Some Things I've Noticed

Hello! So, for the last couple of days, I haven't been up to much since I have four papers due this week. I did go to the Royal Opera House last week to see the ballet "Alice in Wonderland," but that deserves its own post, so for now I will sideline that story. Today I want to talk about some oddities I have noticed in England and generally comment on English culture. Here goes!

1. There is no such thing as "soy milk" in England. It's "soya." Well, excuse me.

2. England's grading system is way different than what I'm used to. I recently got a 65/100 on my History paper about the Queen Caroline Affair, which is considered pretty darn good. If I got a 65 in the States, I would cry for days. When I went to my teacher to see what I could improve on for my next paper, he told me I was the only girl that day to see him over my grade and not cry. He then thanked me because, as he said, "I'm not allowed to pat you guys on the shoulders or anything, so I just have to watch you cry, and it's really uncomfortable."

3. Chocolate here is so, so good, much better than in America. I'm going to miss Galaxy bars! I have about a bar a day. Oops.

4. These horrific beasts are everywhere. I probably kill two a week in our bathroom. Note: I stole this picture from the Internet. I don't have any pictures of my own of these monsters because I literally kill them as soon as I spot them. No mercy.

5. Students legitimately use this kind of scooter to get around. I thought this mode of transportation had rightfully died in the '90s.

6. The only yogurt I can find anywhere is Activia. Not sure how I feel about this.

6. The nutrition labels here are strange. I can't make heads or tails out of them sometimes. This is the nutrition label for my soya milk. Anybody? Is this stuff good for me? I have no clue.

7. It's rarely sunny, which is so sad. It's usually a mix of depression-grey and kill-me blue outside. It does rain a lot, but downpours are infrequent; they're more of a dreary dribble. When it is sunny outside, birds sing, children frolic, and bunnies come out to play. Here is a picture of my typical walk to class.

8. Every advert features the line, "Why not?" These are just two examples I managed to snap.

9. Every night of the week, students get drunk and party and generally make a huge raucous. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are especially big party days. Freshmen here are pretty nonchalant about their grades because they do not count for the first year, so they love getting blitzed on weekdays. In my life, Wednesday nights consist of me hovering over a book, usually with earplugs in and a cup of tea in hand. Heck, so do Friday nights sometimes, who am I kidding? No shame.
Thus, I have a lot of sound recordings of people being ridiculous outside my window. Whenever I'm fed up and trying to see the humor in it all, I whip out my iPhone and press "Record." I'm not sure how to upload the sound clips here because otherwise I would share them with you. Suffice it to say, I barely look up anymore now when I hear, "WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" echoing across the quad. My favorite raucous-causing group lives in the house behind me. Every once in a while, they host a party, and people take turns playing the guitar and singing. I'm pretty sure this one guy only knows how to play "Come As You Are," but that isn't a bad thing.

10. Speaking of "Woo," British people love making the "Whoop, whoop!" sound. I couldn't find an example of it online, but I can demonstrate it for you the next time we Skype or talk. You'll recognize it. People in the club make that sound to every other song. It's super endearing and adorable.

Thanks for reading! I'll post about my ballet night and Easter service in the Cathedral soon!

PS- My French housemate asked me if I bought any "bunny chocolate" for Easter. So precious.