Things I wish I’d known before moving to England
I’ve now been living in England for a little while now, and I’m starting to be well adjusted to the life here. However, there are few things I wish I’d known before moving here.
1. Your English is probably better than you think
I admit, before I came to England, I was slightly worried my English would turn out to be insufficient when it comes to studying and living in an English speaking country. But frankly, it turns out, you don’t have to be a linguistic genius in order to survive your every day life.
2. You don’t really have to worry too much about small talk.
It’s not rocket science, anyone can chat about the weather or make a comment how the bus is late once again, but I feel like school just gave us the impression that once you go to England you’ll constantly have to talk to strangers. Since I’ve never been very good at small talk, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that English people can actually sit in silence as well. Even if they find it uncomfortable.
3. The houses are… different.
I had been to England before, so I kind of knew what to expect, but there were a few things that I wasn’t quite prepared for; learning to use a gas stove (and not burn your food every time) was bit of a puzzle at first and it’s just a fact that the room temperature is always either freezing cold or way too warm. There’s no in between. And what is up with the carpeting? I live in constant stress that I will spill something on the floor and won’t know how to clean it up.
4. There is a giant selection of a ready-to-eat and microwaveable foods.
It’s like a daydream for a lazy person. You don’t even have to cook your rice yourself and you can buy your portion of veggies in a microwaveable plastic bag. At first I thought that was kind of ridiculous, but the truth is that the microwave quickly became my best friend.
5. Winter is (not) coming.
I hear people complaining how cold it is outside and I haven’t even taken my winter coat out of the wardrobe. Seriously, I’m still waiting.
6. It doesn’t actually rain that much.
“It always rains in England”. Because of the oceanic climate, the weather can be pretty unpredictable and we get our fair share of rain as well, but I feel like the reputation might have surpassed reality.
7. There is sugar everywhere.
Just the other day I purchased some painkillers and found out later that they were sugarcoated. I know the Brits love their sugar, but come on.
8. DON’T TRY MARMITE.
I’ve heard this is something you either love or you hate, and I certainly know where I stand.
9. You’re going to miss home, but you also don’t want to leave.
The time is inevitably coming that I’ll be going back home. After all, I’m just an exchange student. I’ve never really been homesick, but I do miss some things and no doubt it will be interesting to go back home after this whole experience, but time goes by so incredibly fast and I’m not ready to leave.
Which leaves me with one last thing:
10. You’ll fall in love with the place.
You know you’ll eventually be coming back.
