Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Kaylee's thoughts...

Where we live..

Moving to a new place can be scary; moving to a new place on the other side of the world is terrifying. When God puts a call on your heart you have to put that terrifying feeling behind you and trust in Him. 

As someone who has never even vacationed to this side of the world, I had no idea what to expect upon moving here. Everyone said it would be different, but I couldn’t even grasp what that meant. All I ever knew was Canada. People warned me about culture shock, but again, I didn’t really understand what that meant. 

When we arrived, I quickly realized what “different” really meant. The landscape was different, the roads were different, even small things like the way the sidewalks looked, were different. 

Grocery shopping for the first time was a challenge. All the brand names are different, with the exception of a few. It look Paul and I the better part of 15 minutes just to pick out laundry soap; figuring out which one seemed better and what was the best for the price we were paying. 

It’s hard to explain what culture shock is, and how it feels. Just try to image feeling totally lost and confused by everything. Everything that you thought you knew is turned upside down. It was after about a week here that the shock set in. Paul wanted to help but wasn’t sure what he could do. One night at 2:00am I called my mom crying, very upset, telling her that we made a mistake and I wanted to come home. She helped me to relax and just take it day by day and to trust God. 

It was with the help of my wonderful husband, my loving mother, and the kindness of our new church family that I have come to settle in well in our new home. I’m really enjoying being here in England, and I’m excited for the things God has planned for us. 

On a lighter note, in one of our earlier blog posts, we showed you some things that are different from Canada, here are a few more: 

Because the building here are so old, this is what most of the keys look like:




British Money; Pounds and Pence:



Two things strange about this washing machine: 1. It's in the kitchen and 2. It's a washing machine/dryer combo; it does a wash cycle and then dries in the same system. Also, does not have a lint catcher or a vent to outside.


Dish soap, Laundry soap, and Kitchen cleaner:


Outlets; they all have a switch, not sure why:



In addition to new items and the like, we are also learning new words, and different names for things. Some you may know or have heard, others maybe not:


Canada
England
Garbage / Garbage bags
Bin / Bin liners
Fries
Chips
Chips
Crisps
Supper time
Tea time
Cookies
Biscuit
Underwear
Pants
Pants
Trousers
Pharmacist
Chemist
Doctor’s Office
Doctor’s Surgery
Elevator
Lift
Bathroom / Washroom
Loo
Line-up 
Queue
1 Dollar / 1 Buck
1 Pound / 1 Quid
TV
Telly
The subway
The tube
“Hi, how are you doing?”
“Hi, alright?”
Zucchini 
Courgette 

Thanks your reading! I hope you enjoyed it.

God bless, 
Kaylee

P.S. Here are some other pictures of Paul and I having fun in England!