How do you adapt and adjust?

Luxuries in the USA - sounds like a good topic.

I can see her point though. Off the top of my head, I would say supermarkets that are open longer than 10-4 on a Sunday, and open past 10.00 on other nights. Necessity? No. A luxury? Definitely. DO I need it? No, not if you plan your shopping properly? Would it be nice to have? Oh yes.

24 hour opening supermarkets are popping everywhere now. We have 3 near us - 2 Tescos and a Sainsburys. But you won't change the sunday thing.....10-4 or 11-5  
Susan

Ha ha! Wench, I arrived here on your two year anniversary. Now we can celebrate it together.  

Katy,

I don't know if this will help or not but when I was living in France (I've only been in England three weeks, so I'm still enjoying it but I lived in France for a year) I kept telling myself that when I was much much older, I'd have a thousand stories to tell my kids and grandkids.

Plus, this may be silly but it helps me, it's freaking impressive to anyone you meet in America that you've lived abroad.  

Try to enjoy the time you have here, first of all, you don't want to leave England with bad memories. Secondly, no matter what country you're in, you should be happy.

(Tony Robbins here I come)

... what on earth is it that you want that you cant get here?

Not really sure you really read mfredericka's post for meaning, t-mac.

There are certainly creature comforts people get used to, but it seems to me that mfredericka is actually looking forward to making small adjustments, to gain new creature comforts, rather than feeling she has to give up luxuries.

I can't think of any "luxuries" that the UK doesn't have. Small things like being able to run down to a shop at 8pm on a Sunday just because that's the only time I can get away would be nice, but it doesn't mean there is no shop to get (whatever) from, ever. mfredericka pointed out that there are dryers in the UK, but the norm is not to have one; more people opting to hang their clothing out on a line. (There are actually Americans who prefer to go au naturel with their drying, too.) It's a creature comfort; whatever floats your boat.

I do agree t-mac, I can't think of luxuries one can't get here. But I have to differ with your thought that mfredericka was implying that.

If I miss Taco Bell, then I grab the makings for tacos and make them myself. The makings of our own luxuries are there; the convenience we're used to in getting them may not be, or may be achieved a different way.

Sometimes doing it the way 'the natives' do it works out great. Some things I've discovered here I actually like better (teletext being one...I can name a lot!).

As for sockets...  
Well, sorry, they can kill you in the US too, but they are still there (smaller doses, yes, but volts is volts). Most of us just know not to do anything stupid around them. Sometimes building regulations just get over the top. You can't have them in a bathroom, even if the water source is miles away, but I have umpteen next to my kitchen sink and another within arm's reach of my utility sink.

There are razor points at lower voltage, so why not have hairdryer points with the same consideration? It's discrimination I tell you, discrimination!  

I don't think safety rules are wrong. Afterall, some people don't think. However, the UK (for instance) has chosen to not allow electric outlets in toilet areas with basins. The US allows them, but there is a vigorous health and safety campaign to remind people to be careful. (In other words, education on safety issues rather than regulations, on this particular aspect.) I'm going to count myself as a typical American, and everytime I see an electrical appliance plugged into the wall near a sink, my mind does a mental image of someone being electrocuted, sending signals to me to be c-a-r-e-f-u-l. That came from safety education. And I think that carries me over to be far safer around the circumstance than having someone say I can't have a plug where I want it (within sane reason), and then getting a false sense of security that this outlet must be safe around water sources because it's next to this sink and building regulations allow that to be there.

Having said that, and getting back to 'creature comforts'...being used to drying your hair in front of a mirror next to a basin having just emerged from a shower gets to be more like a routine rather than a necessity. It's like that cigarette with a cup of cofee (oh I do remember that, even though it's been 6 years now). It would be nice to still be able to dry one's hair like that, but we do make adjustments. Just that the socket-in-the-same-room rule seems to be over-the-top in some of us's view. Not without merit, mind. But tell that to someone who has had it that way for years with no problems.

Well, a few things I can think of that aren't particularly "luxuries" but are definitely not as available:

• Big stupid bottles of 500 tablets of Ibuprofen.  Sure, one can get Ibuprofen: in packets of 16 only!  I had a friend bring me over a big huge bottle and am now well supplied.  Sorry, I think it's an inconvenience not to be able to keep my medicine cabinet well supplied.  I won't go into the "no mirrors in the bathroom let alone medicine chests" bit.  I'll leave that to someone else.
  
• No PMS drugs.  Lemme tell ya...I didn't normally do Pamprin or Premsyn or the like when I was in the US, but for some reason coming here and must've been change of diet or something, I got PMS BAD.  Ok, so if one looks at the label, essentially these products give you things like diphenhydramine that drug you up to make you happy.  Legal version of "Mother's Little Helper".  Hey, it works.  Miss Elle was not a happy camper her first month here and couldn't find drugs when she wanted.  "Honey, I love you, but everything you say ticks me off right now.  Now go out somewhere and score for pete's sake!"
• And you know, while I'm on the drug theme here: they just don't sell stuff over the counter in the same way.  Sheesh, I have to go ASK for it!  We went looking for iodine one time and they had it behind the stupid counter.  I couldn't believe it.  What's up with that? I know in some places you don't have to go to the counter for stuff, but it annoys me when I do have to.

elle who has been sick for 3 days and not showing any signs of getting better and not looking forward to the idea of walking to the surgery to stand on someone's desk for a note to take to work saying I really have been sick....

Well t-mac...  I am not trying to start an arguement here on what england has or does not have...  I know england has many things...  and if you read my message more closely, it was in relation to understanding what suzanne had said about us (americans) being spoiled to little conviences that you may not find in other countries...

I love England and looking very forward to moving there...  it is my preference to be living there... and so far I have not found any problem with losing out on some things I am use to...I just merely understand the comment.

as far as showers and dryers...it must be different in south than in the north...they are not commonly owned...not that they are not available...they just are not owned by everyone, nor are they supplied in most places you rent.

Tom has no dryer because he has never had one in his life and since he did not know the difference in the luxury of having one, he has not missed out on that...

simple things that endear me more to living there.

lolol...neat!  We will have to celebrate our shared anniversary then.  
wench

You're right... i should not have 'quoted' mfrederika... it's just that her post was the last one i read before i blew a gasket.  It was just a general rant, meant to be pointed in the direction of anyone that i considered to be whingeing.  

Mfrederika, please accept my apology... i went back and read it again and saw that i was wrong.

But really... 'being an american and living in america pretty much spoils other countries for you'.     Give me a break!!!

• No PMS drugs.  Lemme tell ya...I didn't normally do Pamprin or Premsyn or the like when I was in the US, but for some reason coming here and must've been change of diet or something, I got PMS BAD.  Ok, so if one looks at the label, essentially these products give you things like diphenhydramine that drug you up to make you happy.  Legal version of "Mother's Little Helper".  Hey, it works.  Miss Elle was not a happy camper her first month here and couldn't find drugs when she wanted.  "Honey, I love you, but everything you say ticks me off right now.  Now go out somewhere and score for pete's sake!"
• 
  
  

Elle, have you tried Feminax?

My best advise is to not think of this as coping or a temporary stay, but to think of it as living your life.  This is where you are now and how can you best get on with it.  That said, in my own experience and from talking to others, it takes about three years to feel at home and in control.  There's alot to learn when moving to a new culture/country.  Give yourself time and recognize that this is a huge task you've undertaken, but it is do-able.  Hang in there, it's not easy, whatever your reason for moving here.  

t-mac,

I've read both your posts since I left mine, and I'm still at a complete loss as to what you found offensive in what I wrote. Americans tend to have all the conveniences in the world--we're spoiled. Americans have the highest standard of living/quality of life in the world. I think that's common knowledge.

I was simply suggesting that you get used to things like washers AND dryers in your home, dishwashers, air conditioning, 24-hour stores, etc., in the States, and it's an initial culture shock not to have that here. Before I quit smoking, I was shocked that they'd charge for a book of matches here (a little thing, but a shock).

I'm sure you'd find things you didn't like about the States, but I can tell you this: My husband had never been there before we got married. We've been there twice for Christmas, and the country leaves him awestruck and telling his parents they HAVE to visit there to take it in.

There's so much to love about England. On the flipside, there's so much to miss about the States. That was my only point--nothing sinister meant.

Suzanne

Thanks for seeing my point, mfredericka.

WENCH, I arrived in the UK on Nov. 27, and turned 40 2 days later..which I spent crying in the hotel bathroom cause I didn't get any pressies....what a wuss!  It has gone fast, hasn't it.  I am going to Chicago next week, shall I load you up with some pms meds???  jam

Awwwe, Jammie...  I think that would be natural to cry on your birthday being 40 and in a new strange place...

I know it was a couple of years ago...  but here is a Belated 40th wish...
 [smiley=balloon.gif]Happy belated 40th

t-mac,    thank you for apology... communication on the internet can and is most often misunderstood...  I do not take things personally, just try to make my communication a bit more understood...  sometimes it takes a lot of patience to write and rewrite so that your words do not offend others.  As well as patience needs to be used when reading other peoples words...  because that is what they are words... when you can not hear them spoken with their proper intent, they can easily be misconscrewed for other meanings.

Katy, [smiley=daisy.gif]It is always hard to be away from things and places that are comfortable to your life...  All I could suggest to you is that since it seems this will be a temporary situation for you, maybe you could try and look at it as a really long vacation... take a look at your surroundings as a great adventure... try and be a tourist when possible and take in the sights you may not see again after you move back home for good...  when husband is not in school or studying all the time...find ways to make special memories from your time spent in England...  and possibly other small trips around europe on long weekends will add to the memories of the great long vacation... in turn, it may just make the every day living abroad a bit more adaptable for you.  just a thought... it is not what your surroundings make for you...  it is what you make of your surroundings... choose to make smiles!

Michele

Thanks for all the good suggestions.  

Katy

Katy,
Why don't you stop feeling sorry for yourself and get out and enjoy what is on offer rather than gripe about what isn't? Try getting to know the locals...They only eat Americans once a year.

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