Mythbusters

Before moving to England, we were informed of the way of life and some stereotypes. Here are some of the things we were told:

English food is not so great

No one goes out to eat like in America

Bad teeth

We won't understand the accents

All four of those are wrong, at least in the city of Leeds. One of the few people we have met outside of Will's co-workers sells braces to Orthodontists. As for the accents, they don't have much of one. The biggest difference is in inflection and pauses. They say the same thing but pause at different time and emphasize different syllables than I would. Leeds is also a college town so we all go out to eat :-). Today I actually made my lunch and Will is making pasta with meat sauce with what I hope is ground beef that I bought.

Things that are true about English/europe

Everyone smokes - it was hard to avoid walking right behind a smoker on my way to and from the store today.

Everyone drinks wine - and there is no good excuse to pass up a drink when offered. I found this out last night when I was invited to a mixer that happened to be a wine tasting.

Long lunches - Will is used to eating at his desk at times, but here everyone takes a leisurely one hour lunch break.

Friendly people - I'm super glad this one is true. Although I have not met many people yet, everyone has been very friendly and happy to have us here. I am especially thankful for the kind ladies at the front desk who help me with the little and big questions, like where is a good place I can walk to for groceries.