I don’t know that I’ll ever actually get to update this blog with everything that has happened in my life in the last 7 months. Until then I’ll say a few things:
1. God is good, all the time.
2. Dosas and Bhel are probably my two favourite Indian foods…maybe. There’s a lot of good stuff out there.
3. I’m reading a book called “Light Out of Darkness.” It’s about God’s story in South Hampton, an area with a large demographic of British Asians.
4. I’m also reading “Joy in the Morning” by PG Wodehouse, a British writer/humorist from the 30’s.
5. I mostly speak in English over here in England, but I do say bits and pieces in Gujarati. Even though in England we speak English we use very different words sometimes. While speaking with my mom yesterday I couldn’t remember how an American would say they go to a restaurant to get food and then take it to their house. She laughed and say, “Take out?” It was the first time in 7 months that I couldn’t remember a basic American phrase. For the record, Brits say “take away.” My mom also laughs when I say trousers instead of pants. Pants in England refer to your undies. So, just imagine what it sounds like if you say your pants are dirty!
6. In addition to missing my friends and family I miss Purple Onion’s grilled cheese sandwiches and Chick-fil-A the most.
7. My most regular meal now is hummus and chapatis. A chapati is a type of roti (bread). It’s similar to a tortillia except it is made with whole meal flour. In a lot of South Asian households women make chapatis every day.
8. Several times in the last month I’ve accidentally said “can’t” with a British accent, “cahn’t.” I have felt silly every time that has accidentally come out of my mouth.
9. I recently had to buy loads of craft supplies for an arts week camp. I went through a week of culture shock as I realised how hard it was to find things here. For example, the little brown bags that I grew up using for lunches do not exist here…at all. I had to go to 4 places to find masking tape. There are craft stores here, they are just different from craft stores in the states.
10. A mango lassi is evidence that God loves us. Seriously, they are so good!
11. I can’t keep up with the variety of languages I hear on a daily basis.
12. In the winter the sun set around 3:30pm. In the summer the sun sets between 9:30-10:00pm. I cahn’t wait!
13. My London is not the London of postcards. I do ride double-decker buses, but I’m about 45 minutes from Big Ben, The Thames, Buckingham Palace etc. I work 6 days a week. So, on a rare occasion I use an off day to go and do something Londony in order to step outside of my daily life. One of my favorite things to do is to take a train to the Thames and simply walk along the south bank. My favourite walk is about 4 miles. I get to walk past the Tower Bridge, London Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Shakespeare’s Globe, The Tower of London, and Borough Market (just to name a few places).
For now, this is it. It’s only around 8:30pm, but I’m pretty tired. Here’s hoping to another entry within the next month or so.