As mentioned in my previous post, we're moving back to the US soon. It's hard to believe that in less than a month, I will be living in DC again. I've had such a wonderful time here in London and there are so many things that I will miss about living here. However, there are also many things I will NOT miss, such as:
- Working in the open work space environment. I don't think I have ever hated the physical set-up of a place I have worked more than I hate the UK office of my firm. It is loud and crowded. There is no sense of privacy and people have no sense of boundries. I have been yelled at by a partner in the middle of the room for everyone on the floor to hear. I was told my raise in a common break area. I used to sit almost back-to-back with another person and people would bump my chair as they walked past me to get to the printer or go to the bathroom. I have overheard way too many personal conversations by people who have no concept of how to use an "inside voice" while on the phone. We don't even have our own trash cans. Yet, somehow between all of the talking, people walking by, and other distractions, I am supposed to be able to research and write memos and opinions. Any time I have anything to do that requires an ounce of brain power, I plug in my earphones and listen to classical music so I have a chance of focusing. I cannot leave this office soon enough!
- Toilets that don't flush properly
- Hot air hand dryers in the bathrooms instead of paper towels
- Slow, grumpy service in restaurants
- The price of eating meals out
- Rude people on the Tube who do not understand the concept of letting people off the train before they get in and a variety of other offenses
- The strikes, shut downs for maintenance, and other problems with the Tube. I rely on the Tube for all of my transportation, so it is beyond annoying when the Tube doesn't work nearly every weekend and occassionally throughout the week.
- People with no concept of personal space
- Hiking up the hill from hell to get home every day
- Not being able to find clothes, foods, medicines and supplies that I like
- Having to order new prescriptions from the NHS doctor's office every time I need a refill (no concept of recurring prescriptions at the pharmacies here)
- Having a different doctor see me every time I go to the GP (Seriously, I get sick and / or need meds all the time and not once have I seen the same doctor. I have to go through my complete medical history in every visit. Socialized healthcare is awesome.)
- International banking and credit cards - For example, I have 4 American Express cards (1 for personal use in the US, 1 for business use in US, 1 for personal use in UK, and 1 for business use in the UK). Also, between me and Cesar, we have 11 checking and savings accounts in the US and the UK, so you can imagine what paying bills and banking is like. Plus, it seems like whenever we have money in the UK, we need it in the US and vice versa. I am really looking forward to everything being in one place!
- Being surrounded by a gazillion people every day, no matter where we are. I am constantly amazed at the sheer number of people in London
- Having to listen to people who have never lived or worked in the US trying to tell me what they think is best for our country and comment on our political and healthcare systems
- Having a 17.5% VAT (soon to be 20%) added to pretty much everything we buy, which makes things like clothes, shoes, and dining out incredibly (and sometimes prohibitively) expensive
- Not having to deal with the management company for our house that is being rented in DC. They have made everything more complicated and more expensive than it needs to be. They are unresponsive (we have to threaten to get them to respond), and they are rude. I hate that we are giving them money for doing such a crappy job. If I could do anything with this experience of living in London over again, I would not hire a management company to deal with the renting out of our house. We could have done a better job of managing it from over here!
No place is perfect, and I do really, really love London. But, yes, it will be nice to be home again as well. :)
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