months in."
At the end of August I shared our progress in establishing a new life in the United Kingdom.
At the time, priorities like finding a home and furnishing it, enrolling kids in schools, and learning to drive were giant checkmarks on the ole To-Do list. (2-month Post Here)
Some of the things that have happened since then:
-- First time taking the whole family to a country that is non-English-speaking.
A little bit of French helped a little bit. Dining in a real restaurant was intimidating.
We weren't there long (2 days) so street food like crepes and Christmas market food like soft pretzels with ham and melted cheese (man those were good) made life easier.
We learned a lot about traveling here with 3 kids, one of whom is a 3 year old who still needs a nap.
--First (and hopefully ONLY) move inside the UK.
Just down the street, not too difficult, and well worth the hassle.
-- First time locking myself out of the house... well this house. (That happened right off the bat in the first house.)
Sally saved the day when she climbed through a skinny window in our bathroom, rather skillfully avoiding any head trauma as she dove in head-first over the toilet. I tried to hold her feet that were sticking out the window as she went vertical, but was next to useless in the end. She showed tremendous grace in the face of possible porcelain disaster.
-- First Halloween with new American friends, including trick-or-treating.
Yes, some people participate. No, it's not a huge deal like in the States.
Kids trick-or-treat and some people do haunted woods. Young adults do parties.
One choice of pumpkin size and no gourds.
-- First (HUGE) Thanksgiving.
Hosted a large crowd of friends and work colleagues. I couldn't find ANY autumnal decorations so we made our own "Thankful Tree."
All the Brits and Europeans that were there had a good time. I say that with confidence because it was really obvious and people were still talking about it a month later.
-- First Christmas.
AND ALL THAT ENTAILS. For better or for.. well mostly just better. It was a lot of work, but nothing more than "first world problems." In the end it was mostly fun. :)
Christmas programs and parties at schools and churches.
Teacher presents, secret Santa presents, family presents.
Bought a tree, decorations, family presents, food to last through Boxing Day.
Cities in Christmas lights.
-- First broadway show.
Saw Wicked with K and Grandma. Show was great but K has a hard time staying up late.
-- First grandparent visit.
We saw some of London together but they weren't lying when they said they are primarily here to see the grandkids.
-- First accent change.
Yep, K, who turned 8 a week ago, already sounds noticeably different. I knew it would probably happen, but it's a little strange/cute/funny all the same.
-- First experience with the NHS -- universal health care.
K had a skin infection around her eye. I had already enrolled the kids and I (JD has to do his own paperwork) at a local surgery (what they call a general practitioner). In order to do that, I had to prove we lived within their catchment area, like a school district in the US.
At the appointment, the doctor took one look at K and diagnosed her. We were out the door and on our way to pick up meds less than 10 minutes from when we arrived for out appointment.
Her meds were free because she is under 18.
-- First time at LegoLand (in Windsor) and Windsor Castle
--First scooter.
All the kids here have scooters and K finally got one for Christmas. And yes, she has my muscular legs.
Got our food for free and all it cost me was my dignity and the luxery of ever making eye contact with a certain waiter at Strada again.
And many other experiences too numerous to count.
Six months in and it's been a wild ride that I would do again in a heartbeat.
Even if the ride is on the "wrong" side of the road.
Tower Bridge, possibly my favorite site in London.
At the end of August I shared our progress in establishing a new life in the United Kingdom.
At the time, priorities like finding a home and furnishing it, enrolling kids in schools, and learning to drive were giant checkmarks on the ole To-Do list. (2-month Post Here)
Some of the things that have happened since then:
-- First time taking the whole family to a country that is non-English-speaking.
A little bit of French helped a little bit. Dining in a real restaurant was intimidating.
We weren't there long (2 days) so street food like crepes and Christmas market food like soft pretzels with ham and melted cheese (man those were good) made life easier.
And about European Winter traveling in general.
--First (and hopefully ONLY) move inside the UK.
Just down the street, not too difficult, and well worth the hassle.
-- First houseguest.
My sister Sally stayed with us for 6 weeks. We had a lot of fun exploring London and travelled to other places inside and outside the UK. She explored a bit on her own as well, and we learned a thing or two about life with a houseguest here. For example, don't tell them they will be helping you move until after they've bought their plane tickets. (Really though, it wasn't that bad.)
-- First time locking myself out of the house... well this house. (That happened right off the bat in the first house.)
Sally saved the day when she climbed through a skinny window in our bathroom, rather skillfully avoiding any head trauma as she dove in head-first over the toilet. I tried to hold her feet that were sticking out the window as she went vertical, but was next to useless in the end. She showed tremendous grace in the face of possible porcelain disaster.
-- First Halloween with new American friends, including trick-or-treating.
Yes, some people participate. No, it's not a huge deal like in the States.
Kids trick-or-treat and some people do haunted woods. Young adults do parties.
One choice of pumpkin size and no gourds.
-- First (HUGE) Thanksgiving.
Hosted a large crowd of friends and work colleagues. I couldn't find ANY autumnal decorations so we made our own "Thankful Tree."
All the Brits and Europeans that were there had a good time. I say that with confidence because it was really obvious and people were still talking about it a month later.
AND ALL THAT ENTAILS. For better or for.. well mostly just better. It was a lot of work, but nothing more than "first world problems." In the end it was mostly fun. :)
Christmas programs and parties at schools and churches.
Teacher presents, secret Santa presents, family presents.
Bought a tree, decorations, family presents, food to last through Boxing Day.
Cities in Christmas lights.
-- First broadway show.
Saw Wicked with K and Grandma. Show was great but K has a hard time staying up late.
We saw some of London together but they weren't lying when they said they are primarily here to see the grandkids.
Yep, K, who turned 8 a week ago, already sounds noticeably different. I knew it would probably happen, but it's a little strange/cute/funny all the same.
-- First experience with the NHS -- universal health care.
K had a skin infection around her eye. I had already enrolled the kids and I (JD has to do his own paperwork) at a local surgery (what they call a general practitioner). In order to do that, I had to prove we lived within their catchment area, like a school district in the US.
At the appointment, the doctor took one look at K and diagnosed her. We were out the door and on our way to pick up meds less than 10 minutes from when we arrived for out appointment.
Her meds were free because she is under 18.
-- First time at LegoLand (in Windsor) and Windsor Castle
St. George's Chapel at Windsor, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry.
--First scooter.
All the kids here have scooters and K finally got one for Christmas. And yes, she has my muscular legs.
-- First time locking myself INSIDE a bathroom.
Walked alone to pick up some take-out for dinner. Asked to use the loo. Handle broke when attempting to leave the stall. Had to call the restaurant and ask to be rescued. (European stalls are more private than American ones -- no room to crawl.)Got our food for free and all it cost me was my dignity and the luxery of ever making eye contact with a certain waiter at Strada again.
Six months in and it's been a wild ride that I would do again in a heartbeat.
Even if the ride is on the "wrong" side of the road.
On a cold day exploring the UNESCO World Heritage City of Bath, England
Awesome!!
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