International Gypsy

Friday, July 28, 2006

Journey continues. from US to UK

yepp.... just when i was about to pack my bags and head home, i got a surprise and was asked to work on a quick project of about 5 weeks.. so like an obedient soldier, I packed my belongings from NY and headed to the land of queen.. Brighton is what they call it.. the college town of UK as well as the gay capital of UK.. unfortunately I am straight and simple and engaged!!!
first few days in Brighton have been quite an experience.. I really wonder why cant we have uniform standards for electric sockets.. I bought one converter when I went to the US and now I have bought one for UK.. and I hear I would have to buy a new one if I was to ever visit any other European country.. anyway..
coming to UK from US is quite a difference.. quite obviously people drive on the right here and they very much drive the Indian style..
US where everything is quite big, UK is equally opposite.. lots of small cars and very few SUVs.. havent seen a hummer or dodge or F-150 type monster... my fridge here is probably the size of deep freezer of the fridge that I had in NY.... considering the size of it, I bought a 4 pack beer.... there is a temperature control system which only heats in winters and maintains the room temperature in summers.... the washer cum drier is probably smaller than the earlier washer alone.. and for women as well.. they are smaller than their US counterparts.. I dont know if its because Brits have better eating habits or they work out more.. whatever it be, its a happy sight not to see too many oversized women..
anyway.. enough of comparisons on UK being small.. but there is one area where UK scores over US.. Its heavier on your wallet for all the smaller things.... for every dollar, you spend a pound regardless of the 2:1 exchange rate.. be it lunch or dinner or beer.. you actully spend more for soda even on a 1:1 level..
with all these weired comparisons, journey of life continues in a new continent... albeit without my companion for life.. as I write all this sitting in my apartment right in the middle of Brighton's downtown, she will be deep asleep in the french town of India getting geared up for what will be a yet another working saturday..

cheers to me 'the happy wanderer'
Varun