Things That Remind Me I'm Foreign

Despite feeling really comfortable and excited to be back in London when I arrived just over a month ago, there are things that I notice every once in a while that remind me I'm a Canadian living in the U.K.

My favourite London 'rag' newspaper (free ones that get handed out on the street weekday evenings for your commute home) The London Paper has just recently gone bankrupt - tear! - and I really related to one of their columnists final articles. Here are some of my favourite parts of what she wrote:

You know you're a foreigner living in London when....

• Asked "Alright?", you answer "I'm fine, why?".
• You've learned never again to sit upstairs on the number 38 bus at night after breathing in the secondary crack smoke from the junkie behind you. ( *Personal Note* Night buses are an experience and a half over here)
• You're amused watching Londoners tell off tourists who stand on the left... after learning the hard way yourself.
• You find yourself prudish about Page 3 girls (*Personal Note* It's honestly unreal the pictures that are in daily papers, every day.)
• People think you are the local crazy lady when you fleetingly smile at them in the street. (*Personal Note* I AM that person in my neighbourhood. People are ok with it now that they know I'm Canadian)
• It takes you a while to learn what people are talking about when they refer to "the city".
• You discover that sanitizing hand gel exists and learn that you'll die without it.
• You keep falling for Ryanair's 'free flights' deal - even though they're not free - and then bitching about the 10 pound credit card fee
• You discover drugs are cheaper than at home - unless you're from Columbia
• You can't believe you have to bag your own groceries... and be the one offering the friendly greeting (*Personal Note* This means that you are at the mercy of the people in front of you in line. Cashiers won't start the next customer until the previous one has all their stuff bagged up and off the counter thing.)
• You find it fascinating that riding on the Tube turns your snot black (*Personal Note* Totally true!)

Written by Kirsty Ross (www.kirsty-ross.com).

This may have been more entertaining for me to read than people not in London, but it's a bit of an insight to what it's living somewhere new.

Things are going well at school. It's crazy busy, but the kids are great, and I'm enjoying it. I'm having a bit of trouble understanding what I did last year with all my free time, but I'm not sure I'll find an answer to that, ever.