It's hard to believe we've been here a week now. This time last week, we had just arrived and were fast asleep in our TLF. Today, we're still in TLF and still trying to sleep at the correct times. It is still hard getting the kids on a normal routine. They want to stay up late and sleep in. That will soon change as they begin to attend school once again. They just took their own 'fall break.'
We have spent the week house hunting, car shopping, set up a 'pound account' to pay our reoccurring bills in British pounds and access our money in pounds, in process, listen to briefings, take a driving class and get our British driver's license.
On Sunday, we did work in a visit to Norwich to visit a castle (see photo above), museum and a local mall. We have yet to eat 'fish and chips' or go to a pub. That will come in time.
We still have no house, no car and the kids are not in school. There are 2 elementary schools here. Which one you attend depends on where you live. Since we don't have a house, we are not quite sure which one they will go to. We did find a great house in the town of Thetford and placed a hold on it. However, once we enrolled the kids (to start on Tues) and contacted the bus office, we learned they would be on the bus 45 minutes to and from school each day (each way!) Since that seems very very long to me, we are continuing to look at other houses. Hopefully we will have reached a decision before they are scheduled to start on Tuesday. We don't want to start them and then have to re-start them at the other school, although both schools are equally nice.
Things we have learned this week:The British are in no hurry for anything. The lines are long, traffic is slow, things take forever and no one seems to mind. Even the internet is painfully slower than the DSL we are used to. OK, so I did want a slower pace....we found it!
On a positive note, everyone is super nice and talks very cool!
The commissary has weird fruit we have never heard of. Eric loves it and wants to try something new every time we go. Since the refrigerators are so much smaller, you are forced to go more often. The lines there are long too!
The washing machines take longer too. It takes about 2 hours (no joke) to do a very small size load. Good thing we don't have many clothes right now. I thought I could not get caught up in the states!!
The houses are much much smaller than American homes and do not have closets. We are looking at 4 bedroom houses to rent, but usually that means at least one of the bedrooms would not be large enough to fit a bed in. And you still need to fit wardrobes (closets with walls and a door - like Narnia, but not as fancy) in the room as well. We are struggling to find a house with enough space in our price range. Please pray we find something soon. Thanks!
It does not rain everyday. It has been sunny and nice for the last 3 days. We still wear light jackets, but it has been very pleasant.
The roads and driving is nuts!! Tony and I sat through a 3 hour class then had to pass a written drivers test to get our license. We both passed, but have yet to drive a car. We want to buy a British car (steering wheel on right side) to help with driving on the left hand side of the road. I'm sure once we get used to it, driving on the right side will seem odd. There are no red lights or 4 way stops, the British have 'roundabouts' which keep the traffic constantly moving in a clockwise motion. It actually makes sense, just hard to get used to. The roads are very narrow and usually have trees or bushes right up to the edge of the road. There are no shoulders on the smaller roads around base. We will either buy or rent a car this weekend, so we do not have to keep depending on Tony's friend to take us everywhere.
Our new adventure will take some getting used to. This PCS is like no other. And we thought Utah was another country! :O) But we know God has placed us in this beautiful land for a reason and we are blessed to be here. We will keep positive attitudes, open minds and encouraging thoughts. The kids are happy (of course, they are still on 'fall break!') and our family is together.
We miss all of our friends and family!! (but I am able to call the Henderson's via the switchboard and DSN for no charge!)
You are each a blessing to our lives and treasure our memories and friendships with you all. Please keep us in your prayers during our time of transition. Please pray we make wise choices regarding our housing, as this affects our children, their schools and future friendships there. I guess that is our main concern right now. It seems if we get that settled, as else will fall in place in time.
Thanks for your continued prayers and your gift of friendship. Cheers from England!
We have spent the week house hunting, car shopping, set up a 'pound account' to pay our reoccurring bills in British pounds and access our money in pounds, in process, listen to briefings, take a driving class and get our British driver's license.
On Sunday, we did work in a visit to Norwich to visit a castle (see photo above), museum and a local mall. We have yet to eat 'fish and chips' or go to a pub. That will come in time.
We still have no house, no car and the kids are not in school. There are 2 elementary schools here. Which one you attend depends on where you live. Since we don't have a house, we are not quite sure which one they will go to. We did find a great house in the town of Thetford and placed a hold on it. However, once we enrolled the kids (to start on Tues) and contacted the bus office, we learned they would be on the bus 45 minutes to and from school each day (each way!) Since that seems very very long to me, we are continuing to look at other houses. Hopefully we will have reached a decision before they are scheduled to start on Tuesday. We don't want to start them and then have to re-start them at the other school, although both schools are equally nice.
Things we have learned this week:The British are in no hurry for anything. The lines are long, traffic is slow, things take forever and no one seems to mind. Even the internet is painfully slower than the DSL we are used to. OK, so I did want a slower pace....we found it!
On a positive note, everyone is super nice and talks very cool!
The commissary has weird fruit we have never heard of. Eric loves it and wants to try something new every time we go. Since the refrigerators are so much smaller, you are forced to go more often. The lines there are long too!
The washing machines take longer too. It takes about 2 hours (no joke) to do a very small size load. Good thing we don't have many clothes right now. I thought I could not get caught up in the states!!
The houses are much much smaller than American homes and do not have closets. We are looking at 4 bedroom houses to rent, but usually that means at least one of the bedrooms would not be large enough to fit a bed in. And you still need to fit wardrobes (closets with walls and a door - like Narnia, but not as fancy) in the room as well. We are struggling to find a house with enough space in our price range. Please pray we find something soon. Thanks!
It does not rain everyday. It has been sunny and nice for the last 3 days. We still wear light jackets, but it has been very pleasant.
The roads and driving is nuts!! Tony and I sat through a 3 hour class then had to pass a written drivers test to get our license. We both passed, but have yet to drive a car. We want to buy a British car (steering wheel on right side) to help with driving on the left hand side of the road. I'm sure once we get used to it, driving on the right side will seem odd. There are no red lights or 4 way stops, the British have 'roundabouts' which keep the traffic constantly moving in a clockwise motion. It actually makes sense, just hard to get used to. The roads are very narrow and usually have trees or bushes right up to the edge of the road. There are no shoulders on the smaller roads around base. We will either buy or rent a car this weekend, so we do not have to keep depending on Tony's friend to take us everywhere.
Our new adventure will take some getting used to. This PCS is like no other. And we thought Utah was another country! :O) But we know God has placed us in this beautiful land for a reason and we are blessed to be here. We will keep positive attitudes, open minds and encouraging thoughts. The kids are happy (of course, they are still on 'fall break!') and our family is together.
We miss all of our friends and family!! (but I am able to call the Henderson's via the switchboard and DSN for no charge!)
You are each a blessing to our lives and treasure our memories and friendships with you all. Please keep us in your prayers during our time of transition. Please pray we make wise choices regarding our housing, as this affects our children, their schools and future friendships there. I guess that is our main concern right now. It seems if we get that settled, as else will fall in place in time.
Thanks for your continued prayers and your gift of friendship. Cheers from England!
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