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I'm currently sitting in a Starbucks in York
as I write this.
I've made the realization that bringing your laptop into places
aside from school or home is a lot more "nerdy" here than
it is in New York.
People are looking at me like I'm the great American Super Geek.
Not to mention that my computer is plugged in with an adapter that
still has a bright orange price sticker on it. Classy, I know.
But the important thing is I made it here. Yes, I made my flight
on time and spent much of my seven hours flying the friendly skies
dodging the phlegm-spewing woman behind me and attempting shuteye.
And would you believe that the movie was Miss Congeniality again?
When I flew to the UK in 2001, it was the in-flight movie then.
It's been 4 years, can we at least have Miss Congeniality 2? Shame
on you, Continental!
Anyway, having lived through the flight and Tuberculosis Tracy
behind me, I thought all was smooth sailing when I got into the
customs hall in Manchester and saw the line for the EU passports
was four times longer than the flight for all of the foreigners
(a.k.a., me). Of course, there were 4 officers for them, and just
ONE for the rest of us.
The natives (Americans, that is) got restless and pissed off. After
all, we had been on an at least a 6-7 hour overnight flight, not
like the tanned people in the other line that were probably coming
from, I'm guessing, Majorca. Old American men were trying to bribe
people so that they could cut through the line, but it didn't do
them any good. Bribery must only work on our side of the Atlantic.
So when my turn finally came, I was greeted by an incredibly "sweet"
and "polite" UK immigration officer. I knew I had a winner,
because what could have been a quick, "How long will you be
here?" and "What is the purpose of your trip?" turned
into me being forced to explain that I was only here for the month
and I swear, last time I was only here a week but they never stamped
my passport back in New York.
Then when I said I was visiting a "friend" (Does she
have to know my situation? She's not a tabloid reporter) she goes,
"Is it a boyfriend?"
"Uh… yeah…"
And then we had to play 20 questions on how I met my boyfriend,
if he was American or English, and if we planned on marrying and
taking over the world by force.
I seriously thought they'd send me home.
But now I've been here 24 hours if not more, and I'm finding I'm
not starving as badly as I thought I would (even though I brought
a Starbucks crumb cake from home in case I did). No one does cash
back on debit cards and the woman in Boots laughed at me when I
asked. In the GAP, I pulled the door handle right off the door.
I'm doing better than expected.
Everything aside, I'm having a good time and am finding I'm easily
amused by ridiculous things.
Case in point:
If we had this sign in the US it would be stolen in about 20 seconds.
It's just that good.
Lauren
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