I guess I haven’t thought much about what it’s like in England. We’ve spent so much of our time trying to get settled in our a house, that the novelty of living in Great Britain hasn’t quite hit home yet. Actually, it feels more like home, meaning the states, than Japan did if not for the simple fact that everything is in English. People keep asking me if it was a big culture shock coming from Japan to here. I usually say no , not really. But there are plenty of ways that this move has been a culture shock, just not in the typical ways. Food? Mostly good stuff here. We’ve had some brilliant fish ‘n’ chips. The kids weren’t too fond of the salt and vinegar. “We want ketchup!” I feel slightly abashed asking for ketchup for my chips (fries). My goal is to blend in as much as possible. I detested driving a rental car the first two weeks we were here because the rental car companies logo was printed in huge letters across the front (up top of course out of the driver’s view) and rear windows. No big deal you say, but when that company is well-known for renting to American service men, you might as well be driving the Oscar Meyer weinermobile around town. “Hey! Look at me! I’m American. I just moved here and I don’t know how to drive on roundabouts!” Well, that last part used to be true. I’m better now that I’ve had some practice. Don’t get me started on the details, though. Now they’re quite easy, but I’ve had my moments. One time I screeched to a stop just before entering one because I didn’t recognize the signs in time (embarrassment heightened because I was driving that nasty rental car at the time). One time I almost missed my exit off the roundabout so I stopped and cut off traffic to get in. Funny thing about roundabouts, though. If you miss your exit, just keep driving – they’re circles, after all. You always have another go the next time around.
There are lots of things that you’ll hear about the British people themselves. Don’t believe the rumors, though, because they’re not true. Except the one about the customer service. Don’t expect a smile or even a friendly hullo from the lady at the checkout or the teenager behind the counter at Baskin Robbins. Okay, that’s not completely true either. We went to a local restaurant and had the most fantastic waitress. She was so incredibly friendly to the kids, we actually had fun eating out with three children. It was our first time eating out here in Britain, so it was great to have a positive experience. We hadn’t yet figured out tipping protocol yet, so we asked the waitress (yes, really, we asked our own server) what was typical in England. Guess what!? She actually told us that tipping is not typical unless you really felt like you had great service. We tipped her.
Work is going along swimmingly. The dental clinic has three dentists and nine (I think) assistants and technicians. My technician is a young airmen and this is her first assignment. She arrived a few months before we did. Having come from a clinic where every 4 or 5 months I’d get a new tech and have to start all over training them, I was nervous at first when I found out she was so new. But I was pleasantly surprised (and impressed). Thankfully she worked with a couple other docs before I met her and she knows her stuff pretty darn well. But what matters more than just knowledge is attitude. With all the assistants I’ve had (and there have been a lot), the ones who shine are not necessarily the most talented. It’s the ones who have a desire to learn and are self-motivated. It’s helps if they like dentistry too.
Anyway, this post suddenly got way too serious. So the clinic we are in will close in a few weeks as we transition to our new clinic on Alconbury. I’m really looking forward to a brand new clinic with brand new dental chairs and cabinetry. Right now we are in the Upwood medical facility. That’s all that’s on the base anymore. It used to be a very large, busy base in the day (less than ten years ago). All that’s left is the medical facility. The building itself is huge, once boasting an emergency room and several operating rooms. Now, the ORs are full of exercise equipment, being converted into a makeshift gym. The dental clinic is on the second floor (the 1st floor if you’re British) so we have a few of all the empty buildings surrounding that used to be RAF Upwood. Now, they’re overgrown with vines; missing windows; broken tiles. Haunted is the word that comes to mind. I was told the clinic itself is haunted too – I was told his name is Winston. Haven’t met yet. Not planning to, either.
With all the settling into our house, we haven’t had much time for sightseeing.
We live in a small village, so anywhere we go requires a bit of a drive. You’ve probably already read about some of our adventures (the few we’ve had). We’ve been to our first castle, went to the North Sea shore, gone to a real pub, eaten pasties (no, not pastries. Pasties). Mostly, though, we’ve been shopping for the house – mostly looking for rugs. I never expected to own so many rugs! Last weekend we went to Lakenheath where there was a big bazaar in one of the hangars. We went there primarily to check out the Persian rug vendor who comes every year that we heard about. We thought perhaps we would purchase a fancy area rug for our living room. One that would last longer than, say, the flat, brown one we got from Ikea. Something pretty to look at as well as walk on. We were even prepared to fork over a few hundred dollars. Well, the rugs were beautiful. And soft. But the price. Wooeeeee! Our favorite rug was hand woven in Iran. Took one artist three years to make. Only $9,990. The cheapest rug in a size fitting for the living room, was about $900 and that’s because it was made in China. Made in India costs more. Made in a Middle Eastern country costs the most. We kept our money and bought some not so expensive rugs somewhere. Sure, our new rugs won’t last a hundred years and they certainly don’t weigh 100 pounds like those fancy ones did, but I figure with the money I save I could buy a rug for every room in the house, or maybe a couple of cars.
Alright, so you should be up to speed, for the most part. We are starting to plan a few trips now. This weekend, thinking to do a quick trip to London. No time to waste. Pretty soon it will be dark before 4PM, and cold, and windy, and foggy, and rainy. And as always, we’ll keep you updated on the many travels and adventures of the Watson family in England.
cheers,
Rob
There are lots of things that you’ll hear about the British people themselves. Don’t believe the rumors, though, because they’re not true. Except the one about the customer service. Don’t expect a smile or even a friendly hullo from the lady at the checkout or the teenager behind the counter at Baskin Robbins. Okay, that’s not completely true either. We went to a local restaurant and had the most fantastic waitress. She was so incredibly friendly to the kids, we actually had fun eating out with three children. It was our first time eating out here in Britain, so it was great to have a positive experience. We hadn’t yet figured out tipping protocol yet, so we asked the waitress (yes, really, we asked our own server) what was typical in England. Guess what!? She actually told us that tipping is not typical unless you really felt like you had great service. We tipped her.
Work is going along swimmingly. The dental clinic has three dentists and nine (I think) assistants and technicians. My technician is a young airmen and this is her first assignment. She arrived a few months before we did. Having come from a clinic where every 4 or 5 months I’d get a new tech and have to start all over training them, I was nervous at first when I found out she was so new. But I was pleasantly surprised (and impressed). Thankfully she worked with a couple other docs before I met her and she knows her stuff pretty darn well. But what matters more than just knowledge is attitude. With all the assistants I’ve had (and there have been a lot), the ones who shine are not necessarily the most talented. It’s the ones who have a desire to learn and are self-motivated. It’s helps if they like dentistry too.
Anyway, this post suddenly got way too serious. So the clinic we are in will close in a few weeks as we transition to our new clinic on Alconbury. I’m really looking forward to a brand new clinic with brand new dental chairs and cabinetry. Right now we are in the Upwood medical facility. That’s all that’s on the base anymore. It used to be a very large, busy base in the day (less than ten years ago). All that’s left is the medical facility. The building itself is huge, once boasting an emergency room and several operating rooms. Now, the ORs are full of exercise equipment, being converted into a makeshift gym. The dental clinic is on the second floor (the 1st floor if you’re British) so we have a few of all the empty buildings surrounding that used to be RAF Upwood. Now, they’re overgrown with vines; missing windows; broken tiles. Haunted is the word that comes to mind. I was told the clinic itself is haunted too – I was told his name is Winston. Haven’t met yet. Not planning to, either.
With all the settling into our house, we haven’t had much time for sightseeing.
We live in a small village, so anywhere we go requires a bit of a drive. You’ve probably already read about some of our adventures (the few we’ve had). We’ve been to our first castle, went to the North Sea shore, gone to a real pub, eaten pasties (no, not pastries. Pasties). Mostly, though, we’ve been shopping for the house – mostly looking for rugs. I never expected to own so many rugs! Last weekend we went to Lakenheath where there was a big bazaar in one of the hangars. We went there primarily to check out the Persian rug vendor who comes every year that we heard about. We thought perhaps we would purchase a fancy area rug for our living room. One that would last longer than, say, the flat, brown one we got from Ikea. Something pretty to look at as well as walk on. We were even prepared to fork over a few hundred dollars. Well, the rugs were beautiful. And soft. But the price. Wooeeeee! Our favorite rug was hand woven in Iran. Took one artist three years to make. Only $9,990. The cheapest rug in a size fitting for the living room, was about $900 and that’s because it was made in China. Made in India costs more. Made in a Middle Eastern country costs the most. We kept our money and bought some not so expensive rugs somewhere. Sure, our new rugs won’t last a hundred years and they certainly don’t weigh 100 pounds like those fancy ones did, but I figure with the money I save I could buy a rug for every room in the house, or maybe a couple of cars.
Alright, so you should be up to speed, for the most part. We are starting to plan a few trips now. This weekend, thinking to do a quick trip to London. No time to waste. Pretty soon it will be dark before 4PM, and cold, and windy, and foggy, and rainy. And as always, we’ll keep you updated on the many travels and adventures of the Watson family in England.
cheers,
Rob
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