Sometimes you can feel this way ...
I have been in Britain now for about 6 months. Slowly setting myself up with the necessary applications and submissions, I am slipping into daily life. But as much as you would think it is the same, I am a child of British parents afterall, it is still significantly different in some ways.
Sometimes it is hard to see another person's perspective if we have a different foundation of information
Things that you just don’t think about become apparent and subtle differences can make you long for the familiarity of your old home. But I think that is mainly it. As you get older, you can become more rigid and less open to differences. Heck, I have moved around a lot in my life, but mostly in Canada. So I am used to differences. I think what changes a bit as you get older is a need for being rooted, having a foundation. And not having that can make you feel more attached to those things that are familiar.
But then again, flowers are flowers and will grow if you plant them no matter where the dirt is
Let’s take petrol (gas) for example. In Canada, you wouldn’t think twice about filling up your tank. In fact that is what we do – fill up the tank when it is empty. Well apparently you don’t do that here. One reason is that petrol is expensive compared to back home $1.30/L compared to ~$1.90/L here. Secondly, in general the cars are smaller and the engines are weaker over here. So to have a car driving around with the weight of a full tank, might not be the best efficiency.
But then shouldn't your heritage give you sense of belonging?
Take for instance my car – my Daewoo Matiz. It is, as I like to call, a lawn mower with a body. The engine is only 0.796 L. I don’t think you can find a car engine that small in Canada. So to fill up its whopping 38 L tank for it to drag around that weight might not be wise. However, if you have to go on a long journey, all of this discussion is moot. But it does give you something to think about.
So I think you need to just hold on for a bit until those differences become familiar
The funny thing is that my friend started to tell me that you NEVER fill up and tank. And I tried to tell him, Yes you do. But here we are two people from two different worlds, both English but with different experiences. So it is funny how being the same can also mean being totally different.
Hello, Sara.
I can’t believe that you have been in Britain half a year already. Time sure flies…..
I like how you used your pictures to make your point.
Thanks Ines. yes I have been a bit lazy posting. Trying to get back into it and I do have a lot to say!!!. Time does fly though eh? We’ll all be 70 before we know it!