When I first got to the UK, I had a hard time understanding accents. As a student, it's really very difficult when you have a hard time understanding what your peers in class are saying. Now, I have to admit, I only had a hard time understanding *some* accents of course, not all of them. Typically if people are prone to mumbling and they're from Northern England, that's a recipe disaster. Typically Southern English people have very easy to understand accents. It's just my personal experience. One of my peers is from Manchester and he mumbles a lot and most of the time when he speaks to me I'll just automatically nod along with whatever he's saying if I can't understand him. It's usually a word here or there that he says that I think "what??" but if you miss a few words here and there, the entire sentence becomes useless to decode. The hardest part was understanding British accents in old British films. Two of my lecturers kept showing British films from the 50s and 60s in the beginning of the term and the accents were even harder to understand then. In the film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), the main character (Albert Finney) was from Nottingham and his accent is hard to grasp. Here's a clip of him, see if you can clearly understand him. Now, notice that you can clearly understand some words he's saying and other words just blend together. Well, that's how it is for me anyways. It has gotten easier as time has passed. Now I can understand the majority of accents, unless the person is far away. For example, earlier today a woman in a car was parked outside of our apartment. Now, that sounds totally normal, but the road outside our building doesn't allow cars. Typing that last sentence and then re-reading it, it sounds silly. A road that doesn't allow cars? I hadn't even thought about that until now-however the road is quite narrow and it leads to the caste ruins. Anyways, to get back to my point. The woman was in her car and had her window down, and a Welsh man came up to her asking why she was parked on a no parking road. She responded and they had a full blown conversation but I couldn't understand her because her accent was extremely Welsh and I couldn't see her mouth, which gives me a sort of context if I'm talking to someone. Enough of accents for now, readers.
Let's talk about healthcare. Now, I normally I leave politics to my sister, the politician. However, I thought it might be interesting for me to discuss the health care over here in the UK. To sign up, all I had to do was go to the closest clinic near my apartment, and luckily it's only a 5 minute walk. I filled in a form and all the sudden I was registered. No fees, no insurance. When I needed an appointment, I'd call and set one up.
I remember when I ran out of my thyroid medication back in November, previously believing that I brought enough for 6 months. I had brought enough for only 3.5. I panicked momentarily because I didn't yet understand how the National Health Services (NHS) worked here. I was in a different country, without a very important prescription (I can't live without it) and I was scared. Luckily, Ollie explained to me that we would call the DR.'s office, explain what was going on and I'd get my prescription that day or the next. So far, the NHS has treated me well. Although, getting an appointment here at the clinic I go to isn't so great. If you want an appointment, the wait time is anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 weeks. However, I've discovered a way around this if it is urgent. Although, the majority of the people that go to this clinic only go for urgent matters. The trick is, you call the clinic at 8:00 am and request a same day appointment-they set aside a few spots for people who need urgent appointments and you can get an appointment that day. So that's okay, but there's no happy medium. You have to either go in that day, or wait 2-4 weeks. Oh, and something else I love is that in Wales, prescriptions with the NHS are free. So I got my thyroid medication for free the last two times I've filled it! A big change from the US. However, this is only my experience with the NHS clinic I go to. I've heard horror stories from other people that are either chronically or terminally ill and can't get appointments at their clinic. Ah, clinic, that reminds me..
I woke up today at 2:00 pm. I slept in very late. You know what people call sleeping in here? They call it....wait for it... a "lie in." No, not like the animal a lion, although it's pronounced the same way. I have no idea how they came up with the term "lie in." It sounds morbid to me, that term. I much prefer the American way of saying sleeping in, or "let's sleep in tomorrow!" I mean, I won't "take the piss" (be unreasonable) I can see why they call it a lie in, sure. You've been lying in bed all morning, asleep. However when the phrase "lie in" is used, I honestly think of two people lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. *Shrug* maybe I'm just set in my (American) ways.
In a couple days I leave for the U.S. I'm excited to go, yet sad to leave Ollie. However, he has exams and it would be boring to sit here all day and do nothing while he studies. That's what I have been doing since we returned from London. I can't wait to see my family and my furry friends, Carter and Sailor. I think I'll go back to what I was doing before writing this blog...absolutely nothing.
Until tomorrow,
Leah
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