Wednesday 2 May 2012

Back in England


Well I am now back in England. After a long journey home; being delayed at every possible point in the journey, I made it back to my home at 2am. I encountered many interesting people on my journey;

-      In the airport, 2 travellers who had travelled around the World and finished their journey in Ecuador, so we could travel back to the UK together.

-      On the plane I sat next to a Spaniard who worked internationally mending machines who could only say “broken” and where he was from in English! I enjoyed speaking Spanish on my journey home

-      A small group of 18 year old girls who had been let loose in Ecuador for 3 months (with Daddy’s credit card) who were devastated that we missed our connecting flight

-      A business man flying back to England, home from a days meeting in Madrid, who was Not happy we were delayed leaving Madird. I think his words were “I just can’t wait to get home. It’s been such a long day.” I had to bite my tongue from saying “YOU can’t wait to get home!!? I think I have been travelling to 36 hours!” I smiled sweetly with an empathetic smile

-      Whilst queueing through the long immigration queues at London Heathrow, one man in particular was very keen to get home, asserting his rights saying “you mean to say you won’t even let me into my own Country!?” (well, yes they will let you in, you just need to queue up like the rest of us)

-      The Japanese men who were also waiting with me for an hour and a half for our bags to arrive. They were so impatient, they even stuck their heads through the curtain/small hatch way where the bags come through, just to see what was going on!

I love people watching at airports and it was a very interesting journey. My mind was so full of what I had just left in Ecuador and could not quite anticipate what it would find upon arrival in England.

So much has changed and yet at the same time, it all looks and feel the same. Foods which I have not eaten for so long are like I am eating them again for the first time. There are different smells, sights, children who have grown up, technology that has moved on even in just one short year. Here are a few initial things that seem weird about England after being away!



-      8:45 pm in Madrid and still light! I had got used to it getting dark at 6:30pm everyday

-      Expensive prices!

-      Toilet paper down the toilet

-      European fashion

-      Queuing (not a random free for all)

-      Being cold and damp

-      Sitting far apart from each other/lack of kissing everyone you greet!

-      Funny hand driers in the public loos

-      Toilet paper in the cubicals

-      Talking about people in English and forgetting that people can understand me

-      Not knowing what language to speak

-      Confusion about what side of the road to drive on/sitting on the wrong side of the car

-      Wearing seatbelt

-      Smoothness of the roads

-      People driving slowly/not assertive

-      Cleans smells of my clothes, new carpets, sea, fresh air

-      Carpets everywhere

-      Lots of lights on

-      Electric kettle which boils so fast

-      Lots of things/ornaments in houses

-      Milk bottles not bags. Decent milk

-      Lots of water in the taps/pressure is high in shower

-      Hot shower

-      Light evenings

-      Quietness in church

-      Services in church starting on time

-      Clear microphones in church

-      Lots of older people walking around in town

-      Less crowds

-      People shopping for nothing

-      Very comfortable living life

-      Passive driving

-      A certain generation of people with too much money!

-      Old brick buildings

-      Post boxes

-      Pushchairs and dog walkers

-      Cars that aren’t falling apart

-      Not many buses (if there are, they are full of old people)

-      No taxis

-      Kids being picked up from schoo

It is nice to see friends and family again. l do not know what I am doing next. Watch this space...

No comments:

Post a Comment