Two happy years…and what we’ve learned on the way

So, our anniversary has come and gone.  It’s so hard to believe that we’ve been in the UK for two years already!  As I watch my Faceboook memories, it feel a bit surreal to think of how stressed we were, how terrified and how little we knew about what to expect when we landed.

For us, it’s been an amazing time.  We found jobs easily, the kids got settled and we adapted quickly to our new life.  But we have learned so much along the way!

I remember writing a list of things I had learned after 1 year in the UK and I’ll try find that list to share it again, but for now…here’s my list of the 10 things I’ve learned in the second year of life in the UK.

1.  Your speech changes

Try as you might, there are things you just have to pick up.  This is partly to make yourself understood and partly to avoid being ragged for something that sounds hilarious to your British friends and colleagues.  One if these changes is that you’ll stop saying “dah-ta” and start saying “day-ta” instead.  It is what it is and our Saffa way of saying it sounds weird to us now.  You start pronouncing words like “moor”, “tour” and even “thirty” slightly differently, and the word “off” is usually hysterical to English ears.  We still say “shame” though, some habits die hard, what can I say! 

2.  You talk about the weather constantly

There’s no escaping it, you become as obsessed with the weather as the rest of the nation.  It’s not hard to understand why, they damn weather has a mind of it’s own and it’s also the one thing we all have in common.  You can find yourself almost anywhere, and after a polite and awkward exchange of smiles with a total stranger you may feel compelled to fill the silence.  Bring up the weather and you can have a really enthusiastic conversation about it, sometime for 10 minutes!

3.  This is a beautiful country

Oh my, how gorgeous the English countryside is!  There are times when it might even look a little African, and we’ve seen many gorgeous sunsets (and sunrises) over glorious fields of green.  We all love the beauty SA but there are many beautiful places in the UK and we make a point of exploring as many of these as we can manage.

4.  You become aware of how little you know about the local history

By this I mean things like before the bypass was built, that time when there was a protest about something or other, where the county line ended before (insert political party here) decided to change it all and mess things up, and of course what the are looked like after the Big Storm of 19xx.  You can’t imagine what the area looked like without the buildings that are there now and it makes for interesting conversation with local people.

5.  You will never quite understand the politics

That’s ok, nobody likes politicians anyway

6.  You don’t need to produce any ID to vote

Yup, no ID required.  Just show up, give your name and they cross it off a list and give you a ballot form. That’s it – no indelible ink on your thumb, no stickers in your ID book, no PROOF that you have voted.  So weird, I still can’t get my head around it.

7.  There’s very few places that need ID

Of course you need it to open a bank account, rent a car or the really important stuff.  But go into your bank to change your address – I dare you – and all they want is your bank card.  Go to the doc and they just ask date of birth and your postcode.  I’ve gone to so many places fully prepped to whip out my shiny UK drivers licence and been told it’s not necessary.  Which of course makes a Saffa feel really awkward and a bit suspicious, who doesn’t want me to prove who I am and provide a DNA sample???

8.  You never quite get used to having unbarred windows

The same goes for barbed wire around your garden fence, if it’s even tall enough to present a significant barrier.  Don’t get me wrong, you quickly fall in love with looking through a window that is unobstructed but you are always aware that it’s not our “normal”.  I got over the low grade fear we Saffas live with after about a year and I am now able to really enjoy that view, and now I notice the dirt more…

Windows with no bars, and a misty morning - time for a coffee!

9.  Everything official takes 3 weeks

I have no idea why, but 3 weeks is the standard time for anything done by a government organization.  My mother thought I was joking, she soon realized that it’s entirely true.  Ask the council for a new bin – 3 weeks, ask the school for an appointment – 3 weeks, apply for a permit of any kind – 3 weeks, ask for a standard, non emergency doc appointment – yup, 3 weeks.  The good news is, that whatever you needed will be done right the first time and 3 weeks usually doesn’t become 6 or 9 and so on.

10.  You become addicted to TV

Oh yes you do!  The rubbish weather in the winter keeps you at home quite a bit, but with freeviw there are limitless options.  On top of that, the 5 main channels keep you very busy with endless entertainment.  And (this part is a bit sad) you start marking the season by what is on TV.  Autumn brings X Factor, Gogglebox and Strictly Come Dancing, all of which carry you to the festive season.  Winter brings Britain’s Got Talent and Summer brings you Love Island (like it or not, if you don’t watch it yourself you’ll hear enough about it that you might as well have watched anyway).

It’s been a great two years, we’re well on our way to that golden 5 year mark when we can apply for ILR and make this permanently our home.  I am certainly looking forward to what I will learn in the next year!