More Deep Thoughts

and idiosyncrasies that we have found in our new home and city:

1. The voltage difference is real and there is a good reason why appliances here have fuses. There is enough voltage running through these wires to get a pretty good zap!

2. A greeting here is "You alright?" and not "How are you?".

3. French toast is called eggy bread.

4. Text messaging is the primary mode of communication.

5. A check mark is a tick and a zee is zed, as in the 26th letter of the alphabet.

6. Pants are trousers and sneakers are trainers.

7. A cookie is a biscuit and juice is squash.

8. Afternoon tea is one of the greatest English customs ever. Tea is also the time in which children eat their supper.

9. There is a true shortage of Mexican food restaurants in this multifarious town.

10. There are no twisty-ties to keep the bread bag closed and thus the bread fresh. Instead, there is a small, sticky strip of tape that always seems to disappear.

11. The unreliability of public services, be it public transport, phone or cable service, is unavoidable. And the more surprising aspect is how complacent people are about the unreliability.

12. A zucchini is a courgette and ground beef is mince meat.

13. On-line grocery shopping and fresh markets are true joys of city living.

14. Being smart is not at all about your intelligence, it is about the way you are dressed. You are clever if you are smart.

15. Public schools here are only for those willing and able to pay astronomical tuition and fees, thus they are really private.

16. Wine is offered at school meetings and presentations and champagne is often served to the adults at childrens birthday parties.

17. Police officers here are unarmed. There has not been one instance in which we have felt unsafe.

18. Everything is smaller here, homes, cars and especially food portions. Probably why we have noticed that people are more fit and trim.

19. The weather and American politics are the most popular topics of discussion.

20. People in the states are much more infatuated with the Royal family than those here.