Pounds, Petrol and a GPS that sounds like Mary Poppins!

 

First things first, English and American are two different things!  We don't speak English in America, we speak American.  We came to this realization within our first few days, and here we are thirty days later still learning new words and phrases every day.  In attempt to offer a small sample of the TRUE English language here are a few of our favourites (yes, that's how they spell favorite).

1: Pounds= money; used in the place of dollars ($1.64 = £1.00)

2: Petrol= gas; measured in litres (yes, that's how they spell it); $6.00 per gallon



Petrol Station - Only Two Options Unleaded or Diesel

 

3: MOD= Ministry of Defence; Is it ironic that the Ministry of De-Fence signs are only posted on the fence?

4: Cheers= universal word used in every possible situation; still unclear on how to respond

5: Garden= yard; size is irrelevant, flowers/plants optional
6: Take Away= Carry out or take out; Don't ask to carry/take out your leftovers, they'll want to know where you plan to carry them to.
7: Bob's Your Uncle= like saying "...and there you have it"

Although the language is taking some time to get used to, possibly the hardest transition is on the road.  Thankfully, we have Mary Poppins, the 21st century version, in our car helping us navigate the British streets.  I will say, the English GPS is substantially better than any American GPS I have ever used.  To date, we've not truly been lost once.  Mary always gets us there.  Driving is made slightly challenging by a few items.  First, you're on the left side of the road, but sitting on the right side of the car.  Ever shifted with your left hand?  Here are a few more challenging bits.

 

1: Roundabouts- Found at most intersections, no stop signs.  Kinda like a theme park ride on the road, fun, terrifying and efficient all at the same time.

 

 

 

2: Give Way- Similar to a Yield in the states, but takes the place of a stop sign in 99% of American situations.  Seriously, there are no Stop signs.
3: Speed Limits- Just look around.  There won't be a sign, but the surroundings determind your speed.  Rooftops= 30MPH Treetops= 60 MPH Motorways(Interstates)= 70MPH  There are a few instances of posted speeds, but typically not.

These National Speed Limit Signs Indicate 60 MPH

 (Yes, on this little two lane road!)

 

4: Carriageways- Their version of a road.  Narrow, bumpy, curvy, no lines, lots of hills, buses, tractors, lorries (18 wheelers),bicycles, people and no shoulder.

We see this daily, tractors rule the roads!

England is a beautiful, historic and proud country with a firm sense of self.  It is also an island.  Which means they are stressed for space.  So, houses, streets, cars, basically everything is a little bit smaller...except the tractors and birds which seem to be quite larger than we are used to.  A typical English house will be 3-4 bedrooms and two story with a one car garage.  The house will not have central air or heat.  Air conditioning isn't needed because of the climate and the house is heated with a furnace that burns oil and pumps hot water through radiators located throughout the house.  Your wash room and kitchen are one in the same and your washer and dryer competes with cabinet space below the sink.

We still have plenty of time to learn more about the English culture and language.  The Brits have been very welcoming and patient as we learn, at least they are too polite to say otherwise.  We are all happy this adventure has only just begun!

Off We Go...

...into the wild blue yonder,
Climbing high into the sun;
Here they come zooming to meet our thunder,
At 'em boys, Give 'er the gun! (Give 'er the gun now!)
Down we dive, spouting our flame from under,
Off with one helluva roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame. Hey!
Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!

We have finally arrived at RAF Lakenheath, home of the 48th Fighter Wing. It's been a busy month getting ready to move since my first blog. On July 20th Chip and I both finished our jobs in MS, we both had an amazing four years working at Hancock and at Keesler. But, the last three weeks were even busier than when we were at work!!! The first week was spent getting ourselves and our house ready, followed by a week of packers and movers, and finally a week with family! The packers had our house packed in an amazing 3 hours - so happy the Air Force packs for us, that would have taken me weeks. The time with family was priceless - we got to visit with each of our families and make wonderful memories. It is very hard moving so far away from all of them, Praise the Lord for Skype!

We left MS on the afternoon of the 13th and arrived in London around 9:30 the morning (UK Time) of the 14th. Both of our flights went surprisingly well, Peyton was WONDERFUL! He played and slept on the way to Houston and watched movies and slept the entire way to London. Once we arrived we were greeted by 2 men from Chip's new office. It was great to be chauffeured around by them. We were able to get Kosmo from the London kennel and play with him for the day before taking him to a local kennel. Boy was Peyton glad to see his puppy, and of course Kosmo was thrilled too!

On the Flight to Houston

(Paci's were a must on the plane but hey, it worked!)

Best Way to Travel Thru

 the Houston Airport

My Big Boy!

Ready to Take Off

Now that we are here we are spending time getting acclimated to the base and the surrounding areas. Honestly we are both experiencing a little bit of culture shock, but we know that we will learn it all in time. The jet lag has been rough on our little man, it will take a few more days for him to get used to the 6 hour time difference. As our new adventure is beginning we are excited and still pretty nervous. In the next day or so we'll be renting a car - watch out people - we'll be let loose on the left side of the road!!

We know many of you have prayed for us over the past few weeks and we are truly grateful. Keep the prayers coming! It will be a few weeks still before we are in a house and can get fully settled, but we are looking forward to exploring the UK and making this our home for the next three years!

Of Course there are Parks in England Too!!!

Getting Ready for Our Grand Adventure

August 13th 2012 we will leave the US for our first overseas assignment with the Air Force. We are moving to RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. While we are sad to leave our family and friends in South MS and LA, we are excited about this opportunity to see new parts of the world, meet new people, and make life long family memories. The name of this blog came from comments from family and friends at the start of this move – several people we talked to about our move told us that this would be a “Grand Adventure” for our family and we are ready to experience it to the fullest!

As I write this first blog entry we are very, very busy getting ready for our move: Mom and Dad are finishing their jobs here in MS, cleaning house, separating items for storage/shipping, spending time with family, etc. Who’d have thought it was this much work to move a family over 4,000 miles???  Me, that’s who! But, I’m up for the challenge.

There will be many more tales of our adventures to share with you all over the coming months/years. We look forward to sharing our story with you through this blog! Stay Tuned as we get ready for the start of this adventure…

Mitchell Family April 2012