Things we have learned...

We are beginning to learn a few things about the way things work in the UK. Some are ridiculous and some have caused serious confusion...

1. Everyone knows they drive on the left here. But something we have to get used to is when you're crossing a street, you have to look left, THEN right. Not right first, or you're probably going to get hit by a car. Also, when you're passing someone in a hallway or on the stairs, you have to stay to the left, not the right. We've had a few near collisions because of this...

2. Booze. It's CHEAP. And EVERYWHERE. They sell booze in all the grocery stores and convenience stores. And 24's are 10pounds! And there are people drinking it in the street and on the train! Not sure if that's technically allowed, but they definitely don't have a fear of being caught. We went to a pub last night and I had a pint of Guiness for 3pounds! Even converting that to canadian it's cheap! and there are weird combinations. Like you can get smirnoff and apple juice in a can.

3. There are betting "stores" everywhere. We haven't ventured in, but they look like casino's/off-track betting places. And there are tonnes of them. And there are even slot machines in the bars. Clearly no OLG here...

4. Their school system is WAY more complicated then Ontario's. There are so many different kinds of schools. some free, some not. All requiring different exams. And "public" means "private", so even though my school is called Alfred Sutton Public School, it's actually a private school...will be interesting to try and keep things straight.

5. There are some words we have to watch out for when talking to our students. When they ask for a "rubber" they are asking for an eraser...and we can't ask them to put their "fanny" on the chair, cause that's a female's "front"...so that might cause some confusion...especially if it's a boy.

That's all I can think of right now. I'm sure we'll come across more and more every day!