Almost 1 1/2 Years in London

So I am now approaching 1 1/2 years living and working in London. The experience is just different. There's really no other word to describe it. Since the time difference is 5 hours, when I start having lunch and afternoon tea, my friends in the states are waking up, eating breakfast, and heading to work. The only downside is when there's work needed to be done after US market close, it's already late evening over here.

The language is pretty much the same though words are just interpreted differently and you have to know the slang. Of course it was odd at first when someone asked me for a "fag," which really means cigarette. The loo is the toilet which also means bathroom. It's lift, not elevator. Diversion instead of detour. Subway means underground walkway, not the train. The train is called the Tube. If you want to talk football, don't say soccer. If we are talking about the NFL, you have to say American football. Talk about home, it's your flat, not apartment. Tele not television set, and so on.

Public transport is just the way to travel. At almost every tube and bus stop, there's always a real-time display showing how long before the next transport arrives. Now I wish I had that in Cleveland or for the greenie. In NYC, they started testing it on the L line. So far I only know of the metro in DC that gives you a time estimate. Of course, you would need to stand on the right, walk on the left on the escalators and walkways in the airports.

There much more variety in drinking beer. Drink a pint of Stella, Carling, Carlsberg, Fosters, 1664, Guinness, Peroni, San Miguel, Tiger, or any micro brew at any local pub. By the time you are done, drinking High Life (which is the worst beer you can have, I prolly only had it once), Bud/Bud Light, or Coors just does not taste right. It is also humorous that Budweiser is the official sponsor of the English Premiership Football League, but I haven't seen anyone drink it. The only time I saw it being served was at Stamford Bridge stadium, home of Chelsea FC.

English food is just not exciting. At least you get the authentic fish n chips, pie n mash, shephard's pie, and crisps (fries). But with Chinatown, French, Italian, Spanish, and other european/african cuisines, you'll have no trouble finding a good place to eat.

Location of London just puts you so close to the rest of Europe, it is practically cheap to take the Eurostar to Paris, or fly to almost anywhere for a few hundred dollars. So far, I have been to Normandy and Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Rotterdam, and Utrecht, Netherlands; Athens and Delphi, Greece; and Berlin, Germany. This weekend, I will head out to Brussels, Belgium. I even flew over to Shanghai from London too. Plus, you don't have to worry about losing frequent flyer miles. Most European airlines are partners of Continental, United, Delta, Northwest, and American.

As for the capital itself, I saw the Queen's Jubilee and changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, saw Tower Bridge (not London Bridge), and enjoyed Trafalgar Square. I will have to look at visiting the rest of England soon.

I think for anyone choosing to do a JYA, heading to the UK is a great choice. If you are working and you get an opportunity to work abroad, go for it. It is a different experience and you just see how life is in a different country and how people view the US in a different light. For any American, traveling abroad is a must. We are only one out of over 180 countries, and going to Canada or Mexico does not count to being an international traveler.

My stay over here will likely last until the end of 2006, so if any of my friends are passing thru London, let me know. Cheers! :)