I...er, LOVE England

Mood: Chilly and freakin' fabulous
Theme Song: "Cincinnati" by Mood - check it out here and "LDN" by Lily Allen

I think it's because the weather is changing and the holidays are approaching, but I realised today on my walk home from the train that I am horribly homesick. Moreso than any time since I've moved. I've lived away from "home" (my home city) for four years now, nearly one of them overseas - and yet this is the first time that I really ACHE for home.
So I made a decision. For the next month or so, I'm going to stop making fun of England. I repeat... I am NOT going to post anything that makes fun of this country, its people, or the widespread lack of dental care. Now some of you may be thinking "So what? Why is this news?"... but for those of you who know me, really really know me, you know this is the equivalent of Lindsay Lohan giving up controlled substances and/or self-destructive relationships. Or Charlie Sheen giving up hookers. Or Lil' Wayne giving up the sizzurp.

Because part of what keeps me going, what keeps me strong, is being able to cap all over this great country like a 6th grade bully with ADHD. I turn my frustrations into humour, and it helps me get through the long days and nights when all I want to do is run screaming back across the ocean.

BUT... as someone recently pointed out to me, I have a pretty awesome life, and things could always be much, much worse. I'm not really helping the situation by giving into my negative feelings, or by feeding the "I hate England" monster that is growing inside me. So, starting today, I'm only going to talk about things I like about my adopted country.  And I'm going to number them and keep a running tally so that the next time I get a case of the grumpies, I can look back and remind myself that I found 3 1/2 things I liked about England (ha! just kidding)...

Seriously, though, I'll kick it off with 10 to start. Have to ease into this - baby steps as Dr. Marvin would say.


1. The amazing people I've met since moving over here. I could name check, but I'm not going to because not everyone is as big of an attention whore as Marianne Slade (couldn't help myself!! XD). But these people (you know who you are) have helped me stay sane, stay focused and stay happy on this crazy journey. Each of you have helped preserve or renew a part of me, and one or two of you have inadvertently taught me more about myself in a few months than I had learned in a whole lifetime. So to all my peeps who call the +44 home, a great big THANK YOU. Mad love.

2. The accents. Despite the fact that I can't understand about 44% of the people over here, I love hearing my native tongue bounced back to me after it's been given a good old English dressing up or dressing down. Like today for example. Since I can't say anything negative, I'll just say that how entertaining it was to speak for 20 minutes to a woman from American Express who sounded like Sean Connery in a wind tunnel with a mouthful of Novocaine after drinking 40 bottles of scotch.

3. London. The first time I came to visit, London didn't really do much for me. My reaction was pretty much "eh". I liked the black cabs and how everything was backwards and the red phone booths, but I found the whole place confusing and slightly ridiculous. But now... now I love it. It's an amazing city - even more so because it redefines the term "city". Much like New York, there are whole neighborhoods dropped into the "city" part. I also love how everything is closer than you think. You can be in Soho one minute, then Trafalgar Square, then Covent Garden... I'm so happy to be living closer so I can take advantage of this wonderful, wonderful playground.

4. Public transportation. Yes, yes, I know I just spent a blog entry blasting on the train system and the people on it. I still think the whole thing could use a good De-funkification. However, that being said, I LOVE LOVE LOVE how easy it is to get around (when the trains are running and when they are on time, that is). I can bounce all over the city with a few train hops. And yes it does seem a bit expensive - until I think about the cost of owning a car, and petrol, not to mention the hassle of parking and traffic.

5. The commercials aka "adverts". While many of them are really, really weird, some of them are really creative and visually stunning. And funny. I'm trying to think of examples but my mind is a blank. But I promise to post them as I remember. Just know that there are some good ones over here.

6. The bread. This is kind of a cop-out as I've already waxed poetic about England's baked goods. I've said it before and I'll say it again - this country knows how to get down on some bread. *nomnomnomnom*

7. Literacy. Ok this is going to sound funny, but the complete and utter nerd in me finds it wonderful that I get both a morning paper and an evening paper... and that both are FREE! I pick them up at the station and they're perfect for the ride to/from work. And... here's the kicker... they are surprisingly well written. As this is England after all, there is still the "Dear Sir" and the "Mr. So-and-so". Granted, many of the stories involve people I don't know and music groups I don't understand, but these daily reads provide a fascinating window into English life. One of the articles today was about "Postcode Wars". As explained before, England doesn't have "zip codes" - they have Postcodes. And apparently, there are these gang wars going on between people from different post codes. The article even went on to reference something called a "hood pass". I even found the article - you can read it here. But you have to do what I do and imagine it with a British accent. :P

8. The Fashion (sort of). I have commented before on some of the fashion disasters that are taking place over here. But there are parts to London fashion that I am SO all about. For example - leggings. Yes, I know I wore them the first time around in the '80s, but I tell you nothing is better for a Sunday afternoon than leggings and a slouchy sweater. Another thing I love is boots. I have always loved boots, but they are big here. And you can wear them with anything! And they are so comfortable when traipsing here there and everywhere on public transportation. :) I also have to say that I do love some of the super high heeled shoes. Not all of them - I'll never be a 5 inch lace heel convert (unless I take up a new career as a superho), but I do love the sexy high platform pumps. I've learned to walk in heels and I find them to be a great addition to my wardrobe. The other thing I like is that girls dress like girls. I can't explain it any more except to say I hardly ever wear jeans or tennis shoes or sweatshirts anymore. I used to LIVE in that attire!

9. The slang. There are some situations in life when only a "blimey" or a "bloody hell" will do. And I still haven't found a suitable American term for "posh". And, I still giggle like an idiot every time someone tells me what "fanny" means over here...

10. Tea. Yes, I know the rest of the world has tea, but it tastes different over here. I was never a committed coffee drinker, and I used to save my tea drinking for really cold days or when I was sick. But now... now I love a good cuppa any time of day. It's the perfect pick me up. In fact, I had one after dinner tonight.  What's funny is that when I moved over, I immediately bought the posh-est tea I could find. Big mistake. The best stuff by far is good old PG Tips. And the mascot is even a really cute monkey! (I think if I buy some this month I can send away for a knitted monkey or something... woo hoo!)

So there you have it. The beginnings of my "Things I love in England" list. This is going to be a real challenge for me... and I relish it. I'm sure you'll enjoy the journey, too - espeically those days when I'm struggling and I have to write something stupid like "I love England because...er... it begins with the letter "E" just like my name!"

And now I'm off to brew a cuppa and enjoy the rest of this lovely, crisply cold English night.

Federman out. ;)