Friday, October 27, 2006

Supressing the Oct blues

I don't want to sound like I bashing the people place round the clock. It not all bad. So when I get some time on my hands I want to do a list of the good, the bad, and the wierd.


GOOD/SAVIOURS

Bowling - Something we don't have at home
Feeding ducks & swans in parks by the ponds
Forest - walking through the forest, taking a bike ride through the forest
Theme parks - I'm not a big fan of rollercoasters, but its still nice to be able to have the opportunity. Coni Island doesn't cut it.
Play areas for kids
MTV Base
Trouble (tv station) - where I could find all my black sitcoms cause I love them.
The Beckhams - yes David AND Victoria
Footballers - I shouldn't have to explain why
Martial Arts - not sure if i would have been able to do it in Trini
Close to the rest of Europe
Concerts- the opportunity to see bands & artists that Trini can't bring.
Boots the store - lovin boots
Boots ( shoes ) - now I know it have people who does be rocking the boots in Trini, but it was to hot to be wearing black calf length leather. If its the ankle ones ok

Walking through the parks on my way to/fro work and seeing lots of squirrels
In Autumn when the leaves are blowing off the trees when you walking somewhere.
In Summer when the sun goes down between 9.30 - 10pm.
Job agencies- I know jobs hard to comeby in Trini. Here there are always opportunities.

The countryside is absolutely beautiful. I never expected so much greenery in this country, it was the first thing I noticed. You just expect England to be very close to America, and it isn't. Sometimes its a good thing, sometimes its a bad thing. But you could find really nice massive parks. And I love seeing sheep and horses. Think I'll have to do a seperate piece on beautiful and great places in GBR with pics.

My car. I would not have had the dinero to buy my own car if I was in Trini. And I love my car so much I dream about it.



WIERD:

Beans on toast - I love baked beans, but not on toast!
Speghetti on toast - ahm no.

White boots - I never see it looking right. If Chris Rock had something to say, it would be right up there with clear heels at the ho' convention.
Ice water coming out as your normal tap water
Bank Holidays - The only holidays with names are Christmas, new years, Good Fri & east Mon.
A good night out is supposed to include pub crawling, shouting over the blearing music, and getting shit faced.?? - whatever.

Why stores here only recently (nov05-feb-06) started using pin when you use your bank card to pay for something. We doing that long time. It in full effect since Feb06.

Some laws - if somebody break in my house to thief or God knows, the criminal in question should not be able to press charges against me. *steupseee*

Houses come in about 4 variations- detached (not joined on either side), semi-detached (the house joined to another house on 1 side), terraced (joined on both sides) and bungalows which are all detached I believe but single level houses nah. Colours don't vary much either its usully ugly brick grey or browny colour, or if you paint its usually white, cream. On your street you'll have the same type of houses.
All towns/cities have the same layouts. Same stores. Similar type shops and cafes, tea shops etc in smaller towns. Except London I suppose.

You could just not know your neighbours period.

Old people who have children that don't look after them.

Men that getting their hair did - getting highlights etc. Men who wear tight tight jeans, or bootcut, kickflare jeans.


BAD:

Never enough bank holidays
the cold duh!
Why do films always get released so late here?
And some songs don't even reach - I can't say I ever heard La Totura here yet- that is a real hot song, and is Shakira? They getting better but its still always a couple of months behind for alot of music/artists that aren't from the UK. Unless they real real popular.

Benefits system - People who generally scrounging. And people who plan all their kids so they get more benefits i.e money from govt for free, and don't have to work. Cause its the people that really need it that get less.

The Healthcare and Dental - well I don't even go to the dentist here, I just go by mine when I go home. 3rd world services. Imagine if you gone in the hospital for 1 thing, then catch something else in the hospital cause they don't clean it properly. MRSA. uhgeed.

Living space and parking spaces are small and congested. London and big cities are worse. You'd be lucky in some neighbourhoods if you could park your car infront your own house.
You have to pay to park 99% of places when you go out. After 6pm you should be allright. Its expensive to park. I have my car but I don't drive to work cause I can't afford to pay £5-£6 a day in parking thank you. I catch the bus thank you very much.

No culture unless you could count going to the pub and football as a culture.

Obsession with celebrity to the point where you could build them up, then knock them down ruin lives and they don't care (the media that is). You could be a celebrity for nothing. If i was pretty to enough to go and sleep with someone rich and famous, and then sell the story - that is good grounds for becoming a celeb. Too many Z-list celeb reality shows.

I saw a size 0 in the Gap. and a size 2 as well. ewww. Never saw it in real life, I thought it was only a celeb/Hollywood thing

The bread is go stale fast fast.
Alot of religionless people


Ok so this list isn't exclusive, but those are just some of the things I noticed, and there 's more but it would never end.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

U mean Trini is get the latest of everything b4 UK...I always view England as being in the running with the US..as soon as it hits here US) I always assume they got it over their the same time!!!
My friend use to live in england (she's from south africa) the only thing she tells me is that its too crowded, the houses are all on top one another (I think she means they choke up/close to each other)and that she is not going back to live. I gather from her conversions she did not like it! Its weird that she feels that way for some reason I always picture england as a magical place probaly cause of all the royality.
I hope one day I can make a trip to see for myself.

Icahwait* said...

No girl, unless is a real big blockbuster like spiderman or narnia, lord of the rings etc that will get released worldwide the same time. but other than that, is months, half a year or more, or Never!

No England magical nowhere no how. the houses have abut 4 variations - I'll explain more when I put it on my list. It is cramped for living and parking space, and it worse in London.

Anonymous said...

I like the list...now I am really curious bout making a trip to GB just to see for myself...& the country side i will fall in luv with, I think if i had to live in GB it will be the country side.

The bbeans on toast???? I luv bbeans think i might have to try it.

I think thats the same amt of holidays I get in the US, but my job gives 4 persoanl days for the year that u can take on other holidays that they do not give us (like martin luther king)

And I am shock that their healthcare is 3rd world service, is the h/care expensive? in the US if u do not have health coverage from your job its very expensive, I can't beleive u have to to go to the dentist home.

Do u have plans of ever going back home to live in the near future or wld u stay in GB and bypass the wired & bad?
I have a uncle who left Trinidad when he was 20 (this is when they had to go by ship) never came back home and he said he has no intentions to, I guess he fell in luv with GB.

Icahwait* said...

My last time home was this carnival gone Kevian.
I trying to be positive girl. I never even wanted to go away for more than 2 wks. you don't know how my mother try and run me out the house asking me if I want to go study in America or UK. I told her it have everything I want right here. Then I fell in love nah. 'Love is blind..'

Icahwait* said...

Alexia:
I don't HAVE to go to the dentist at home, but from the way my colleagues describe their dental visits, I'm not interested. If I go to the dentist 2wice a year I expect it to be thorough thx. Not a quick once over and see you later. The prices are reasonable as its subsidised by the NHS. And there are also problems getting registered with NHS dentists here as well. And private dentists are extortionate.

And as for doctors, hospitals: It comes out your salary. You don't pay per visit, or for hospital treatments etc. But I never see doctors who can't give a proper diagnosis. And paracetamol is the cure for everything. They never know what it is, but take paracetamol.
It is good that you don't have to pay if you needed surgery or hospital treatments. But you'd be waiting a long time.
Its more the Doctors I have issues with. I only go if I need a prescription. I don't even take my son when he gets ill.
As after 2 mins of listening to you, and Not doing a check up of any kind will say:
"its probably nothing"
"it'll go away in a few days take some paracetamol/calpol"
"There's nothing we could do for you"
"I don't know what to tell you"
" It could be X, It could be X, It could be X, I don't know - but take some paracetmol"
"Its just one of those things"
I don't waste my time yes, unless its an emergency, or I really really need to. That's how they like it anyway. And they still make you feel like a hypochondriac that wasting their time.

It took them 2 years to spot my son had Glue ear, if they had just bothered to check him properly.
And I've had a couple of mis-diagnosis etc as well, if they had spotted earlier..could have made life easier, etc.
This is not 1 doc by the way.

Icahwait* said...

Alexia,
I have it on my to do list to post some nice UK pics. I hope you do get to visit, and make sure you visit other places besides London.

I haven't tried the baked beans on toast myself, if you do let me know how it is.

I don't get personal days. But if I work on a sat, I get the time back off during the week. I thought the U.S had lots of fun filled holidays?

I don't know when, but I definately can't stay here growing old, cause this moaning making me older by the day. And I'm sure my husband don't want to hear it for the rest of his life either. lol
I've told him before we should assess it when our son is inbetween schools. Its def not in the forseeble future, but someday.