things that confound me

[atomicduck]

Of course, London is an English-speaking city, so I can't say that there's culture shock of Japan proportions. I can at least mostly read the signs and speak to the natives (one would hope...), so for the most part, I don't feel like the move has really hit me yet. I mean, it feels even less foreign than Quebec. I think, also, that all major first-world cities are alike, and everything you take for granted in one can be taken for granted in another, so not many things are too different.

Having said that, here are a couple of things that I don't really understand:

• "12.5% EXTRA FREE" on a carton of soy. (It isn't free if I pay for it!)
• The very un-transparent Oyster card fare pricing on travel. I miss the fare maps on Japanese railways.
• Hailing down a bus.
• Why there's an extra charge for sit-down eating vs. takeaway.
• Why my bank account is so slow to reflect account changes that are instantaneous! (P.S. I loathe banks anyway, so I would've found something to complain about them.)
• Why practically every pedestrian crossing is a two-step effort and takes half a day.
• The jagged lane markings on roads. What could they possibly mean???

Other than that, things have been good. There's a cat that wanders in everyday and that makes life lovely. We trudged around town last weekend for some sightseeing and I have discovered a couple of things along the way:

1. Pope-protesters have creative signs.
2. I really LOVE horchata. Yes, I went to England to discover love for a Mexican drink.
3. London has some really nice old fences lying around.
4. For some girls, obnoxious-looking faux fur coats & short minidresses are back in. It's like seeing a different species of gyaru.