First, a note. This posting is being made to the web site more than a year after I returned to the United States. I actually wrote most of it while in my first few months in Oxford when things were fresh in my mind. But other matters got in the way and, until a recent email from a reader, I just hadn't revisited the entry I wrote. So I finished it up and polished a few of the rusty knobs. I hope you'll find this guide useful. As I re-read it, I was taken back to those exciting and stressful days before our move to Oxford. I can honestly say it was as fun and exciting as I hoped it would be and it was worth all the effort we put into planning our move. I only wish we could have stayed a few more years to enjoy England and the Continent. On with the entry.
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
So you're about to make a big move across the ole pond, eh? Great! What you want is one, central place where there is just a nice, big fat, "TO DO" list, right? Well, unfortunately there is no such thing. And yet there are dozens of "tips" sites that give you part of the picture. I'll do my best to synthesize the information I have from my own experience and give you as much "real" advice as I can. I will write this from the point of view of an Oxford student and spouse, of course, so just keep that in mind if you're in a different situation.
THE TIMEFRAME
When you go online or look in books for info, they almost all say "start early," but few give you an exact timetable. For us, it was a process of years, but for you it may be condensable. We visited (see next section) about two years ahead of time, but you might not need to do so that far in advance. Our real preparations began in April when Andrew was accepted to Oxford. We moved in Septemer. That gave us a total of about 5 months during which we planned and executed all the details of our move. It seems like a lot of time and probably is, but, no matter how well you plan, the last month and a half or more will be almost unbelievably hectic. There are just a lot of little things you have to do last-minute. So my advice is to start serious planning about 6 months before you plan to move and speed things up as you go. Don't plan to work full time for at LEAST a month before you go if you can help it. If you have a spouse or partner, at least one of you should take a minimum of a month off.
SECTION I - WHEN YOU ARE IN THE PROCESS OF CONSIDERATION
Step 1 - Visit and investigate
(if you don't have a passport, apply for one at least a month before you do step 1 - see step 3 for info on getting a passport)
It probably sounds obvious, but do visit the exact town and area you are interested in living in before you decide to move there. If you're a student on a budget, see if you can get a cheap student rate (STA travel is a wonderful blessing for students) and come over for just a week or two with someone whose opinion you value. Visit as many universities and colleges you can AND other local sites you might frequent (bars, pubs, restaurants, libraries, supermarkets, etc.).
Ask lots of questions and write things down about everything you can think of, especially different areas of town you like/don't like. We did this in the summer of 2000 when we came over for 9 days and visited about 5 different universities. It wasn't cheap (I think we paid in the neighborhood of $3000-5000 for the whole visit), but we were glad we did it because we wound up completely re-working our list of choices based on our visit. We had considered Glasgow and London much further toward the top until we visited and found we didn't care much for the cities. This moved York much higher on our list. So, visit, make notes, and ask lots of questions of people who work, live and study where you are interested in being. Ask about how much rent and food are, what the weather is really like, what areas of town are good/bad/trendy, and how the locals feel about Americans.
Then take all those observations (and hopefully pictures) back to the states with you to stew. I really suggest to write down notes and impressions of each place as you visit. Things can fade quickly when you're jaunting around a new continent, and its easy to forget what you saw where or what your true impressions were. If you just can't afford to visit first, go online and look around for both official and unofficial web sites of the city, county, schools, and local businesses. Also look for blogs and other personal sites.
Another helpful thing Andrew did was to email lots of people both before our visit (to arrange meetings with professors, students and administrators; a surprising number of well-respected professors took over an hour out of their day to discuss grad school with an American tourist who hadn't even applied to their school yet). He also emailed and called people after our visit. Some were for follow-ups after he'd met with them. Others were new contacts he looked up to get more info. Information is your friend in this game. ASK QUESTIONS!
Step 2 - Apply
Once you know where you want to go, get out your resume or applications. If you are a student, you'll probably find that the UK colleges have much later deadlines than stateside schools. This is very unfortunate because the big grants and scholarships in the USA have deadlines which are much earlier. Therefore, in most cases, you can't put on the scholarship application that you have been accepted because you can't even turn in your application yet. This can be a big problem for students who can't fund their own studies. Unfortunately, you just have to go for it and hope you win the grants. If not, you will end up needing to apply for student loans, which is what we have had to do this year.
Do apply to your university program as soon as you can and be prepared to be very patient in waiting for a response. Andrew kept in contact with the university and others via email while he was waiting. Be patient and don't hound them, especially the universities.
If you are coming here to work, there are lots of web sites with UK jobs. Over here nobody has a resume, it's a CV (curriculum vitae) whether you are in academia or a blue collar job. Anyway, send your CV all over and see what you hear. Your field and where you want to move will determine how long this will take. As the spouse of a full time student, you can legally work full time in the UK with a simple stamp on your passport. Other situations don't allow you to work in the UK, so be sure to investigate the necessary paperwork before you try to work
While you are waiting for acceptance to a university or job, go ahead and start making some basic preparations (see below), There are certain things that don't cost much and won't commit you to an overseas move if something should go wrong. Get these things out of the way early so you don't have to worry about them when you're knee deep in moving overseas.
Step 3 - Prepare some basics
The first thing to do once you think you're probably moving overseas is to get your passport if you don't have one already. Actually, you need to do so before you go for your visit. Be warned that passports are not an overnight thing. Get the paperwork, get your photos taken. Yes, you have to get special photos taken for a passport. AAA has good prices for members; Kinko's does them and so do a ton of other places. Get the pictures and get your application sent in. I recommend you apply for a passport at least a month or two before you'll need it. Note that passports aren't free and you will have to do some running around to get the necessary "stuff" for your application. So get the info early and get it in. Rush passports are much more costly than standard processing.
Another thing you should start doing early is looking into cheap airfares. If you are a student, check with the student travel agency. I highly recommend Virgin Atlantic if you can find good fares with them (we have always been able to). They have very nice amenities and the best service of any international airline. You don't need to book your flights just yet, but get an idea of the prices for your desired move time. Summer prices are considerably higher than other times of the year, so if you can wait until a bit later in the year to move (UK colleges generally start later than American ones anyway), I suggest you do so.
This is also a good time to start getting your immigration paperwork together. When you come through customs, you will be asked how long you are staying and the purpose of your visit. If you're staying for a particularly long time, you'll need documentation to prove you can support yourself. That means a bank statement, loan information, grant information, or proof of employment in the UK. You'll need a letter of acceptance if you are to be studying in the UK. You'll also need proof of immunizations. If a spouse is going with you, you'll need a copy of your marriage license. There are lots of different things you may need depending on your situation, so go ahead and start requesting copies of things like immunization records, school transcripts, birth certificates, etc. Basically you have to prove to them you are who you say you are, you have a legitimate and proven reason to enter the country, and you can afford to live there for the appointed amount of time. They will not let you in without this proof!
If you live with animals, seriously consider whether you want to try to move them with you, leave them with loved ones, or have someone adopt them. PLEASE do not leave this decision until the last minute! Every your thousands of animals are abandoned when their "owners" move and can't find homes. More are sent to animal shelters where more than half are euthanized because homes can't be found. DON'T BE THAT PERSON! Be responsible for your animals as you would your children. If you want to leave them state-side, find a reliable loved one to adopt or care for them. If they are caring for them and you want your animal(s) back upon your return, have a detailed contract written up and discuss it with your caretakers thoroughly (feel free to email me for an example of the one I wrote). If you wish to take animals with you to the UK, read all the information on the PETS scheme carefully, talk to your veterinarian AT LEAST 9 MONTHS BEFORE YOU MOVE to determine that your animal is healthy enough to travel via cargo to the UK, to undergo the required shots, and to have a microchip implanted. And start looking for animal-friendly lodging EARLY. Be warned that to take your animal along is very expensive, requires them to take a long flight in the cargo hold, and will cause you to have to pay much more for rent if you are going to live in a flat (that's IF you can find a flat that allows animals). You need to KNOW early, or you could end up sending your animal to an overcrowded shelter or to live with somebody who doesn't really want to care for him/her.
Contact your doctor about moving overseas. Make sure you have an up to date product information sheet for any medicines you take. A lot of medications, especially prescription drugs, have different names in the UK. If you have the little package insert which tells exactly what drugs and how much are in the medicine, they can often look it up and find a UK equivalent.
I will re-iterate to make a point here, too. While you're waiting for news, continue scouring the internet for information on where you'll be living, what the people are like, webcams, blogs, traditions, customs, weather, etc. Start reading the BBC and other English news sources to get up on what people here are talking about. See if your local PBS or other channel plays the nightly BBC World news broadcast and watch it if you can. Pay attention to international news. Check out atlases and maps and learn the counties in England and the cities in the area where you'll be living. If you're moving to London, study the maps of the London Underground. Figure out which areas contain things you are interested in visiting.
I also suggest picking up a copy of Lonely Planet's British Phrasebook to peruse. It's a fun way to get to know some of the slang they use in England. While you'll be able to get by, you'd be surprised how many British phrases you never hear in the United States and how many you do hear that the English never really use. Do you know what a busman's holiday is? Can you properly use "sorry" and "cheers"? Do you know how to respond when someone says "Alright"? The book will help you with these quandaries.
SECTION II - WHEN YOU'RE PRETTY SURE YOU'RE GOING TO BE MOVING
For us, moving to England kind of happened in stages. For over a year we thought it was "very likely," but couldn't be sure because Andrew hadn't actually been accepted to Oxford yet. So we could only do preliminary things. Then he got his acceptance letter. This changed us from "likely" to "pretty sure." Even though he had been accepted, it was premature to say we were "definitely" moving because there was way too much still to be determined. Still, once you have an offer of a job or school, you have a real starting place. For one thing, it should give you a ballpark idea of how soon you'll be moving. If you have the choice, give yourself at least 3 or 4 months from the time you're "pretty sure" until you step on the plane and wave goodbye to American football.
When you're at this stage, things really pick up speed. The more you do early, the less stressed you will be as your move approaches. Believe me, there is enough to stress about when you are about to move overseas, you don't need a bunch of last minute things to add to the drama.
Step 4 - Simplify your life
As soon as you know you're going (earlier if you can commit to it), begin seriously evaluating every item you own. Did you just snicker? I am serious! Ask yourself if you really need it any more. Could you live without it until you move? Could you get rid of it now and replace it with a similar item in England. Remember, the UK uses a different electrical system and adapters aren't the safest or best way to go. Plus, electronic equipment takes up valuable luggage space that you are gonna need. So seriously ask yourself if you can live without that hair crimper and Epilady.
Start going through clothes, kitchen items, and personal items and sell or give away anything you are willing to part with as early as you are willing to do so. As you get closer and closer, I suggest things like getting rid of your dishes and using paper or plastic instead, so before you get there, how about chucking that bread machine you never use or the Scooby sheets that don't fit on your bed? Could a charity make better use of that old TV or couch than you can? If so, get rid of it. Also remember that some things will take a while to sell, so if you are willing to sit on the floor or eat at the kitchen counter, get rid of some of the big furniture.
While you won't be able to part with everything at this point, you will probably find a certain satisfaction in simplifying. This is the point where the moving stuff is still kind of fun. Embrace that and go with it. You'll be glad you did. Every few days go through some things and get rid of some. Once you've gone through everything and weeded things out, start over at the beginning and go through those things again. I guarantee you'll decide there are a few more things you can part with. These things work in stages.
For items you want to sell, start taking pictures and get them on ebay, in your local paper, or on flyers/email around work and home. Do this EARLY. At least two months before moving. Keep in mind that you have to put the item up for bid, wait for the auction to end, wait for successful contact between you and the buyer, wait for payment to clear, ship the item to the buyer, and leave feedback. This is a lot of work. A LOT! If you wait until close to your move, you will want to kill someone. Believe me! Sell your collections, CDs and used books and posters EARLY. You don't need them and they will be a big thorn in your side later.
Step 5 - start cleaning and organizing
Once you've really started to simplify, you'll find that it's a lot easier to organize what you have left. Start labeling items or make a list someplace of what you want to keep in the US (stored in a storage facility or with friends/family), what you want to take to the UK (remember that you are only allowed two checked bags on the plane and there are strict size and weight limits), what you want to ship to the UK (this can be VERY expensive and you can end up having to pay import tariffs on it, so think carefully. Could it be cheaper in the long run to just replace the item with a new or used English version?), and what you want to get rid of but can't until the last minute (microwave, car, etc.). This will help you keep it all straight. At this point in the game our apartment became a strange sort of warehouse with lots of piles and open space. If you haven't taken down all of your decorative items and every picture off the wall, do it now. Plan to take only a few key photos/photo albums with you and set those aside. Box the rest up to be stored.
For those items you must wait until the last minute to sell (bed, car, other essential items you won't be taking with you), look into selling them. Decide how much you want for them and how you want to sell them. Get posters, ads, etc. made up and ready to go. Budget the money to advertise them if necessary. Make sure you know how to go about selling your car and transferring the title and have the paperwork ready. If you really need your car right up until you leave the country, consider having a friend or family member complete the sale for you. To do this, you'll need to give them power of attorney, so go ahead and look into that and get things ready if you can.
In addition, while you are going through things, start cleaning out closets, drawers, and file cabinets as much as you can. Shred old receipts and bills that you don't need for tax purposes or important records. Remember you can always request new copies of bank and credit card statements if you need them. Think of ways you can consolidate. Throw away or donate clothes that are out of season and you can't take with you. Remember that you'll really need to fit all the clothes you want to take into your luggage. It's not very cost-effective to ship them unless you do so with a very slow shipping method (m-bag).
While you're at this stage and going through things, PULL OUT EVERY HOTEL SOAP, SHAMPOO AND LOTION IN YOUR HOME AND START USING THEM. It sounds silly, but you may be surprised at how much extra soap and shampoo you own. Don't bother buying a bunch of new toiletries when you have all those leftovers lying around. Use the hotel soap first. Then, if you really run completely out of something before you move, buy a smaller bottle so it fits better into your luggage.
SECTION III - WHEN YOU'RE SURE YOU ARE GOING
Step 6 - Decide on a moving date and arrange to quit your job
Now that things are starting to gel, it's time to begin scheduling things carefully. You'll need to start with the end - your move date. This is also the point when you should let your job know you're leaving (if they don't already) and make arrangements to quit or (if you are transferring to a branch in the UK) take a few weeks off for moving. This is another place where long-term planning can help. If you know at least 6 months in advance that you are leaving, you can hopefully save up the money necessary to take time off.
Step 7 - Start making lists
These lists will need to be many and varied. I suggest you at least make lists of the following: things to do, people to contact, what to pack, what to ship, what to store, what to sell, paperwork to fill out. See Appendix 1 for a list of what to bring and Appendix 2 for what to leave home.
Step 8 - Find a place to live in England
If you are coming here to study and are a single person, this may be an easy task. Otherwise, it will take some serious time and thought. If a student, I suggest strongly that you plan to live in university- or college-owned housing. This is MUCH cheaper than "living out" and often nicer accommodation. If you can get a college-owned flat or house, take it. It's guaranteed to be at least acceptable for living in, and at a far, far better price than private housing. Once you have the lay of the land you can always move out.
If you have children or aren't attending school here, you'll want to check out some of the web sites for renters in the area you'll be living in. In Oxford, those include Finders Keepers and QB Management. Expect to pay a premium to live near the center of town, but keep in mind this usually means you won't have to deal with the expenses of car ownership (and it IS expensive here!). An alternative is bus passes. In Oxford they aren't too expensive (roughly £1 per day) and most busses run every 10 - 30 minutes from about 6 am until about midnight. However, there are days when busses don't run at all (Dec. 25, 26 and January 1st to name a few).
Again, if you plan or hope to transport your kitty or puppy dog to England, contact as many "estate agents" as you can find and tell them what you're looking for. It may be more difficult than you think, or you may have to compromise other desires to get Fido into a home (higher rent, living farther out of the city centre, and additional deposits are among the possible problems you might face).
Step 9 - Schedule important appointments and some time for yourself
You'll have a lot of little things to do before you go, so start scheduling them as soon as you can. You'll probably want to have a full check-up with your doctor, get a dental cleaning, have extra passport photos taken, get your car serviced and cleaned to sell it, have a hair cut, and maybe fit in a few side-trips to spend time with friends or family before you leave. Before things get so busy you can hardly think, put those things on a calendar and get them all arranged. Lots of unscheduled problems and chores will come up, but if you schedule what you can, it helps.
Step 10 - Arrange for banking and credit cards in the US and overseas
If you have any loans, you'll want to arrange to have them deferred (if possible) while you are adjusting here. If you're coming here to study, you'll have to fill out different paperwork to have any previous student loans deferred. Take care of this at least two months before you leave or you may end up having to pay your loans once you've already moved. If you aren't a student, make sure to let the loan companies know your new information and arrange a time to resume payments.
Banking is another story and is quite a pain to take care of, but if you do it one step at a time it is possible.
First, deal with your domestic bank. You will no doubt have some bills to pay, deposit reimbursements coming back, etc. once you have left. It will take a least a couple of weeks to arrange for a bank account and credit cards in the UK, so for that time you may also have to rely on domestic banking. How do you do this? First of all, call and let your bank and credit cards know about the move. Now, credit cards won't just switch you over to a UK account and you MUST pay your US cards in US dollars, so it's a very good idea to cancel all but one or two credit cards but KEEP YOUR US CHECKING ACCOUNT OPEN FOR AT LEAST A MONTH AFTER YOUR MOVE. Make sure your account has online access so you can check on its status and pay bills online. Meanwhile, arrange to have your bills and final paycheck, etc. sent to a close friend or relative you trust OR to your accountant or lawyer who will be taking care of your bills for a few months. In our case, we changed our official billing and banking address to a close relative, added that person's name to our bank account, and had them email us when they got a check or bill. He/she does our deposits and lets us know when a bill comes. Most of the time, I pay the bill online, but occasionally I do have them cut a check to somebody on our behalf. It's very helpful to have somebody stateside on the account. This way they can make necessary phone calls, clear up questions, and pay any bills you can't do online.
UK banks will probably require a letter of reference from your current bank and some sort of proof of your UK address, so before you move out of the USA, go to your bank and ask them to send a letter to your future address. It sounds a bit odd, but it's SOP for UK banks. This will greatly expedite the process. Once you have opened your UK account, arrange for some, but not all, of your US money to be wire transferred to your new account. Don't ask them to send you a check. Current laws put a cap on how large of a foreign check you can deposit. Also, make sure you get a UK account that allows you to deposit American checks without a surcharge for the transaction. If you have a job, it may be possible for you to get a UK credit card quickly. As a student, it may take a year or more, so you may still have to use your US card while you're here. Either way, it's a good idea to leave a bit of money in your US account to cover those final bills and such you get in the US. They won't accept checks in British pounds and it will take a while for a check to get overseas, so that's, again, where that friend in the States with account access comes in handy.
If you're not moving to the UK permanently, you might want to just continue using your US credit cards and paying them online with your US bank account. This, of course, requires you to have money in your US account. Our credit card companies, however, did not charge an extra fee for UK transactions. They just used the daily exchange rate to convert the transactions to dollars.
Once you have a UK account, your US credit cards are paid off, you have a UK credit card, and no more regular stateside bills (ie. internet access, storage facility bills, etc.) are being paid via your US credit card, it's probably okay to close your US account. I wouldn't do it within my first six months of residency in the UK, though. You never know what will come up.
Step 11 - Begin packing for shipping and storing
You should have already gotten rid of the "easy" stuff - the fondue pot you never used, the garage sale dollhouse you forgot you still had - and now the hard stuff starts. You'll probably be surprised at how much stuff you still have. As you continue going through stuff you'll no doubt continue to get rid of stuff. Now is also the time to start packing things up to ship or store them. I suggest you ship and store as little as possible, but I do understand that there are certain things you just can't part with. So be conservative but realistic. Don't ship yourself 8 boxes of old love letters if you're just going to England for two years, but don't sell your grandma's wedding album, either. Set aside what you can live without until you return, what you can live without until you arrive in England (or shortly thereafter), what you can live without period, and what you need every day and therefore must put in your luggage. There may be personal items that would do better with a family member or friend than in storage. For instance, I have a large and beautiful cedar wedding chest which I didn't want to be in storage (it's very large and valuable), but I obviously couldn't bring with me. So I arranged for it to stay with my mom until I return. Additionally, my in-laws agreed to keep our books for us and therefore also a large bookshelf. It didn't eliminate our need for a storage unit, but it made the one we needed smaller.
Step 12 - find a storage facility
Shop around in your area for a well-priced, very reliable storage facility. It might seem tempting to go with the absolute cheapest one, but it's also stuff you might not be able to check on regularly. So take several days to drive around and look. Shop carefully and pay attention to the security of the facility as well as the price. Find out if you can pay up front (remember you'll probably change credit cards, so you may not want to do an automatic monthly debit). Find out if you can arrange for family or friends to access your unit on your behalf while you are gone. Find out how they will contact you if your unit is broken into, damaged, or they go out of business. Once you find a place you are comfortable with, verify with them the size of unit you will need and go ahead and book it. Start moving stuff in as early as you can to get it out of your way.
Step 13 - Arrange for animal companions to come or stay
Actually, with the current laws as they are, this is something you'll need to start SIX MONTHS BEFORE YOU MOVE. The UK now allows American cats and dogs to come with their people. Many airlines allow the animals to fly with you, but they must fly in the cargo hold, which I just could not handle. In addition to the charges involved with flying with your animal, there are veterinary and bureaucratic hoops to jump through. Read the UK animal scheme web site carefully before you begin.
Step 14 - Change addresses
Make a list of your regular bills, magazines, and other mail and memberships. You'll need to do your address changing mostly over the phone because the online forms usually don't allow for overseas addresses. Call early and explain why you're changing addresses and when it will change. Surprisingly, several of our magazine subscriptions didn't charge us extra for the remaining issues to be sent overseas. They'll arrive quite late in the UK, but it's still fun to enjoy a bit of home when they arrive. As for bills, I'd suggest going to online billing or changing your address to that trusted friend or relative. The bills will take too long to arrive in the UK for you to get them paid on time. Most financial institutions insist on a US mailing address anyway. Also contact your local voter registration office to arrange absentee ballots for your new home. This can be quite an adventure since you're not in the military. Keep at it and someone there will know what to do.
Step 15 - Double check all arrangements for arrival
Make sure your paperwork and passport are in a central location and then in your carry-on luggage. If you haven't done so already, purchase your airline tickets and arrange for ground transportation (or you can just take the airport coach if you're going to Oxford, which requires no advance arrangement). Get some UK cash (but don't convert all your cash - you may need to tip US baggage handlers or buy a snack in the airport, especially if your flight is delayed). Ensure that you have everything in order. You might want to go ahead and pack some of your important or easy to pack items now.
Step 16 - Finalize your living arrangements for your move and the last few days before you move.
Whether you live in an apartment or house, you'll need to get every stick of furniture out of there and get the place cleaned before you leave. Don't do this while you're also trying to leave the country. Spread things out at least a few days! Allow yourself time to empty and clean out your former home and take your luggage to a friend or family member's home (or, if necessary, even a hotel room) for at least the last few days (I suggest a week or two) before you move. Therefore, at least a month before your move day (really longer since apartments usually require a 30- or 60-day notice), figure out where you'll be for those final days and get it arranged. If in a hotel, get reservations. If with a friend, make those arrangements. Be sure to find out how you're getting to the airport and, if necessary, where you'll be storing your car or who will be selling it for you.
Step 17 - Sell or donate anything you're willing to part with
Now it's crunch time. You should have basically everything you own and don't use on a daily basis packed up. Your storage facility should be organized but full, your unwanted items should be in the process of being donated or sold. Pack up even useful items like dishes, towels and pots and pans. Go out to eat or use paper plates and plastic silverware. Keep just one towel per person to use. Wear only items you can take with you. Get rid of other clothing and shoes. Also consider what you will do with items you hoped to sell but which did not get a reasonable offer. Do you want to donate those or save them for your return?
Step 18 - Arrange for anything that hasn't sold to be gotten rid of or stored
If an item doesn't sell, I suggest you donate it to charity or a friend. After all, you were willing to part with it when you thought it would net a profit, so you don't need it. Save the aggravation later and donate it to a worthy cause. If there are items you will continue to try to sell after you leave, set a date by which it should be stored or given to charity and arrange with a friend or family member to take care of this for you.
Step 19 - Spend time packing, making phone calls, making final arrangements, and visiting friends
Every time you think it's too early to pack something, think again. Other than clothes and a toothbrush, there isn't much we can't live without for a few days or even a few weeks, so go ahead an pack it up, especially if it isn't going with you. Live out of your suitcases. During this time things will come up. Take care of them quickly, one at at time. Make sure things are in place and finalized. Spend time with loved ones and indulge yourself a bit by going to your favorite American places - restaurants, parks, beaches and theme parks will be missed when you're away, so enjoy them now.
Step 20 - Make sure you have several contacts in the States to help clear up matters that are not finalized
Even with terrific planning there will be a few things that fall through the cracks or don't work out. Make sure you have a few good friends or family members who can help you out in taking care of those things. It may be picking something up from the storage facility and shipping it go you or going to your bank to help arrange a wire transfer. Call in your favors. Let your friends know you might need their help and find out if it's okay to call on them.
Step 21 - Move out and clean up your old place
This will be a bittersweet day. Get every last thing out of your old place. At this point, everything you aren't taking should be sold or stored. You should have your must-have things ready to ship if you haven't already done so, and your bags of clothing and other essentials should be packed just as if you were going to England from there. Of course, things are never that simple, which is why you do this moving out a week or more before your move date.
Step 22 - Rehearse packing and weigh your luggage
A good time to rehearse packing is when you move out of your home. Weigh your luggage and make sure it doesn't exceed baggage limits. If it does, you will have to pay fines at the airport or your bags may even be refused. If one bag is too heavy, move things around. If they're still too heavy, consider shipping more items or getting rid of more things. Once you've rehearsed packing, unpack your bags so your clothes can stay fresher.
Step 23 - Ship items to your new address
If you haven't done so already, ship boxes of very important items that won't fit in your luggage. I suggest sending them a week or two before you leave, depending on the method of shipping. Make sure they won't arrive before you do, however. The cheapest, but slowest and roughest, way to ship is something called "M-Bag". You can find out about this from the post office. If you have heavy things that aren't fragile, it's a good way to go. Remember that some things are very likely to be damaged in shipping, so don't send anything that will ruin your life if it breaks.
Step 25 - Pack for real and weigh your luggage
A day or two before you leave, do your laundry, set aside a few outfits to wear for your remaining time and pack your stuff. Remember, this should be mostly clothing in your checked baggage and a few very important and/or sentimental items in your carry ons. Also remember to put your important papers in a carry on along with both US and UK money. Bring a book or something for the long airport waits. Bring medications in your carry ons in case your bags are delayed or lost. If there is room, bring a change of clothes in your carry ons, too.
Re-weigh your luggage, including carry ons, to make sure it all fits. The good thing about doing this ahead of time is that your clothes will settle over time and you'll actually have a little bit more room to fit your toiletries and remaining clothes the day you leave.
Step 26 - Relax for a few days before you leave
You're in for a fun but stressful time as you move to the UK, so as much as possible relax for the last few days. Verify your ride to the airport and leave with plenty of time to spare. You'll need to be at the airport 2 hours before your flight departs.
Appendix 1
A LIST OF WHAT TO TAKE WITH YOU TO ENGLAND
1. Personal toiletry items such as toothbrushes, shampoo, and soap; but I recommend you use up what you have (including samples and hotel soaps) before buying a small-ish bottle to take along. Remember that many of your brands won't be available overseas, so try to have at least a week's supply of your toiletry needs before you go. It'll take you at least that long to figure out the best place to buy new toiletries. English drug stores include Boots and Superdrug. Check out their web sites and see if they carry your brand before you move. If not, consider switching to a brand they do carry so you can get used to it before arriving here. Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, Body Shop (store brands), Maybelline and others are very popular here, so you should be able to find your brand or something similar.
2. Any medicines you might need, including prescription and over the counter; don't bring big bottles, but do have a few pain killers, a few allergy/sinus pills, and at least two months worth of prescriptions before you go. Again, a lot of medicines have different names over here, so until you know and understand what you're buying, I suggest you stick with what you brought along. It's just safer that way.
3. The package inserts for any medicines, especially prescription. To get a prescription re-issued over here, you'll need to get on the National Health Service plan (if you qualify) and go to your GP (doctor). The doctor will need to know exactly what the medication is and may have to find you a UK equivalent, so have as much information as you can on what you are taking. The good news is that, with NHS, the doctor visit is free and the medication is either free or about £6, depending on who you are and what it's for.
4. Clothes are a tricky one. In our preparations, I kept reading that you shouldn't take many clothes with you at all. Just the essentials - warm clothes, a few jeans, a couple of nice outfits. Everything, or so I read, should fit comfortably in the luggage allotted by the airlines. I read that everything you want to take period should fit in luggage and you should not ship ANYTHING. My experience tells me this isn't quite the case. It's a bit of a numbers game, really. The reason they say not to ship clothing is because you may end up spending more to ship it than the clothes are worth. In addition, the clothing may not be practical or fashionable here and you may not have much room for clothes storage in your new home (especially in student accommodation). However, I recommend that you take at least 2 pair of jeans, 2 nice pair of trousers, 2 suits (if you're a man), 3 dresses (if you're a woman), and at least two outfits appropriate for a formal outing. In addition, you'll of course need plenty of underwear, socks, hankies, undershirts (it gets cold enough to need them here), pajamas, a warm robe (I recommend terry or velour, or satin with fleece or terry lining), warm slippers or slipper-socks, a jacket and a coat. You'll need at least 4 or 5 warm sweaters and an equal number of long and short sleeved shirts. And that's just the basics. Clothing is very expensive in the UK, so if you plan to replace items here, make sure you know how much you'll be paying here. Check UK web sites to find out prices in advance (make sure to convert them to US dollars). Popular clothing chains here include Marks & Spencer (also a grocery store - don't ask), Allders, Topshop, Monsoon (on the pricey side), Laura Ashley, Debenhams, and BHS. I suggest you pack what fits (the clothing you'll need right away) and ship a box or two via m-bag rates. It's a very slow way to ship things, but fairly cheap and probably a better deal than replacing a lot of items here. I don't suggest you ship more than one or two boxes of clothes, though. Then you're probably getting into trouble with having too much stuff. Clothes that layer well will help minimize packing needs and allow you to be comfortable during the sometimes fickle English weather. It's also important that clothes wash easily and can be air dried. Finally, dark colors are much more popular here than light, pastel ones.
5. A wind-up alarm clock or travel alarm You'll be glad to have it until you can buy yourself a clock radio.
6. If you have a snack food that is fairly lightweight and you aren't sure you can get it in England, I suggest you take an unopened package of it with you. In those first few weeks of nasty homesickness, something like that can really comfort you. Do be careful of the import laws and, if you favorite snack is fruit or meat, pick something else to take with you. But if you like Oreos or Cheetos, bring some along.
7. A camera, preferably digital
8. SOFT SOLED SHOES! This was the one thing I didn't know about that would have saved me a lot of pain and grief in my first weeks in England. The pavements here, especially in historic towns like Oxford, are often cobblestone and very uneven. Hard- or even medium-soled shoes are very impractical for everyday use. Same goes for high-heels. If you wear the wrong shoes, you will wind up tripping and possibly falling on your butt. Plus you'll be doing a lot of walking and you will want comfortable shoes. Bring at least one pair of comfortable tennis shoes and a few pair of casual, soft-soled shoes. Make sure at least one pair is water resistant. You'll be glad you did!
9. Rain clothes. If you already have a good jacket/coat for rain, a hooded sweatshirt, and/or an anorak, pack them. Any rain gear is helpful if you can fit it in your luggage. I don't, however, recommend you pack a big golf umbrella. Instead, just pack a small one and get a bigger one once you're here if you need it. You should know that very often an umbrella doesn't help much with the rain here because the wind is so strong that you get quite wet with or without it.
10. Personal photos are good to comfort you when you're homesick, but I suggest you just bring a small album with your favorite pictures, and not a bunch of framed portraits.
11. At least one towel and wash cloth - You'll be tired and jet-lagged when you arrive at your new home. The first thing you'll want to do is either sleep or shower. Even if you live in a furnished flat, chances are you'll need to provide your own towels, so pack one in your luggage so you can freshen up when you arrive. You won't want to go do anything until after you've showered, and you certainly don't want to be stopping to buy linens on your way in from the airport.
Appendix 2
A LIST OF WHAT NOT TO TAKE WITH YOU TO ENGLAND
1. Most electrical appliances should not be brought with you. If it plugs in, don't take it to England. Things like electric shavers, hair dryers, curling irons, irons, etc. take up too much space and weight in your luggage and can't be used in the UK. We are on different electrical systems and while you COULD use adapters, this is neither the safest nor the most convenient solution. It's much better to simply donate those items to a local women's shelter and buy new, properly corded ones here. Same goes for your clock radio. Leave it in the States and pick one up here. For battery-operated items, it's okay to bring those. The UK uses the same battery sizes as the US.
2 Really heavy books that can be easily and cheaply replaced in England. For example, a hard-back dictionary or set of encyclopedias. Do take your favorite novel and any books that you just love, especially those which are uniquely "American." However, keep in mind they do have plenty of bookstores in the UK.
3. Furniture. Just don't take it. Unless it's a hugely valuable family heirloom and you're planning to move to England for the rest of your life, don't spend the time, energy, and money moving it. Find a place where you can store it stateside - either with friends, family or a professional storage facility.
4. American DVDs and videocassettes - Unless you have a computer that plays them, leave your American DVDs at home. The UK players and TVs are set up for a different format, so you'll have to buy a dual-region player to watch them here. It's possible to do, but you should think about it before you go shipping your whole collection over. If you only have a few movies you really like, you might consider just buying the UK versions. Similarly, American videocassettes are a different format from European ones. Your video tapes won't play in the VCRs here and may damage your tapes or the machine. You may be tempted to ship your VCR and DVD player here so you can watch your favorites, but remember that the AC adapter won't be the right kind to plug into the wall here and it also won't hook up properly to a UK television. It's best to just get rid of or store your cassettes. Again, with DVDs many laptops will play them, so if you are taking your American computer, you might consider taking DVDs also. Otherwise, leave those home, too.
Yesterday was a bright, sunny (albeit cool) afternoon in Oxford. I found myself quite literally about to fall asleep in front of my computer. I wanted to go home and nap, but was too lazy to even want to stand up from the desk at the library. My brain was far too mushy for writing. Somehow, through the haze we were both in, Andrew came up with the brilliant idea that we ought to go on a bus tour. Fantastic idea!
Oxford has been very crowded this week. Many tourists are visiting, but the undergraduates are also busy heading out of town for the break (most colleges require them to leave for the break), so their mums and dads have been driving in to fetch them. Additionally, for the first time since 1987, the Unversity is electing a new Chancellor. The previous Chancellor passed away over the Christmas break. Anybody who has ever taken a degree from the University is eligible to vote and the voting was in the Divinity School of the library (where I work). More than 155,000 people were eligible and the University estimated that about 30,000 would turn up. The voting began yesterday and finished today (it went from 9 until 5 both days). So with all that going on, the streets of central Oxford have been bustling.
With such lovely weather and so many tourists and students to gawk at, we couldn't resist the pull of the tour bus. The cost was 7 pounds per person for the green "Guide Friday" tour that I had heard was the better of the two.
We hopped on board and went upstairs where there were plenty of seats and a live guide in front. She asked us where we were from and Andrew said, "Summertown". LOL. That's the part of Oxford where we live. I explained that we were members of Hertford College.
The bus tour was really disappointing, though. It was surprisingly short, not going far outside the city center, and, worst of all, the guide gave some information that was completely inaccurate!
The tour did a good job of covering the main streets in central Oxford, but didn't go much outside it. The guide said we went to North Oxford, but we weren't very far in and we just went down one street and then back toward the middle of town. The guide gave a lot of fairly trivial information about things as we passed. She didn't go into any in-depth or interesting stories about anyplace, really. She's say, "This is X College," and then list several well-known alumni or explain in about 6 words an interesting fact about the history or architecture.
The rather cursory nature of the tour can probably be attributed to the fact that the bus was going so quickly. It just hummed along at regular speed (about 20 mph most of the time). By the time the guide got a few words out about a given site, we were in front of another site. And the bus stopped or slowed very few times other than at stop lights.
Unfortuntately, we heard two inaccurate facts in our first few minutes on the bus, we were hesitant to believe her facts later. She said that a carving atop a building near Pitt Rivers Museum was an ostrich. It's not an ostrich, it's a Dodo, because the natural history museum just accross the street from it has in its collection a dead Dodo. Anyway, it's NOT an ostrich. She also said, as soon as we got on, that the Bodleian uses a pneumatic glass tube system to shoot book requests around the library at 80 miles per hour. Totally wrong. Requests are handled electronically. The books go on a conveyor system that tops out well under 5 mph.
So, if you are relatively familiar with Oxford and have a good map, I recommend against a bus tour unless you just want to ride around and see stuff. A bus tour would be a good way to get a lay of the land and even get from place to place (for the price of the ticket, you can get on and off the bus all day, so you can use it as transportation from attraction to attraction). However, if you are going on a bus tour for interesting info or to get a good look at a lot of interesting things, don't bother. It's a good start to a stay in Oxford if you want to add to your visual map. Otherwise, do a good walking tour where the guide spends more time talking about each site.
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
I grew up in Sunny Florida. It was an hour and a half from my house to Mickey's, and about 10 minutes from my front door to the white sandy beach. So tourists are nothing new to me. I have spent years fussing at rent-a-cars in traffic jams, laughing at European tourists with white socks and sandals, and scoffing at the Eckerd Drug store on Clearwater Beach that charges 3 times the price for anything you might need, and 5 times the price if it's beach-related.
But I must admit that the tourists in Oxford are a different breed altogether. They stick out more, they move in packs, and (well, this isn't so new) they seem to stop and stare in wonder at things for long periods of time - often in the middle of a busy sidewalk.
And so, dear reader, in this latest installment of the Oxford Outsider's Guide, I bring you some insights on Oxford's tourist trade. I'll tell you about how tourists are perceived here, a bit about the shops and sites that cater to tourists, and then give you a list of Do's and Don'ts.
Oxford tourists, as I said, tend to travel in packs. There are many tour companies which do all-Oxford tours, England tours that feature Oxford, or European tours that feature Oxford. Our tourists come from all over, but the biggest groups are Western Europeans, Japanese and Americans. I find that the warmer the weather, the more tourists are out on the streets and in the shops. The tour groups generally have one guide and move slowly through the streets near the city centre. This is where a great deal of the University is - especially the oldest and most picturesque parts. Unfortunately, it's also the area most students need to move around in on a day-to-day basis; not to mention the members of staff of the various colleges and departments in the area. Since this area is not at all car-friendly, most people walk. So do the tourists. The only problem is that the tourists are in even less of a hurry than the Englishmen. It can make for a frustratingly slow walk down the pavement.
Tourists tend to stop at every building that looks old or remarkable. Hertford College's main gate is a beautiful set of wooden doors (decorated with this gorgeous, colorful carving) directly across the street from the "Great Gate" to the Bodleian Library. Not surprisingly, a lot of tourists are interested in taking pictures in front of Hertford or coming in to see it. Like all of Oxford University's colleges, Hertford has a large sign (ours is about 3 feet by 2 feet and bright red) on an easel just inside the doorway. It is easily visible from the street and tells people whether or not the college is open for visitors on a given day. Additionally, the sign is written in about 8 different languages.
Surprisingly, people are more likely NOT to come in when the college is open than to come in when it's closed. When the college is closed, you might get one or two people who come in pretending to be members of college. They almost always just take a lap around the quad and leave. Far more frequently, I see people approach the sign, study it, start to come in, and then get scared and walk away. It cracks me up.
More often than not, during the day, the college is open to visitors. This just means that tourists are allowed to walk inside the gate and around the Old Quad. They can also walk into our chapel, but the rest of the buildings and entrances require a key or a code to open.
When the college is open to visitors, it is almost never crawling with tourists. Most of the time, one or two people - or maybe a family - is standing on the sidewalk (it surrounds the central green of the quad) looking around, or taking pictures of the buildings. They tend to be quite timid and don't try to get into any buildings or anything. Maybe that's because there are about 3 CCTV cameras just in the quad, but they are really shy about breaking the rules. (Let me be clear that I think this is a GOOD thing. I am merely pointing out that if you break the rules you WILL be caught and it WILL be a big deal.) Most of them don't even realize the lovely chapel is there, let alone go into it. They'll just make a very slow lap around the quad with their cameras, mabye sit in a bench and read from their tourist guide, then wander back out to Catte Street, often slowing to wave a "thank you" to the porter on duty in the lodge.
American and English tourists are the funniest, I think, because they tend to try very hard to look like they belong here. While the Japanese tourists, especially, will often act very excited and take lots of posed pictures, tour books in hand, the Brits and Americans tend to carry backpacks (I guess they figure it's a college town, so it must be the way to blend), walk with forced nonchalance, and pretend it's not very impressive.
For example, today as I was enjoying a latte in the Old Quad when a guy came out of the chapel. I knew instantly, despite his best efforts, that he was a tourist. For one thing, he was coming out of chapel in the middle of the day. This is unusual for students. But that's not the only thing that gave him away. He was probably about 20 years old, dressed like a student, and carried a backpack, but even that disguise couldn't hide is tourist-ness. Something about the way he came out of the chapel and looked around gave him away. He came out, then stood for several moments at the archway, gazing out at the sky and the quad, sort of rocking back on his heels. Then he sauntered around the quad (the long way) and out the door. The students take the shortest route. They have things to do. And they rarely take the time to soak up the atmosphere by this time of year. Although they do often sit in the quad and talk, or snack, or just soak up the sun, you won't see Hertford members savoring things the way this guy did. To confirm my suspicions, the young man did nod at the porter on his way out of college.
For the most part, students don't pay much attention to tourists. Occasionally, they can be annoying to students - blocking the sidewalks, walking slowly, trying to take a photo in front of the building a student needs to enter, etc, but normally students are pretty well used to these things, I think.
Traditionally, there have been three groups in Oxford: students, residents and tourists. Also traditionally, all three groups have disliked the others. While I haven't seen much evidence of this, the locals do complain sometimes about the tourists.
However, a great deal of the local economy rests on the tourism trade. There are two tour bus companies, at least a dozen walking tours, lots of t-shirt and souvenir shops, museums, landmarks, and restaurants all counting on tourist dollars. Some of these are worth doing, even if you're only in Oxford for a day or two. And there are others to which I would not subject my worst enemy. Well, maybe Evan.
Tours - I can't say that I've been on more than one tour of Oxford myself, but you do hear about them working at a place like the Bodleian. I can personally recommend the walking tours given by Blackwell's Bookshop. I took the Literary Tour of Oxford when we were here in 2000 and it was wonderful. A real highlight. They also give a Tolkien tour and a few others. Their prices are good and the tours are very interesting. The Blackwell's tours are also very unique and specific, which is nice. There are two bus tours in town. I haven't taken either, but I have heard they're good. They're pretty similar (both on open-top double-decker busses), but I recommend the green bus, Guide Friday tour. This one goes a lot more frequently than the other, has nicer busses, and seems to get more local "buzz". There are tons of University walking tours around town. Look for little easels on the sidewalks around the middle of town and you're sure to run across one. I haven't heard much about them, but some do come through the Bod while I'm working. I imagine they're all pretty similar. Most tour guides here are locals and many have been doing it for years. The tour guide market here is quite good, so most tours are going to give you a lot of information. Go for price, time span and topic you want and take your pick. There are also about 100 different guides to Oxford (if you don't have one when you arrive in Oxford you can pick one up at dozens of gift shops). I suggest you get one with a good map and have at it.
Attractions - Attractions are many here in Oxford. The longer you can stay, the more you can see. I suggest you see as many colleges as you can. Like Hertford, most of them close at night and some days. Some are open a lot more than others (I don't think I've ever seen Baliol or Trinity open). In particular, if you can get into any of the following, it's worth a look: Hertford (sorry, had to say it), Christ Church (they do charge, but it's well worth it), New College (one of the largest), Trinity (don't count on it), Exeter (go to their back garden for a lovely view of the Radcliffe Camera) and University (Shelley's creepy memorial is there). I also suggest you visit the Central Bodleian Library while you're near the center of town. You can't get in to most of it, but you can see the Divinity School and, unless it's closed to change exhibits, the exhibition room. Additionally, there are tours (2 per day in the cold months, 4 per day in the relatively warm months) that take you to several other areas. I strongly recommend this since it's only £3.50 per person and it takes you into many non-tourist areas. I do NOT recommend that you attend The Oxford Story (unless you're into really touristy stuff, then go for it. It's like a terrible pseudo-Disney ride about Oxford's history), which is a "ride" attraction on Broad Street.
Museums - There are lots of museums in Oxford. I absolutely insist that when you come you visit the Ashmolean. Set aside several hours to do so. It's free (FREE!!! - but donate a £ or two anyway) to get in and has the most amazing treasures. My favorite is the music room, which features several Stradivarius violins as well as a guitar and a cello by Stradivari. There are also rooms and rooms of fine art by greats including Michaelangelo, Rafael - heck, all the Ninja Turtles. That's not to mention the majority of the museum, which includes countless archaeological treasures from Roman coins to Native American costumes (I kid you not!). It is really amazing. You must go. There are lots of other museums here, too: Pitt Rivers (natural history), The Museum of the History of Science (includes Einstein's blackboard complete with is writing still on it), a museum of musical instruments (mostly brass and woodwinds), and a bunch of others I can't think of at the moment. I can't say I've been to many except the Ashmolean and the one with the musical instruments. I understand that Pitt Rivers is excellent. Unless you are here for a while or really into saxophones or clarinets , I wouldn't bother with the musical instruments.
Shops - There are dozens of shops that call themselves "Oxford University Stores". The "official" one (slightly more official than the others) is on the High Street, but they're basically all pretty similar. Each one does have a slightly different selection of t-shirts, postcards, and other junk, so if you're looking for something very specific, shopping around might do. Also, they tend to offer special deals at some of the stores (especially those on Broad Street, I think), so it's worth a look, but it's your usual, overpriced souvenirs at all of them. I can't really recommend any over the others, although I do think the ones with more square footage tend to be a lot better. If you're souvenir shopping, it's a good idea to cover High Street (between Cornmarket Street and New College Lane), Turl Street (a small side-street which connects High Street and Broad Street) and Broad Street (between St. Giles and Catte Street). If you want "regular" shopping, try Cornmarket and High Street, especially west of Cornmaket, but be warned the prices are unreasonable. This is also a good area for restaurants of every kind.
OXFORD TOURIST DO'S AND DON'TS
DO
- be aware that there are people around you who aren't on vacation
- stop and enjoy the scenery
- take a bus or walking tour toward the beginning of your visit; it will help orient you and give you ideas of what you might want to visit (especially a bus tour); if you have a map or tour book on the tour, you can highlight what you want to see more of
- have lots of film or digital camera space; Oxford is very picturesque
- wear very comfortable, soft-soled shoes; Oxford is pedestrian-friendly and most people do a lot of walking here, but the frequently cobblestone pavement is very hard on poorly clad feet (don't wear heels!)
- read signs; when you go to a place you are interested in visiting (the library, the Sheldonian Theatre, a college), LOOK for signs before you go in to tell you whether it is open to the public; almost all landmarks are well-marked, but often tourists ignore the signs
- follow the posted or spoken rules (there are typically posted signs about whether photography is allowed, for instance)
- check out Blackwell's Bookshop (on Broad Street) and the Ashmolean Museum (on Beaumont)
- If you are in town on a Sunday, attend church services if they are open to the public. Hertford's services (at 5:45 on Sunday evenings) are open to all, as are some other colleges'. OxBridge (Oxford/Cambridge) is well known for its fantastic church choirs. It's worth a visit to an evening service to hear them.
- say "please" and "thank you" as often as you can; it's the English way
- get a good map
DON'T
- take up the entire sidewalk, especially if you're walking at a slow rate
- expect people to stop and get out of your way while you take a picture
- try to blend in with the locals; enjoy being a tourist
- take a lot of taxis; Oxford is best enjoyed on foot
- take pictures of students without asking first (some it bothers, some it doesn't - although I think just about everybody under 25 in Oxford is used to it)
- walk on the grass
- stop in the middle of the sidewalk, unfold your map, and navigate around town
Oxford is a beautiful place and rich in history. If you're interested in literature, history, architecture, religion or academics in any way, it's a must-see. I think, ideally, you'd need to stay in Oxford for at least 3 or 4 days to get the most out of it. It is also a good "home base" if you want to visit places like Stratford-Upon-Avon, Reading, or even London. It's only a 30-minute train ride to Stratford and Reading and an hour to London; and close to tons of other places which are easy day-trips from here.
If you're visiting and using this guide, feel free drop me a line and ask me any questions you might have. Bon voyage!
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
I already posted an OOG on dining, so why a specific one about breakfast? Because the differences are so vast and, perhaps, surprising, that I felt it merited its own entry.
In the United States, breakfast means many things. It can mean a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast at home. Maybe an Eggo from the freezer or, if you're ambitious, Bisquick pancakes. If you're southern, you might go for grits with your biscuits and gravy.
Or maybe you want to go out. Well, lucky you! There are dozens of all-breakfast restaurants, not to mention other restaurants which serve breakfast in the morning or even all day. You can eat pancakes, waffles, french toast, hash browns, eggs cooked a hundred different ways, English muffins, or just a bagel and cream cheese. This is not to mention the vasy array of omlettes, crepes, pasteries, donuts - well, you get the idea.
In England, there is no Perkins, no Village Inn, not even a Denny's. You can't get scrambled eggs all day and all night. You can't even get scrambled eggs most places. Omlettes? Nope, not that I've seen. And French Toast? That's probably a baguette put under the burner to brown it.
English Breakfast is a unique and very specific thing. You know how when you say, "Thanksgiving Dinner" there's certain set of expectations and conventions? Sure, some people might have ham or tofurkey instead of turkey, but in general everybody knows that it means turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie? Well, "Full English Breakfast" is something like that, only they have can have it every day (though few do) - not just on special occasions. Somewhat like American breakfast, English Breakfast is available in some restaurants and pubs during the morning hours, and a few even serve it all day.
Unlike American breakfast, however, English Breakfast involves a very specific set of foods. There is usually lots of meat including sausages, bacon and black pudding (unless you're veggie - then it's generally a few slices of beefsteak tomato fried up with some mushrooms), toast, baked beans (WOULD I MAKE THIS UP!?) and an egg (fried). There's generally HP sauce and ketchup on the side if you want it. Traditionally, you would also drink English Breakfast tea with this, but there is usually juice offered (a teeny glass of tomato or oj) and and sometimes coffee is an option. This isn't a Denny's Grand Slam where you pick which of those things you want or how you want each prepared. You order regular or vegetarian breakfast, that that's what you get. All of it. Love it or hate it.
That IS, essentially, English breakfast. I guess they couldn't support an all-day, all-breakfast restaurant because it would involve such a small menu: full breakfast or a selection of cereals, breads, yogurt and fruit. You can get pancakes here, but (brace yourself!) they come pre-cooked and in a little bag like English muffins! I think people eat them as sort of a snack.
I usually have yogurt and Yorkshire tea for breakfast before work. Very few people, even English people, have full English Breakfast every day. I like English breakfast, actually. It tastes pretty good and I was surprised how much I like vegetarian baked beans in the morning. But I do miss American breakfast. It's always been my favorite meal. I miss going to Perkins at 11 pm and eating a bunch of pancakes, an English muffin and a few scrambled eggs with a coffee. Or even a good bagel and cream cheese. Those are difficult, but not impossible, to find here.
So, I guess what I would suggest to future ex-pats is this: learn to enjoy and appreciate Full English Breakfast. It is a point of pride among the English. But also don't over-do it (it's VERY fattening) and do appreciate the opportunity for 10 pm waffles when you visit America.
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
The legend of the tweed-clad, cane-wielding stuffy Englishman is alive and well in Oxford. Most of the world sees the English as stuffy, standoffish, and meticulously polite. To a degree, this is true. The English idea of personal space, for instance, is similar to that in the United States (i.e. they need more than most Europeans). Thus, you're not likely to be pushed or bumped on the streets here (except in London). People go about their business relatively oblivious to those around them.
As their reputation suggests, the English are usually very polite in that they say "please" and "thank you" constantly (though "you're welcome" is not a part of their vernacular - and I'm not being sarcastic about that). I have found the English to be wonderful and kind friends. However, if you are a stranger - even if you're an English stranger - the English are likely to be downright rude at times. This is especially true if you don't know the rules to the given situation you are in; and there are rules to EVERY situation in England!
The first place you might notice that English are not as polite - or at least as outwardly friendly as Americans is when in the presence of any Englishman performing a service. Americans may not realize it, but we are known as being exceedingly friendly folk. You know how, in America, if you go into a restaurant you have a server who is chatty and checks on you regularly? Well, in England, you have a server. They'll take your order and bring you your food when it comes. When you want to leave, if you ask they'll bring you the bill when they can. (See my OOG on Dining for more on that.) They're not chatty or overly-friendly. The same goes for shops. Whereas in America you'll be greeted and asked if you can be helped, here you'll have to seek out help. This sort of follows the idea that the English are "standoffish," but I admit it surprised me a bit at first.
About the only think you can talk to a stranger about in England is the weather. Believe me, talking about the weather gets old quickly. During one of our International Student orientation meetings, a woman put it this way: If an Englishman gets on a train, he's more likely to go all the way to the back of the car and take the one empty row than to sit in a seat next to someone else. He might even stand rather than sit next to a stranger. If he does have to sit next to someone he doesn't know, he won't make eye contact or talk to them - unless the train breaks down or is delayed. Then they'll grumble about the unreliable train system or possibly discuss the weather. I'm pretty comfortable with this, actually, as I'm dreadfully shy around strangers. But it's something you should know about if you're an American headed to England. The idea of the talkative American tourist striking up a conversation with the locals is a common one here - some love it, but many find it very irritating.
The brassy behavior of the English goes way beyond personal space and the "ask if you need assistance" attitude. If you don't know the rules for a given situation, you are quite likely to find yourself scolded by somebody who does. Most of the time, you don't know this person, but they'll tell you in rather terse terms what you've done wrong. One example is driving. If a cyclist or driver does something that another driver finds bothersome, the annoyed person is very likely to open their window and shout at the offender. Often, bicyclists and bus drivers have big arguments at bus stops over who owns the road. The cyclist will stand on his bike next to the open bus door shouting at the driver while the driver, from his seat, shouts right back.
Another good example of this scolding is in my very own job as porter at the Bodleian. I am very, very friendly and chipper as a porter and, as a result, get almost no problems from our patrons. My coworkers, however, often have a more English attitude. Here is a very typical example of scolding: Let's say you are coming into the New Bod to do some work. You've been in the other areas of the central library before and know their rules, but haven't been in the New Library before. Since you're busy thinking about the work you are going to be doing, you don't pay much attention to the signs as you enter (there are so many, after all!), you show your required ID to get in, and proceed into the library. As soon as you turn to go, the porter behind the desk starts shouting at you, "You've got to give me your bag!" You turn around, apologize, and immediately hand over the required bag. But it's not over. The porter will very likely now chastise you for your idiocy. "What makes you think you can take that bag in there? Says right there you've got to give me your bag."
One more example of scolding that I saw recently illustrates that often the person being scolded didn't really even do anything wrong. It's really the tone that makes it seem like you're getting in trouble. As we boarded the bus recently, a teenager in front of us was buying a ticket. She requested a half-fare, which kids under 16 get on fares during certain times of day. The bus driver said, "How old are you?" "Sixteen." "Well, you can't have half fare anymore. Only under 16. Doesn't matter, it's after 6 anyway." He sounded annoyed. She replied, "Well, I only turned 16 on December 29. This is my first time on the bus since." He, ever more irritated, said, "It doesn't matter now! I was only telling you!" They sort of scolded each other.
It's not just the person "in charge" who might scold you, either. Yesterday a fellow passenger on the bus scolded a woman for carrying a lot of bags which he felt took up too much room (although the bus was far from full). The conversation ended with the scolded party saying, "I paid for a ticket!" and the scolder saying, "So did I, madame!" and walking off with a flourish.
There is yet one more level of ire in the English temperament which rarely, but dramatically rears its head: the public feud. About once a month, Andrew and I will be walking down the street, when suddenly we'll see two people having a huge, screaming argument. It's usually a couple and often the woman is pushing the man around. There's lots of cussing and yelling. More often than not, they've got friends around trying to separate them. It sounds terrible, but it's actually quite hilarious and entertaining to watch (think "Jerry Springer" only live and real). Most recently, two teenagers were fighting near our bus stop. She was absolutely SCREAMING at him about his family being a mess, him being a drug addict, his mother being a prostitute. Her friend finally pushed her onto the bus and left him in the sidewalk with his friends, but she did not stop. As her friend paid their bus fare, she continued SCREAMING at him through the bus windows and he continued screaming back! She even tried to operate the emergency door open on the bus' rear door to go give him some more! The funniest part was that she sat down RIGHT next to this 20-something man who was looking down at the floor pretending not to listen. Half of the bus was doing the same and laughing. I could barely contain myself watching this poor man try to keep from laughing. The girls got off a few stops later and the entire bus started snickering.
So don't let 'em fool you. The English are NOT a passionless bunch. Expect to be scolded when you first try things here, but don't take it personally. Don't expect your server or your cashier to be your buddy. And keep your eyes open for the occasional fight when their emotional kettles start to boil.
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
So you're in Oxford and you're hungry. But you don't feel like eating at home or in the dining hall. Well, you're in luck. There are tons of eateries in town and I'm here to give you some information on them.
You may want to know that, like everything else, food in Oxford can be pricey. Fortunately, with food you do have a number of options. There are several fast-food eateries on Cornmarket (McDonalds, Burger King, KFC). After dark there are the kebab vans. If you've never been to England these might be surprising to you. They are essentially "roach coaches" with a variety of foods from Indian to American. The kebab van is the UK equivalent to American late-night breakfast chains. I'll have to write an entirely separate outsider's guide to English breakfast, but the kebab van is essentaill bad food, cheap; mostly for drunk people who don't know any better. I personally have not eaten at either a kebab van or at any of the local fast-fooderies. I'm too prissy and they don't exactly cater to vegetarians (although the burger joints all have veggie burgers on their menus). For all these places, have a few pounds cash handy. For kebab vans, you will have to take your food with you or eat your meal standing along the street (after dark - they don't come out on the streets until then, and when they open they'll just pull up on a corner and do business until the wee hours).
A sort of side-arm of fast food is the sandwich shop. These small shops are generally only open until mid-afternoon. They are far more popular than fast food as far as I can tell. They generally have all sorts of sandwiches and serve those with tea, coffee, etc. Often these places double as coffee bars. I really like a good sandwich shop. Most often, you queue up at a counter and order and pay there. Then you either take your food to a table nearby or go to a table and they bring the food out to you (for more complicated items). Most sandwich shop also have take away, which will cost you a bit less, so be sure to tell them if you aren't "eating in". Sandwiches here have very different names and ingredients than in the States, so be prepared to have a bit of a learning curve your first few days having lunch here. Egg salad is called "egg mayonaise" and is usually just that - sometimes with a bit of pepper or, if you're lucky, a tomato or two. Sandwiches are served on baguettes, baps (buns) or ciabatta bread. All are good. You usually have to order side items like chips (here usually called "crisps") separately. Most sandwich shops have a designated seating area and they will usually clean up your mess for you - thus the higher price for "eat in". The cleanliness and quality of Oxford's sandwich shops varies widely, unfortunately. Some I love; some I fear. But the good ones are some of my favorite places to treat myself to lunch. I guess I should mention prices. A sandwich in Oxford will usually cost you at least £3. Add your drink and maybe some chips or something, and you're looking at a good £5 for your meal. For a good place, it's well worth that.
The next step up from the dregs of fast food is probably pub food. Many if not most pubs serve food alongside their pints. Some places have fairly extensive menus. It's typically heavy bar-type food like baked potatoes, meat, nachos, chicken sandwiches. Prices tend to be reasonable for Oxford and you can probably eat well in a pub for comfortably under £10 - including a pint of your favourite English lager. Be warned that pub food varies widely. Some offer extensive menus including several vegetarian options. Others might have Indian or Chinese food alongside English food. Some will have American menus. It just depends. Same goes for the prices, although most are on this end of cheap. Also, most pubs stop serving food at a certain time (fairly early in the evening), so they're pretty reliable for lunch or early dinner, but you might find that the kitchen is closed if you go in for an evening meal. Just be prepared for that. Also, you don't get table service at most pubs. You order your food at the bar most of the time, then the bar staff will deliver the food to your seat.
Moving on up the culinary ladder from the pub, we arrive at the minimum dining experience that prissy, spoiled Erin is comfortable with in Oxford (besides a really good sandwich shop) - the cafe. Oxford boasts a large number of these places, from trendy and modern to dark and ancient. Cafes tend to have relatively small menus and, like restaurants, cater to a certain type of food. A lot of the local cafes serve things like sandwiches, salads (usually with no dressing - Americans be warned!), quiches, and maybe pizzas. Cafes are smaller than full restaurants and the atmosphere is fairly casual. Sometimes there is no non-smoking section, especially with very small cafes. Most cafes serve tea and many serve traditional English cream tea which includes scones with Devonshire creme and jam (hint: the cream looks like whipped butter, but it's meant to be put on TOP of the jam. Scone-jam-cream. Got it? You'll look very in-the-know if you do it properly!). I like cafes because they tend to be fairly clean and have enough variety in their menus to appeal to me. I don't like that they tend to be crowded, sometimes smokey, and they usually don't mark the vegetarian menu items. They are pricier than most pubs, but not as expensive as restaurants. A good cafe meal will probably run you about £7-10 including a meal, drink and a dessert. You'll also want to leave a small tip (10 - 15%) if the service was good. Another drawback to cafes is their speed. There's basically no way to go to any sit-down restaurant in Oxford, cafes included, and have a nice meal fast. Service is much, much slower and more hands-off than in the United States. I'll explain more about that in a minute. When you are ready to leave the cafe - actually, a little while beforehand - you'll need to flag down your server and request the "bill."
Finally, we get to full-fledged restaurants. The traditional favourite food in England is Indian food, so you'll find a lot of tandooris and brasieres in Oxford and througout the country. Some of these are very good (my favorite restaurant in town is the Moonlight Tandoori and I didn't even like Indian food before we moved here). Italian restaurants are probably a close second and tend to be similar to American restaurants. If you're wondering where to find English food, there are plenty of English restaurants in town, but they don't tend to be the most popular. You can also often find English food in pubs and, of course, in chip shops (fish and chips places - I don't go there. Again, vegetarian.). There are a huge variety of restaurants in Oxford, but they have a few things in common. Restaurants generally offer a smoking and non-smoking section. Do be warned that they aren't always well separated, however. You can almost always check out a restaurant's menu just outside its door, including its prices. The vegetarian items and items containing nuts are usually labelled. Once you go in to the restaurant, you will be seated according to your smoking preference. Again, the service will be slower than in the States, so be patient. Restaurants generally have good, but slow, service and a big menu. The food quality is comparable to good American restaurants for the most part. Most Oxford restaurants are clean and nice. You don't necessarily have to dress up for most Oxford restaurants. After your meal, most restaurants will offer you dessert or coffee/tea. You'll have to ask the server for your "bill" when you are ready to leave. They rarely rush you out by giving it to you unasked. It is considered somewhat rude, I think. Also in restaurants you should leave a tip, although somewhat smaller than in American restaurants (10 - 15% is adequate here). Restaurant prices vary widely, but we rarely go out and spend less than £10-15 a head. That's why the menus outside are so handy. Do remember that portions in the UK are smaller, so you may order more food or more courses than you would in the United States.
IMPORTANT WARNINGS ABOUT EATING OUT IN ENGLAND
1. Expect to wait. Service in restaurants and cafes in England is much, much slower and more hands-off than in the United States. You can expect to wait for the server to take your order, wait again for the food, wait again to have the table cleared and order dessert, and wait again for the bill. Servers here won't check on you several times, so if you need a refill (not a good idea - curb your drinking and try to get by with one beverage per meal OR order more than one up front to save yourself a big hassle) you'll have to flag down your server to ask. Also, they usually won't automatically bring you the bill (don't call it a check, call it a "bill") at the end. Even after they have cleared off the table, you will generally have to ask the server to bring the bill to your table. It's common practice to sit at the table and talk after eating here, so they don't hurry you out. The rule of thumb when eating out in England is patience. Be patient and, if you do need something, ask for it.
2. Again, the check is called the bill, and you'll need to ask for it.
3. Appetizers are generally known as "starters" and at some restaurants you'll have to tell the server whether you want x menu item as a starter or with your entree. For instance, if you order a salad or bread at an Italian place, they might bring it all out together unless you specify you'd like the salad as a starter.
4. The English aren't a particularly thirsty people and they tend to drink wine, beer or tea with their meals. Refills are not automatic and they are rarely free. Most natives manage to finish their meals with just one drink or they'll order a wine and a water. If you're a thirsty person, tell the server. And expect to be charged for every glass you drink. Also, water is not served unless you ask for it. If you ask for tap water, it's free. Just ordering water will get you bottled mineral water, which they'll charge you a pound or two for and you'll need to specify if you want still or sparkling. There is no iced tea here. Contrary to popular American myth, most soft drinks are served cold and more often than not with ice, although not a whole lot of ice like in the United States.
5. On most menus in restaurants, vegetarian items and items with nuts are labelled. This is not always true with pub food or cafes, but sometimes true. Almost all cafes and restaurants have their menus posted outside their door. Stop and look at the menu, the prices, and the atmosphere before you go in.
6. English people tend to eat dinner slightly later than Americans. Their dinner hour (dinner is often referred to as "tea" here) doesn't start until about 6 and it is not at all uncommon to eat at 9 or later. Restaurants do tend to be open, therefore, a bit later.
7. Portions here are not quite as gluttonous as in the US. Expecially at Italian restaurants. Don't expect to share a pizza among many at most places, because most often you can eat a whole one yourself.
8. If there are salt and pepper shakers on the table and you're not sure which is which, it's opposite of America: the salt shaker has the FEWER number of holes here.
9. The English seem to use "cutlery" (they don't say silverware) for everything. It's sort of funny eating at a pizza joint and seeing everyone around you eating an entire pizza with a knife and fork, but that's how they do it here. The English also hold their cutlery differently. They tend to hold the fork in their left and the knife in their right hand for the entire meal, eating off the fork in their left hand. It's a bit hard to describe, but you'll know it when you see it. In a town like Oxford they are quite used to foreign visitors, so they wouldn't gasp or anything if you used your fork differently or ate pizza with your hands. Just expect to be a bit different.
10. It is possible to pay at most cafes and restaurants with credit cards. Most post on their door which cards they accept. In Oxford, most restaurants accept just about every card - including American Express and often Diner's Club. Again, it's a touristy town. You should note, however, that many restaurants won't automatically leave a gratuity line on the credit card receipt. So bring a few pounds in change to leave a tip with. Also, the server usually stands over you as you sign the credit slip to verify your signature, so if you ARE leaving a tip on there it can be a bit awkward.
11. Finally, if you see that a restaurant is "fully licensed," this has nothing to do with the health inspector having re-opened it. It means that they have a full bar, so you can drink to your heart's content there! Cheers!
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
The drivers here are the absolute worst in the world. Which is really ironic because it's harder to get a driving license here than almost anyplace in the free world. Cars and gas are really expensive and the test is much harder to pass than the one in the United States. And yet, the drivers here? Horrid!!
I say this on the basis of living in Oxford, an admittedly pedestrian-centered town, and my previous visits to Oxford and York. I have never been in so much danger in England as when I have been in a taxi. Truly these "professionals" are the absolute worst of the worst!
I know what you Yanks are thinking! It's the left-handed driving that's throwing them off, right? No! I don't think so. Really, the left-side driving is not any different from our system in the United States. Drivers seats here are on the right side, so the principle is still the same. Cars get much tinier here, so they should be able to control them better. But the people driving here are absolute maniacs.
The funny thing is that, especially in Oxford, it is really unnecessary for most people to have a car. Most places are in walking distance. In addition, there is an excellent bus system and many of the roads have bicycle lanes. Cycling and walking are easily the most popular forms of transport here. Yet, the lives of cyclists and pedestrians are challenged every day by maniac cabbies! AAAH!
I have personally almost been smushed by a bus while on my cycle. In addition, I have had no less than THREE cabs make skid marks in the road while I was in them (this is out of MAYBE 10 total cab rides I've had in my total time in England). Even the busses are pretty crazy. I often hang on for dear life while the driver swerves and slams on the brakes or repeatedly and forcefully pumps the brakes in a desperate attempt to make a stop at the right place. It's pretty hairy out there, and, yes, the roads are just about as narrow as you've heard!
My advice if you are visiting or living in England, especially in Oxford, is to spend as little time as possible in an automobile. If you'll be here on holiday and the weather is nice, walk as much as you can. There's so much to see even just strolling to the City Centre. If it's cold or far, take the bus or a coach (that's a bus that goes a longer distance). If it's a little farther than that, take the train. The views are spectacular! And a note on trains: they can be expensive, but there are special rail passes available only from foreign countries that allow you unlimited train use while you're here - do that!
If you're staying a lot longer, invest in a cycle (even if it makes your legs ache - UG!). It's worth it to have it there and it can make your commute a lot shorter. Plus, bussing can be expensive if you do it daily. Just make sure you also invest in a helmet to defend yourself against swerving cabbies and busses.
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
An additional IMPORTANT NOTE on this entry - It WILL contain profanity and language which may offend some readers. The entry will contain a frank and honest discussion of the speaking habits of locals. Therefore, there'll be potty words. If this bothers you, PLEASE do not read on! If you want to brave seeing some potty words as you scroll down the page, there is a section on regular slang about half way down under another all-caps portion of the entry. If you look for the ****** stars and all caps, you can start reading there again without cursing. It's "safe" to read all of the all caps messages.
AGAIN, IF YOU ARE IN ANY WAY OFFENDED BY THE USE OF PROFANITY, CUSSING, SWEARING, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, I BEG YOU NOT TO READ THE CURSING PORTION OF THIS ENTRY. IT IS MEANT TO BE LIGHT-HEARTED AND FUNNY, BUT YOU WILL CERTAINLY BE OFFENDED AND I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT BECAUSE YOU WERE WARNED!
Are you sure you want to keep reading? Cause, seriously, I'm going to type naughty words! So be sure! Be very sure!
Okay, now on with the entry. I had read before moving here that the Brits have potty mouths. They weren't kidding! The "f"s fly around here left and right! And of course there are uniquely English curses and turns of phrase. Sometimes you have to watch what you say or, alternatively, may simply confuse someone you really wanted to piss off. Two examples:
1. Everyone knows about this one, but it's a valid example. You call someone a fag (btw, I would seriously NEVER do this because I think that is a really ugly thing to call someone and I think that it's pretty much just like using the "n" word if you're not a part of that culture. Shut yo mouth!). Everyone knows that "fag" in the UK means a cigarette, so, for one thing you're not really doing a very good job insulting them. Having said that, though, there are tons of Americans here and our culture is so pervasive that they WOULD probably get your drift and then, rightly, kick your scrawny American ass.
2. In an attempt to be tasteful, you ask the salesperson if "these pants" make your "fanny" look big. Knowing you are a dumb American, she will forgive you and say "no," but you HAVE just asked her a question relating to your vagina, not your arse. In addition, while you may think you were asking her about the jeans you're trying on, you actually asked her about underpants. So, essentially, you asked the girl if your vagina looks big in those panties. Tasteful, indeed!
NOTE- THE SWEARING GETS MUCH WORSE FROM HERE, SO STOP READING IF PROFANITY UPSETS, DISTURBS, OR BOTHERS YOU IN _ANY WAY!!_ AND RESUME READING AT THE NEXT ALL-CAPS SECTION.
In addition to some American dirty words being clean and vice-versa, there are different degrees of hierarchy for profanity here. In the US, you've got your "f" word right up on top - king of swears. Well, I guess "mother fucker" is really the worst of the worst, but certainly "fuck" is the baddy there. Under that you have some very vulgar names for body parts (female, in particular), the "s" word, and that's about it. Then I guess you have "bitch," although, depending on the context, it's not necessarily that bad. Then you have the sorta minor swears that are still swears - hell, ass, damn. I mean, they can say those on TV! Then there's "crap." Pretty much a non-swear these days in the old U.S. of A.
In England, it's totally different. From what I can tell so far, crap, shit, and fuck are all about on the same level. Fuck might be a smidge more offensive, but not a whole lot. Remember the first scene of _Four Weddings and a Funeral_ when Hugh Grant wakes up late and says this lovely symphony of "fuck, fuck, fuckety, fuck?". That's pretty accurate. I think damn and hell are like in America, and ass is the same, just spelled arse. "Cunt" has the same stigma as in the U.S. and is very offensive here. There are also additional words here which may be added to your cursing vocabulary: bullocks (balls), wanker (also used in America, but a bit more common here), tosser (another insult - I think it also refers to masturbation), and fanny, which, again, means vagina. There's also tits, which just pretty much means breasts as far as I can tell. I haven't seen much stigma attached with just callin' 'em "tits." (btw, stayed tuned to this site for a future entry on the topic of said body part!)
So, yes, the English have wonderfully dirty mouths. And, since they do indeed love their pubs, if you get a beer or two in them, watch out! Although, as our friend Jon kindly pointed out, even if you're drunk you'd better know who you're dealing with before you pull out your "bitch" and your "nigger." Those are, I think rightly, greatly offensive.
*****THE SWEARING PORTION OF THIS ENTRY HAS ENDED, YOU MAY RESUME YOUR NORMAL READING (DO NOT READ ABOVE THIS MESSAGE)*****
As for non-profanities, it is rather impressive just how different American and British English are. Almost every conversation I have had here has required some adjustment either as speaker or listener. Pants are trousers, underwear are pants. If you like something you do, indeed, "fancy" it. Something really good might be "cracking." Instead of "How's it going?" or "How are you?" it's "How are you going?" (a personal favorite of mine!).
A tuxedo is a dinner suit (and you need one here). A cell phone is a mobile or mobile phone. Suspenders? Why, those are braces! And pants cuffs are turn-ups. A sweater is a jumper and I haven't yet figured out what a jumper is, but a dress is a frock and hose are tights - I guess tights are tights, too.
The only time I feel I must be particularly careful is at dinner. As I mentioned, most restaurants do provide the courtesy of marking their vegetarian selection, but you do have to watch out if they don't. Most pie here does have meat (no french silk or key lime!!). The cookies are biscuits, the chips are crisps, and the fries are chips. Arrugula is Rocket (cool!), all lettuce is salad, and squashes (eggplant included) go by their french names in most cases (aubergene in the case of eggplant). None of this is too big a deal, but you might be disappointed if you got something different than anticipated.
You might also be surprised at the fact that you do have to get used to the accents of people. Even the local DJs can be hard to understand. Not only do they use a lot of local slang I don't always know, they tend to speak quickly and mumble a bit. I find myself reading lips a fair amount (something I did often as a high school teacher in the states and have become rather adept at). The longer I'm here, though, the more I adapt and become used to the accent and the local usage. I have shared my Lonely Planet British Phrasebook with Jon, who had quite a time laughing at the regional words (from his home region) that he'd never heard.
Well, as we say in Florida, the old he-coon walks just before the light of day!
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
Unfortunately, I felt that this was a prevalent enough problem (and commonly enough discussed) to make an entry on it.
Oxford does have a rather large homeless population. There are lots of local charities created to deal with this problem. In addition, the large tourist population often donate to those who ask for spare change.
I will NOT do the following in this entry, and I respectfully request you oblige in the comments section and keep it free of the following:
1. make judgments on why these people are homeless and whether or not they want to be that way;
2. discuss how many, if any of, of the local homeless are addicts;
3. discuss my own practices as to donating or not donating spare change and whether or not it is right to do so;
Disclaimers over, I will address the topic at had as gingerly and honestly as I can. Now, keep in mind that I most recently lived in Tampa, Florida just off a major thoroughfare. Homeless people (or people purporting to be so) are nothing new to me. In Oxford, however, the homeless population has a different modus operandi. This may be the case in some other American cities, but my experience in places like Chicago, Kansas City, Indianapolis, and Dallas has not been like this.
The Oxford homeless are the same people day after day, and they really do live and sleep on the streets. The vast majority are men, and some of these men even keep dogs as companions. You'll usually see the same people in the same general area day after day asking for spare change. About half of them simply sit or stand in an area and have a hat or cup. They say "spare change, please" or something like that as people walk by. As I said, I won't reveal whether I donate, but I do try to make eye contact with them as a human being and smile. I think a lot of people try to make them invisible.
There are at least three other common types of homeless people in Oxford, too, though. More often than not, every homeless person in Oxford takes on more than one role depending on their mood or the time of day. There's the aggressive, the performer, and the Big Issue seller.
The aggressive homeless people can be a bit scary to newcomers. These people walk right up to you, sometimes even follow you, sometimes tell you their story, and ask for money. Some of these guys are very rude or gruff. Others seem very sincere. This is similar to the type of guys who would come up to us in Tampa and ask for money to "get a bus ticket" or something. In Oxford, if you don't give to these guys, they can get downright mean (although I've never seen a homeless person be physically aggressive in any way here). They seem to be quite desperate.
Then there are performers. These vary from literally starving artists to some of the absolute worst musicians I've ever heard! They play a variety of instruments (there's one really creepy guy who sells bird-call flutes on the main shopping street) and keep a hat or case out for tips. Not all street performers are homeless here, of course. In fact, one day there was an absolutely FANTASTIC string quartet playing on Cornmarket. We have video of them. Impressive!
Finally, there are the gents who sell a weekly magazine called The Big Issue. This magazine was started by a formerly homeless man in 1991. As far as I've gathered it works like this: if you're homeless, instead of panhandling, you can go to the Big Issue people. If you qualify (you have to agree to their conditions on where to sell and how to sell) they give you an ID. Then you pay them a small amount of money (50 p each copy) and they give you a nice stack of magazines. You then sell those magazines to the general public (cover price is £1.20) and get to keep whatever you collect. In addition to the sales jobs, the magazine has a pretty extensive network set up to help them get off the streets. You see these guys on almost every street in Oxford, sometimes calling out things like "Get your Big Issue, please!".
So that's the homeless population in Oxford. As I said, it's a rather large population, unfortunately. On the plus side, a lot of people and organizations are aimed at helping improve their lives. As recently as this weekend we have seen individuals representing organization buying the homeless warm drinks and offering other help. Still, as the weather turns colder, especially, I think it's important to keep these often overlooked citizens in our prayers.
**Note - the Oxford Outsider's Guide is written by an American living in Oxford whose husband is a post-graduate student. This guide is intended for entertainment value and, if you want, a little information. It should not be used as a basis for selecting a college or for a decision about applying to Oxford. The guide is written by an Oxford newcomer and meant simply to convey things as I see them.**
Let's face it. The University of Oxford is one of the world's oldest and most respected Universities. And rightly so, in my opinion. I mean, they've been doing this for a very long time. So the focus here, unlike many colleges (::cough, cough:: Florida State ::cough, cough::) is ACADEMIC! Students here are smart and they're here to learn. That said, is the place as intimidating and, well, as GREAT as it's cracked up to be? And if so, are the students total geeks? Snobs? Little Lord Fauntleroys?
Okay, okay! I will try to address those issues. First of all, I think most places with huge reputations don't really live up to them. In a place like Oxford, even as an outside observer, it's hard to say whether it lives up to the hype. No doubt this place is amazing. It is the first place I have ever been that I can truly say is bathed in history. No matter where you go, you are surrounded by incredible architecture, art, and wisdom. The coursework is very intensive and demanding, and it's set up differently than any other university in the world. So, yeah, I guess the best answer is, it IS all that.
But, like lots of amazing "things" you are dying to be a part of in your life, once you get here and meet people, you kind of realize that they are, for the most part, just very normal people. Yes, they are probably all incredibly smart, but when you are first walking around and going to functions and meeting each other, you're just like, "Hey, this isn't so scary!".
We are in a college which is particularly social and friendly, so this may not be the case for other schools. In fact, I have heard from some students that some other colleges (particularly Christ Church) have a reputation for being stuffy and elitist - sort of flaunting their academia. Most colleges and students, however, have been amazingly normal and down to earth. I have yet to see a single forehead tattoo OR neon sign reading "GENIUS." In fact, in social circles, the talk does not revolve around academia all that often. At Hertford, the students study a very wide variety of topics, so somebody in Geography is probably brilliant, but they won't be able to have a particularly in-depth conversation with Andrew about the conversion of the Anglo Saxons in early Medieval England. As a matter of fact, people are usually much more interested in the fact that I'm writing a novel than what Andrew is studying (I feel a little bad about that sometimes). So, although "What are you studying?" is a very common question, in-depth philosophical discussions are no more common in general conversation here than at any other university.
It _is_ nice to know that the others around ARE smart, though, because you can discuss your studies or a topic with them intelligently. This doesn't mean that either of you are necessarily experts on the topic, but basically everybody here has a lust for learning, so we like to hear about what one another are studying (usually told in the vernacular) and things like that. For example, at the sporting day shortly after we arrived, Andrew and I had a fascinating discussion with an astro-physics DPhil cadidate from Merton College. He told us, in an obviously well-rehearsed and often repeated explanation, about his research into star deaths and the rings they give off. He didn't use technical terms with us, but felt comfortable explaining it to us knowning that we, too, are interesting in learning and research. Also, there are similar pressures on all of the students here, so that is helpful in putting everyone on a level playing field.
I have yet to observe much if any of the alleged tension between "town" and "gown" here. I would say that, for the most part, students stick with other students and with the college areas and businesses. This is the way with any university, though, and as much for convenience and safety as anything else. As far as I can tell, the students here do not see themselves as "better" than the townspeople. In fact, most of them seem to feel pretty fortunate to be students here, and thankful for the townspeople who work to make the university function.
Starting today, I'm going to have a sort of special section of my web site. Periodically, I will write entries about different aspects of living in Oxford from my point of view. When I do this, the title of the entry will be "The Oxford Outsider's Guide to ___" or something like that. If I do it the way I plan to, you will also be able to search and read just the Outsider's Guide entries if you like.
My hope is that these entries may be entertaining, but also useful and informative to those of you wanting to know what it's "really like" to be here. Hopefully, they'll paint a pretty realistic picture if you plan to come here on holiday or to study.
Now, keep in mind, I've been here for less than three weeks myself. I am far from a seasoned resident of the UK! But I think that sometimes a newcomer to a community can see things that long-time residents have "tuned out." Again, I'm not an expert, but I know there are many things you may be interested in knowing about - stereotypes of England and the English, for example - and may not know where to go to find out the truth. With the Outsider's Guide I hope to give you a pretty realistic picture. And, if you're English and reading it and I have completely missed the mark on something, I hope you'll have a good laugh and post a corrective comment on the site.
Additionally, if there's something you're wondering about, drop me an email or comment and I'll do my best to address it.
All that having been said, I won't actually tackle any topics today, but I will list a few upcoming topic ideas you can expect to see:
- student elitism/town vs. gown
- Oxford's homeless population
- profanity in Oxford and English slang (are you tantalized yet??)
- boobs and bums (scandalous!)
- tourism and tourists
- eating and drinking in Oxford
- Shopping and stores
- English teeth and grooming habits
- The BBC - English radio and television
Yes, some of these topics may contain adult subject matter and may be objectionable to some, so I'll post a warning ahead of those entries.