Liz in London: adjustments.

Happy first day of October!

I know, I know. Everyone is obsessed with fall and the anticipation that October brings--cooler weather, sweaters, scarves, boots,

comfort food, and the excitement of upcoming holidays.

October in London sort-of blurs together with summer,

since the summers in England are not so extreme.

Anyways, since today marks the first day of a new month {my time here is flying by too quickly!} I thought I would make a list of a few of the many things I have noticed in my first two-in-a-half weeks abroad.

The laws here must not favor pedestrians like they do in the states. I am not 100% sure, but if a car hits you, it may be the pedestrians fault. What I am trying to say is, the cars don't stop or slow down if you walk out in front of them. They just honk. {I don't walk out in front of cars to test this out, but it sometimes is a little confusing when they drive on the opposite side of the street!}
Generally, Londoners are not friendly, but they are very, very nice people. I know, this is confusing. Let me give you an example: on the Tube, nobody will talk to you or smile at you. {This has been an adjustment for me, because I am like Buddy the Elf...smiling's my favorite!} If you're not with them, they will not acknowledge you. Londoners mind their own business. However, if you ask for help or directions, they suddenly turn into a friendly person and will gladly offer the best advice they can. In short, Londoners do not want to bother anyone, and they do not want anyone to bother them. However, if you need help or have a question, they are always very nice about it. Which brings me to my next point...
British people apologize a lot. I was on Oxford Street {A very, very busy street in London} and some cute, old English man was looking down at something when he stepped back and barely bumped into me. {I mean, he hardly ran into me} I looked at him, and smiled to let him know it was okay, and he said "Sorry, I am so sorry! I wasn't even paying attention!" {Envision a British accent...it makes it that much better} I replied, "No, you're fine--it's okay!" and as I walked away I heard him say "Sorry, sorry" again.
Londoners have a high tolerance for {extreme} fluctuating temperatures. You walk outside, it's freezing. You walk on the Tube, it's sweltering. You're constantly adding and removing layers of clothing. It's annoying.
Londoners probably have a much lower chance of heart disease than Americans do. There are hardly any ~~elevators~~...excuse me, lifts, in this city. And lots of stairs. At least I'll be in better shape when I'm home!
If you ask for the bathroom, you will get a confused look back. In England, you must ask for the "toilets." When I got off the plane in Heathrow, one of the first things I noticed was a sign on the bathroom entrance "No Smoking in Toilets."
The coins here are so different. I have held up so many lines because I am digging through my wallet, trying to figure out the 2 pence coins from the 50 pence. It's embarrassing. I was grocery shopping last week, and the lady at the check stand told me to dump my change out and she counted it all out for me. It was just quicker that way. I still say "Sorry, I'm new at this!" while counting my change, but it's getting old. It's been almost 3 weeks, I am not so new at it anymore. I need to learn.

Here are a few random photos from the last week!