An American's impressions of British Life

AN AMERICAN VISITED THE UK AND HIS DESCRIPTION OF BRITISH LIFE IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT

06 Oct 2015

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If you're from Britain it's quite easy to often forget how great this place is. If you're not from Britain, however, we probably seem like quite an odd bunch at times.The following Facebook post, written by 66-year-old American Scott Waters, pretty much fits both of the above. Penned following a visit to the UK this summer (most of which appears to have been in Cornwall), Waters wrote up the various cultural differences and posted them to the world of social media. The post promptly went viral and has been shared almost 50,000 times - the reason being: because it's brilliant.Here's what the man had to say about the UK:I was in England again a few weeks ago, mostly in small towns, but here's some of what I learned:* Almost everyone is very polite* The food is generally outstanding* There are no guns* There are too many narrow stairs* Everything is just a little bit different* The pubs close too early* The reason they drive on the left is because all their cars are built backwards* Pubs are not bars, they are community living rooms. * You'd better like peas, potatoes and sausage * Refrigerators and washing machines are very small* Everything is generally older, smaller and shorter* People don't seem to be afraid of their neighbors or the government* Their paper money makes sense, the coins don't* Everyone has a washing machine but driers are rare * Hot and cold water faucets. Remember them?* Pants are called "trousers", underwear are "pants" and sweaters are "jumpers"* The bathroom light is a string hanging from the ceiling* "Fanny" is a naughty word, as is "shag"* All the signs are well designed with beautiful typography and written in full sentences with proper grammar.* There's no dress code * Doors close by themselves, but they don't always open* They eat with their forks upside down* The English are as crazy about their gardens as Americans are about cars* They don't seem to use facecloths or napkins or maybe they’re just neater then we are* The wall outlets all have switches, some don't do anything* There are hardly any cops or police cars* 5,000 year ago, someone arranged a lot of rocks all over, but no one is sure why* When you do see police they seem to be in male & female pairs and often smiling * Black people are just people: they didn't quite do slavery here* Everything comes with chips, which are French fries. You put vinegar on them* Cookies are "biscuits" and potato chips are "crisps"* HP sauce is better then catsup* Obama is considered a hero, Bush is considered an idiot. * After fish and chips, curry is the most popular food * The water controls in showers need detailed instructions* They can boil anything* Folks don't always lock their bikesAnd more....

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* It's not unusual to see people dressed differently and speaking different languages* Your electronic devices will work fine with just a plug adapter* Nearly everyone is better educated then we are* If someone buys you a drink you must do the same* There are no guns* Look right, walk left. Again; look right, walk left. You're welcome. * Avoid British wine and French beer* It's not that hard to eat with the fork in your left hand with a little practice. If you don't, everyone knows you're an American * Many of the roads are the size of our sidewalks* There's no AC* Instead of turning the heat up, you put on a jumper (a sweater)* Gas is "petrol", it costs about $6 a gallon and is sold by the liter* If you speed on a motorway, you get a ticket. Period. Always.* You don't have to tip, really!* Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Cornwall really are different countries* Only 14% of Americans have a passport, everyone in the UK does* You pay the price marked on products because the taxes (VAT) are built in * Walking is the national pastime * Their TV looks and sounds much better then ours* They took the street signs down during WWII, but haven't put them all back up yet * Everyone enjoys a good joke* There are no guns* Dogs are very well behaved and welcome everywhere* There are no window screens* You can get on a bus and end up in Paris* Everyone knows more about our history then we do* Radio is still a big deal. The BBC is quite good* The newspapers can be awful * Everything costs the same but our money is worth less so you have to add 50% to the price to figure what you're paying* Beer comes in large, completely filled, actual pint glasses and the closer the brewery the better the beer* Butter and eggs aren't refrigerated* The beer isn't warm, each style is served at the proper temperature * Cider (alcoholic) is quite good.* Excess cider consumption can be very painful.* The universal greeting is "Cheers" (pronounced "cheeahz" unless you are from Cornwall, then it's "chairz")* The money is easy to understand: 1-2-5-10-20-50 pence, then-£1-£2-£5-£10, etc bills. There are no quarters. * Their cash makes ours look like Monopoly money* Cars don't have bumper stickers* Many doorknobs, buildings and tools are older than America* By law, there are no crappy, old cars* When the sign says something was built in 456, they didn't lose the "1"* Cake is is pudding, ice cream is pudding, anything served for desert is pudding, even pudding* BBC 4 is NPR* Everything closes by 1800 (6pm)* Very few people smoke, those who do often roll their own* You're defined by your accent* No one in Cornwall knows what the hell a Cornish Game Hen is* Soccer is a religion, religion is a sport * Europeans dress better then the British, we dress worse * The trains work: a three minute delay is regrettable* Drinks don't come with ice * There are far fewer fat English people * There are a lot of healthy old folks around participating in life instead of hiding at home watching tv* If you're over 60, you get free tv and bus and rail passes. * They don't use Bose anything anywhere* Displaying your political or religious affiliation is considered very bad taste* Every pub has a pet drunk* Their healthcare works, but they still bitch about it* Cake is one of the major food groups * Their coffee is mediocre but their tea is wonderful* There are still no guns* Towel warmers!* Cheers

Graffiti Oxford Style

If you have the good fortune to visit any of the colleges in Oxford, you might notice chalk graffiti on the stone walls inside the quads or next to the porter's lodge or the dining hall.  The only graffiti allowed on the walls of the colleges at Oxford are bragging rights of the wins and rankings for colleges' men and women's rowing teams. They are badges of honor, hard won, and drawn with a special chalk that is supposed to stay legible for at least 10 years. Look for them when you visit a college.  They celebrate important victories over rival colleges' boat crews.  

Rowing races worth watching in 2016: 

The big race between Oxford and Cambridge, Sunday 27 March, 2016

http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-boat-race-everything-you-need-to-know

Torpids 2016: 6th week Hilary Term: Rowing on 19th(/21st) February, bumps 24th-27th (running in 6th week due to clash with Women's Eights Head Of the River Race)

Women's Eights Head of the River Race: Saturday,  5th March 2016, 12:45pm start

Summer Eights 2016: 5th week Trinity Term; Rowing on 20th(/22nd) May, bumps 25th-28th May

If you want to learn more about Oxford's rich rowing traditions, here is an interesting blog that is dedicated to all things rowing in Oxford. 

http://hear-the-boat-sing.blogspot.com/2014/06/bumps-to-head-2014-oxford-summer-eights_10.html

Rousham House and Gardens

About 12 miles north of Oxford is the beautiful Rousham House and Gardens. The house was built in 1635 by Sir Robert Dormer and has been in continuous ownership of the same family since then. In the 18th century the house and gardens were remodeled in a free Gothic style by William Kent, the eminent English architect. Rousham really is a gem and well worth a visit.  

The house is still a private home so tours of the house are by special appointment only.  But the gardens are open for viewing and they are absolutely magnificent. There is a great deal of variety in the gardens from the bowling green, the walled kitchen garden, the pollarded orchards, the rose garden, and the cutting garden which had beautiful dahlias in bloom. There is also dovecot which is now really a pigeon house.  There are an assortment of sculptures and small architectural gem beautifully placed throughout the grounds.  Today the gardens where beautiful in their Autumn colors and I look forward to visiting in the spring or early summer when the secret garden is in its prime.  

For more information:  

http://www.rousham.org/visit 

http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/rousham_house_and_garden

The brochure for gardens states that Rousham is uncommercial and unspoiled (I agree) with no tea room and no shop.  Bring a picnic, wear comfortable shoes and it is yours for the day.

The River Cherwell flows through the back of the grounds.  We had lunch not even a mile away at Kizzies Bistro in Lower Hayford situated right on the Oxford canal -- another place I recommend.