I want to play a game...

Right into it:

BritBit 1: Crutches. The crutches here are different than the ones in the U.S. They don’t go under your arms, they go around your elbows and you hold onto a part sticking out of the crutch. They look old fashioned, but they’re the only types of crutches I see here, so I’m guessing those are the ones they use.

…I really don’t have anything else to say. Everything is so familiar now; nothing stands out. Have I mentioned the faucets? Yes. Have I mentioned…hm…I know. Let’s play the look-around-the-room-and-see-what’s-different-than-the-U.S. game.

Oh!

BritBit 2: Just noticed a bag of crisps. Lays potato chips are called Walkers here. It was amusing the first time I saw it, but now it’s normal. I actually forgot what Lays were called the other day—I heard someone talking to someone else saying that “Walkers aren’t called Walkers in the U.S.” which is what reminded me of this fact in the first place.

BritBit 3: Just noticed the cereal boxes sitting above my head on the shelf. There are several British versions of popular American cereals.

Cocoa Krispies = Kellogg’s Coco Pops

Cocoa Puffs = Nestle Nesquick. I was confused when I first saw this, because Nesquick is a chocolate drink in the U.S., not a cereal.

Honey Nut Cheerios = Honey Cheerios. Basically the same thing.

They have Rice Krispies here too. I think they have Special K as well. Unfortunately, they don’t have Captain Crunch with crunchberries or Apple Jacks or Fruity Pebbles. I found some websites that ship all kinds of American foods (amusingly, Mountain Dew and Lucky Charms are the most prominent product on all the sites’ home pages; they are the quintessential American snacks) but it’s ridiculously expensive. I’ll manage without it.

Still looking…

By the way, Eurostar contacted me today about their atrocious Christmastime performance. I’m getting a refund AND a free return trip on Eurostar! I have no idea where to go though…I’ve already been to Paris; it seems like it’d be a waste to go back when there are other places to go. Then again, the other places are Lille and Belgium, which don’t exactly appeal to me. I have no pressing urge to go to either of those places, so I could go back to Paris and visit a few places we missed last time…and now I’m just thinking on paper so I’ll move on.

…Random note, but I can’t believe how clean my room is…relatively speaking, anyway.

Okay, focus. British things, British things…

BritBit 4: I really didn’t need as many outlet converters as I thought. I’m only using one, to my surprise. At home I use at least five. I have two converters but when I brought them to Paris (they were useless and I knew that, I don’t know what I was thinking) I never bothered to plug one of them back in when I got back. The only thing plugged in is my computer. I bought a phone here so the charger is already in…I don’t know, British format. If I need another outlet I just unplug my computer and use it for the other thing. So anyone planning on studying in the UK, you might not need as many converters as you’d think.

On another note, my main light isn’t working. During the day I open the curtains, but at night I have to use my mirror light and my desk light (which happens to be on my nightstand for inexplicable reasons). I tried contacting the porter about it and he said someone would be around to fix it the next day. That was last week. I’ll guess I’ll go back later and DEMAND SERVICE…or, more realistically, ask politely for someone to fix my light.

Oh!

BritBit 5: I found a store that sells sneakers! Which, by the way, are called trainers here. I’ve tried looking for them, but all I’ve been able to find were flats and heels and such—all of which didn’t fit because the sizing here is weird. 3s are too small and 4s are too big, though some 4s do fit, depending on the shoe. Argh.

Anyway, I found a store near Churchill Square, the only mall (that I know of) in Brighton. The store is a sneaker paradise, and practically everything was on sale. So I got some new shoes, yay me. Also, I got a new coat for a decent price, since winter is almost over and they’re putting winter stuff on sale. It was a good weekend.

Okay, I think that’s a decent length for an entry. Oh, by the way, my classes are going okay. Just thought I’d mention it, since that’s kind of why I’m here in the first place.

Enough with that boring stuff. See you next time!