Being a Passenger in England - Please Pass the Alcohol!

Ok, so driving in the UK is challenging for an Ex-Pat, we all know that.

You don't know what most of the traffic signs mean...roundabouts are stressful and using your left hand to shift gears takes some getting used to.

But being a passenger? ummmm....wow!

My honey finally arrived in England this month and she started picking up some of the driving responsibilities. If you think your perspective is odd while you are driving on the right side of the car, it's WAY worse when you are a passenger on the left side.

Alex is an excellent driver and she did most of the driving in the US. And I like to think that I am a very good passenger (defined as "limited"to "no" backseat driving). However, when I arrived to work one day this week, my colleague asked me if I was ok...she said I looked really bothered. The truth was that I was so tense that I needed a yoga class, a massage, a large glass of wine or all of the above. I'm bordering on an anxiety attack just thinking about it now.

So each day she drives...I try...I REALLY try to keep calm. I know I'm annoying....I know I'm not helping matters...I want to be supportive, but it's SO hard!

Any suggestions from my loyal followers?

Adjusting to Life as an Ex-Pat

I received an email yesterday from one of my (8) loyal followers who commended me because it seems that I am adjusting to life in England so well. This got me to thinking...am I adjusting? Am I giving one perspective on this blog and really feeling something different? How am I, really?

The answer is that I've accepted where I am, but that living here is not all kittens and puppy dogs. It's been really difficult leaving my family behind for a few months while I get settled here and they prepare to come here. I've found that my mind is so full of things that need to be done, that I forget the silliest things (like the pin number for my debit card). I am lonely and consider my laptop to be my friend (kind of like Wilson the volleyball in that Tom Hanks movie). At times, I get too focused on work and realize that my teeth are clenched, my neck and shoulders are sore and I haven't done anything to take care of "me" all day. I miss seeing my friends and being able to make plans for dinner with family.

I get through this all by focusing on the positive and the possibilities, by trying to rememember to take care of myself and by taking advantage of what living in Europe affords me. I meditate, go for bike rides, do mantras and get massages. I treat myself (too often) to dinners that consist of baguette, camembert cheese or something like a huge bowl of pasta and two glasses of wine! I am very friendly with the cashiers at the local grocery market...when they ask if I'm alright, I'll launch into the fact that I am new to the town, to the country and that I will be here for two years. They are usually kind and listen to me and give me a smile. I use technology to connect to my loved ones via FaceTime. I think about what I am grateful for and try to get some exercise every now and then.

Basically, I am using the same coping mechanisms I used back in the US to cope with life here.

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.  ~Ovid
Some things I am grateful for today (not in any particular order):

• kindness of strangers
• personal strength
• camembert cheese
• the internet
• my health
• the love of someone who completely accepts me for who I am....who I feel at ease with whenever I am around...who loves me so deeply I think we've known and loved each other in a different life.
• family

Some things I am not grateful for today (in no particular order):

• that my temporary bed (an air mattress) has sprung a leak and I wake up in the morning between two giant air bubbles, but essentially sleeping on the floor
• the fact that despite signing up with my cable/phone/internet provider 6 weeks ago, my phone was just turned on last week and I'll have internet at the end of this week! (don't ask about cable!)

Trying This Driving Thing...

Today marks the beginning of another brand new experience...driving in the UK!

We've signed up for an all day driving course called "Driving and Surviving" and we have to provide our own car for this course! Strange, right?

So today, we are renting a car in preparation for the big day.

There are a couple of issues here:
1. We've got to rent a car and DRIVE the car this weekend without any lessons.
2. Not only do we have to drive the car a few miles this weekend, but we have to drive it on a highway on Monday to a place we've never been before so someone can teach us how to drive. Seems silly and a bit dangerous, don't you think?

Thankfully, my honey is more brave than I am and will drive us, pre-lesson. I think I'll bring a blindfold and gag to avoid being a "left side seat driver"

More to come...