So I swear I'll update this at least once a week. It's almost a month now that I've arrived in England and it's been chock-full of discoveries and challenges. Everyone is wondering how we're adjusting and I won't lie, it's been hard. First of all, summer is my favorite season so it makes me incredibly sad to wake up everyday to clouds and/or rain. The last time I used a jacket this much in July was summer 2006 in Uruguay (and that's because it was winter there!). So yea, lack of sunshine has been not so fun. Then there's the issue of making friends here (both in and outside the Embassy community). While London is great for the variety of options for events, festivals and food, it's also a contributing factor for people doing their own thing and thus not reaching out to others. Maybe I'm just being impatient during this whole adjustment phase...
So we have quickly learned that since Ramadan these next few years is in the summer, that means a lot of Arabs from the Gulf come to London to get away from the heat before fasting begins. They really get the best of both worlds: pre-Ramadan in chilly & exciting London and then Ramadan back in the Gulf so they can sleep most of the day and have a shorter amount of daylight. Ramadan starts August 1 and here in London the fast will last roughly 16.5 hours/day. Never thought I would miss Ramadan in Egypt but I do. Looks like in 2 years Ramadan will overlap w/ my birthday, can't say I'm looking forward to that.
One last random tidbit: I ordered groceries for the 1st time since being here and that was fun. Apparently Brits don't care for stuff that I really love, like ground turkey or ground chicken. I won't belabor the point but I will say, man I miss America :)
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