A chapter is finished

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Ten years is a very long time. That's how long I lived in Britain, even though, originally, I went there for six months; this proves that life is best taken as it comes and that even though plans need to be made, they also need to be flexible.

During those years, I fell in and out of love with Britain many times but at the end of my time there my love for her was stronger and I can say now that moving to Surrey was the best decision I could take.

As you know, I love lists and summary blogs, so our leaving Britain was the perfect chance to do both in one and this is the result: the up's and down's of my ten years in England, in no particular order:

UP'S

1. Meeting Dax in a pub (which was later changed into a Thai restaurant that has become our favourite for many reasons)

2. Ella was born in Guildford on the 29th of January 2013.

3. Meeting people from all over the world; this was without a doubt one of the best things, as it opened my eyes and mind to the world that's out there.

4. Sunday roasts, custard, fish and chips; who said British food is bad?

5. Gentle driving: nobody beeps or pushes from behind.

6. Daffodils in early spring and nature in general: lots of flowers and wildlife everywhere you look. I admire the British people and their love for gardening.

7. Travel by van to Wales, Cornwall and Scotland: Great Britain is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

8. Creamed teas; yes, please!

9. I always felt safe: even when I walked on my own at midnight, I never felt threatened. This, I guess, is due to the fact that I always lived in Surrey, which is one of the safest (if not THE safest) counties in Britain; probably if I would have lived in a big city this would have been different.

10. www.readitswapit.co.uk The best website for book lovers: you list the books you own but don't want and go through other people's lists to see if they have books you want; then, just swap them!

11. Charity shops! They are one of the things I miss the most.

12. Fly in a hot air balloon over Surrey (a great birthday present from Dax)



DOWN'S

1. I'm going to say it first of all, so it's out of the way: the casual racism I received for being a foreigner. I'm not saying that this only happens in England, because we all know it doesn't, but it has never happened to me anywhere else (maybe because all the other countries I have been to, I was there as a tourist and not actually living there). I am glad to admit that it didn't happened very often, just a handful of times in ten years and most of the time I was treated with respect.

2. The darkness: I need sunshine in order to be happy and found the long, dark winter days nearly unbearable.

3. The obsession with health and safety: just relax, people!

I'm glad to see that I could only come with three items for the DOWN list!

SE CIERRA UN CAPITULO:

Diez años es mucho tiempo. Eso es lo que he vivido en Inglaterra, aunque me fui para pasar sólo 6 meses, lo que demuestra que la vida hay que tomarla como viene y que los planes, aunque está bien tenerlos, han de ser flexibles.

Durante estos años, me enamoré y desenamoré de Inglaterra muchas veces, aunque al final ganó el amor y puedo decir que irme a vivir allí fue la mejor decisión que tomé en mi vida.

Como ya sabéis, me encantan las listas y los blogs resumen, así que al dejar Inglaterra se me presentó la oportunidad perfecta para juntar los dos y este es el resultado: los altibajos de mis 10 años en Inglaterra, sin ningún orden en particular:

LO BUENO:

1. Conocer a Dax en un pub (que más tarde cerraron y convirtieron en un restaurante tailandés que es nuestro favorito por varias razones)

2. Ella nació en Guildford el 29.01.2013

3. Poder conocer a gente de todo el mundo. Esto fue, SIN DUDA, una de las mejores cosas de Inglaterra ya que me abrió los ojos y la mente al mundo.

4. Sunday Roast (carne asada con vegetales), custard (natillas), fish and chips (pescado rebozado con patatas fritas); ¿quién dijo que la comida británica no estaba buena?

5. La manera tranquila de conducir: nadie pita ni te empujan por detrás.

6. Narcisos al empezar la primavera y la naturaleza en general: muchas flores por todas partes; admiro mucho la relación que tienen los británicos con los jardines.

7. Viajar en furgoneta a Gales, Cornualles y Escocia: Gran Bretaña es absolutamente PRECIOSA.

8. Creamed teas: consisten en unas pastas llamadas scones que se sirven con mermelada y clotted cream (esto es una nata muy espesa para la cual no hay realmente un equivalente en castellano)

9. Siempre me sentí segura: incluso cuando volvía sola a casa a medianoche nunca tuve miedo. Supongo que esto es porque viví en Surrey, que es el condado más seguro de Inglaterra; si hubiera vivido en una ciudad grande, hubiera sido diferente.

10. Las Charity Shops: son tiendas de segunda mano en las que la gente dona lo que no quieren y las llevan voluntarios por lo que los beneficios van a la ONG. Allí se pueden comprar libros por 50 peniques o ropa por una libra o menos, cosas para la casa, etc. Las charities son una de las cosas que más echo de menos.

11. Volar en globo sobre Surrey (regalo de cumpleaños que me hizo Dax)

LO MALO:

1. Lo diré al principio, para poder dejarlo de lado: el racismo casual que recibí por ser extranjera; esto no pasa sólo en Gran Bretaña ni mucho menos, todos conocemos extranjeros en España a los que no se les trata muy bien.

2. La oscuridad: soy como las plantas y necesito luz del sol para ser feliz; los largos días de invierno se me hacían a veces insoportables.

3. La obsesión con la seguridad: ¡a relajarse un poco, gente!

¡Me alegro de sólo haber encontrado tres cosas para poner en la lista de MALO!

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Photos

no planes
this was taken when the volcano in Iceland was stopping all the air travel

Cobham
Steam Fair

Cobham
Steam Fair

Farnham
Frensham Ponds

Harley
We rode a Harley Davidson for Dax's birthday

2012.august.2
and four months pregnant / embarazada de cuatro meses

Isle of Skye
no privacy in the privvy

Glastonbury
and 5 months pregnant / embarazada de 5 meses

Comments

[Rat on the Road]

Plans
So where are you heading for now?

[denidax]

Spain
Actually we've already been living in Spain for a year and a half, but I thought I needed a bit of closure on our English chapter, that's why I wrote this blog... I should have done it months ago! Are you guys still in Ukraine?

[D MJ Binkley]

Wow
Love this perspective.

[denidax]

thanks!
Thank you, Merry Jo; Beachy Head is such a beautiful place, specially when there is mist

[Dancing Dave]

Her Majesty's Mail
This is one thing you won't see in Spain...a British Postbox. May you have many happy memories of your time in Britain...yet it also must be nice to come back home.

[denidax]

Indeed!
Yes, in Spain the letterboxes are yellow :D I do have many happy memories from my time in England and it will always have a special place in my heart, I consider myself very lucky for all the opportunities I had there.

[RENanDREW]

I love a list too! :)
Now you've made me crave fish and chips! From your 'ups' list, I have to absolutely agree with #3-#9; and even though I lived in London's zone 1, I still felt safe coming home late at night.

[denidax]

Thanks!
I always lived in samll towns but I guess when living in London you don't have the feeling of being in such a massive city, as you belong to a neighborhood which, in many ways is like a small town as well.

[Rat on the Road]

Ukraine
Yep still in Ukraine. Interesting time to be here, but at the moment the conflict is only in a tiny part of the east. Hoping it settle down and doesn't escalate. Where in Spain.?

[denidax]

Majorca!
We live in Majorca now; it's a nice place but far too hot! I hope the troubles in Ukraine don't reach the part where you live... in fact, I do hope they end soon. There are reports on the news every day about it, but one doesn't know what to believe...