Dag 75 Woensdag 2 dec

Vandaag weer Oud Engels gehad en ik heb zowaar ongemerkt vijf minuten over een gedicht van vijf regels weten te praten tijdens college, het valt dus blijkbaar wel mee. Ik had het liever over het verdwijnen en verzwakken van de naamvalsuitgangen in sommige woorden gehad, maar dit is toch vooruitgang voor iemand die literatuur gesprekken zinloos vindt (ook al is het de een na laatste week). Daarna even naar het centrum gegaan dat nu helemaal versierd is in kerstsfeer met ijsbaan en al, om nog wat leuke dingetjes te kopen voor thuis straks, want ik ben hier nog maar twee weken.
Nu het steeds dichterbij komt, ben ik me er wel meer bewust van hoe bijzonder het is dat ik deze kans heb gekregen om hier te studeren en te wonen. Als je hier woont en alles 'gewoon' is geworden, sta je daar niet zo vaak meer bij stil.

Ik vond vandaag nog een lijstje op internet, gemaakt door verschillende mensen die in de UK hebben gestudeerd en ik heb de leukste hieronder neergezet.

You know you have been studying abroad in the UK for a while when...

2. You have tried the symbol of British food, a breaded piece of fish with fries which they call "fish & chips".
3. You see semi-naked girls in the streets and boys wearing t-shirts with temperatures below zero.
6. You wake up every morning knowing that it's quite unlikely that you're going to see the sun.
10. You see people drunk in the streets at 8pm.
15. You've said "cheers mate" more than twice.
17. You realise the most important religion is not Christianity but Rugby.
19. You wonder why the concept of "proper curtains" hasn't arrived to this country yet.
20. You hear and say "sorry" at least 10 times a day.
22. After a failed conversation with someone in the street you wonder whether he/she was speaking Scottish, Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Irish or English.
24. You have struggled trying to convert from Farenhait to Celcius, from Miles to Kilometers and from Pounds to Euros, but you know a pint is 0.56 litres.
25. You have been driving on the wrong side of the road.
28. You see 3 kebab shops and 2 indian restaurants in every street.
30. You've had a burger, chips and beans on the same plate.
31. You've thought more than ten times that the car you have just seen was driven by nobody.
36. You think you're going to visit a palace, a castle or a chapel and you only see a few old stones.
39. You realise that any kind of food can be eaten with anything else, no matter how weird the combination is.
41. In case you need to get your hands clean, you realise that you only have two options: boil your hands in water near to 90º or see how they become two ice-cubes.
47. You see potatoes everywhere, in all different forms and shapes, i.e. boiled potatoes, jacket potatoes, mashed potatoes, chips, crisps, etc.
53. You realise that being served alcohol in an academic seminar is completely normal.
54. You learn that 4 cups of tea per day is good for you.
62. You find yourself discussing what make of baked beans is the best...and it doesn't scare you.
64. You find out that "hello/hey, how are you?" is replaced by "you alright?"
68. You've bought something at Argos.
69. You think it's normal to sleep on a mattress which was considered old-fashioned crap in Europe 30 years ago.
75. You feel like a nun when you wear trousers or skirt longer than your knees when you go out.
77. You discover that a simple train ticket can vary from a price of £8 to £30 for the same train, time, date and journey.
78. You realise that you have never seen an English Restaurant.
79. You move into a house and realise that you can't open the windows.
81. You realise that British people are queuing politely everywhere except at the bar counter
82. You start celebrating Christmas Time right after Halloween.
86. You realise that you can get decent (dark, rye, healthy) bread in every European country except for the UK...and no, toast is not considered a proper kind of bread.
87. You are no longer suprised to see fans and radiators on at the same time.
88. You are annoyed by the sockets.
89. You realise that every product you buy "may contain traces of nuts".
91. You are addressed as "darling, sweetheart, love, ...." (and 'duck' in Nottingham) and all other versions of nicknames in that genre you normally only call your wife/lover by the staff in supermarkets, pubs and restaurants.
95. You talk about the weather all the time.
97. You have asked to borrow ten "quid" instead of ten pounds from someone.
99. You have to pull a string to switch on the light or get the water from the shower.
102. You have to mind the gap between the train and the platform.
103. Every door is a "fire door" that you have to "keep shut".