The Dreaded Lurgy....

I have gone very quiet on the blog lately. There are a variety of factors playing into that bit but it mainly stems from having a very active toddler (a full-fledged two year old!), a spouse who seems to spend most of his time on airplanes these days, no family support here, my desire to attempt to continue a career outside the house which requires a terrible commute, and general life obligations and house upkeep that seem to keep me busier than I could have ever imagined right now. 

Most days I feel flat out by the time I put Crosby to bed so unfortunately the blog (among quite a few other things) have fallen out of daily or weekly activities for the moment. I hope this lapse in posting, just like my toddler's constant need of "mummy, mommy, mama, mommy," and her ever-so-repeated-and-demanding-but-others-tell-me-is-endearing-whining is short lived and will some day be a forgotten lapse because in the grand scheme of life it is a rather small time frame. One can hope. 

Today, however, I received an email from a work acquaintance that made me chuckle at life abroad here that I just had to pull myself together tonight to post the happening! 

Last week, I thought I might die. Not literally, but I got sick and I can't remember being that poorly in a long time. I got very sick very quickly and it seemed to come out of nowhere. My parents were due to arrive for a long weekend visit so timing could not have been worse. Two days prior to their arrival, I woke up and showered for work and couldn't make it past my bedroom door, I felt so miserable. A sudden raging fever hit me along with a chesty cough and aches and pains I can't remember even during childbirth. I crawled back into bed and attempted to phone in for a conference call meeting because I couldn't fathom the idea of driving to work, let alone sitting in a meeting room with others. And then that night the sickness seemed to get worse, with my fever reaching 104 degrees F (40 degrees C) and the other symptoms multiplying. I was miserable. 

Thankfully Scott was in town and he tended to Crosby, proving to be Super Dad, getting her dressed and taking her to nursery or getting things ready for the nanny to arrive at the house, along with re-routing my parents on their flight when they missed their connection and driving to the airport to collect them. He even managed to take some direction from me to bake a batch of bar cookies for my parents' visit. It was all a bit of a blur but two days into the illness I managed my way to the GP (doctor's office) and she said I had a chest and respiratory infection so she put me on a course of antibiotics to try to knock it out of my system. 

So, my parents were here and I was feeling miserable, not even wanting to surf the web or stare at the TV, just wanted to rest in the hope of feeling better. Consequently, I have fallen behind at work. An email of some immediate attention came through to me today and when I responded I began by apologizing that I had not been in touch earlier and explained that I had been unwell.

The response was the part that really made me chuckle. Frankly at first I thought it was a joke.

The email began with: "Cassie, Thanks for the note, sorry to hear about the lurgy."

Lurgy? 

I thought that was a joke of a term that I sometimes heard Scott say but I have yet to hear it by anyone here. So, when Scott came home from work tonight I asked him if he really knew of the term or if he just used it as a joke. His response was that it was an actual term and he hears people use it here, and in fact since he has caught part of my dreaded cough, he said he has been telling people to stay out of his office because he has the dreaded lurgy. 

This lead me to the world wide web for research on the term. Guess this is a British term and it is an amusing one to me! When I hear this word, it makes me think of an illness when you have a lot of phlegm, which is strange, but it's just what comes to mind, but apparently it is more general than that. According to Urban Dictionary: 

Lurgy

125 up, 48 down

Approximate British equivalent of the American playground term cooties, meaning a fictitious, yet highly infectious disease. Unlike cooties, now used by adults to refer to an general undefined infectious malady. Normally used in the form "the dreaded lurgy". The term originates from an episode of the 1950s radio comedy "The Goon Show" in which an epidemic of "The Dreaded Lurgi" was said to be about to sweep across Britain. It turned out that the lurgi was in fact a ficitious disease created by brass instrument makers who had claimed that no brass band player had ever died of the lurgi (thereby increasing sales hugely). "The Goon Show" was an anarchic and surreal radio comedy series that starred Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Harry Secombe. It was written by Spike Milligan and Eric Sykes. I think I've got the dreaded lurgy. He's not coming into work today, apparently he's coming down with a lurgy. I'm not quite sure what's wrong. Just some form of lurgy. Urgh. You've got the LURGY!

A Traveling Spouse

Scott has been working in a new role (still for the same company) since the start of this year. His new job is requiring a LOT of travel. In fact, I think he's only been in the UK for a two full weeks since the first week in January. It is the kind of travel that has allowed him to nearly reach gold status on TWO airline carriers within the first quarter of the year, and he is almost gaining status on a third carrier. I am not quite sure if those are status achievements he should be boasting about or not!

It's been an adjustment for all of us, most especially for me since during that time I have gone back to work and am trying to balance the work/mom roles while not having the daily support from my husband in a physical sense to pitch in with childcare and/or daily life tasks.

I am learning my way as a single parent during the week and dare I even say at this point now, nearly a full 3 months into it, I can say it is sometimes easier to manage certain things when Scott is away? Not major things but there are certain things that are easier - the house stays cleaner, our bed is always made, I don't have to cook full dinners every night, Crosby knows our routine and what to expect, I can sleep in the middle of the bed, and I can watch whatever I choose at night on the tv! However, these small feats are not out-weighed by the downside of having Scott gone all the time lately. I find that although the house may be clean and I have time alone at night, I find that I am doing this all alone - and I am just purely exhausted by the end of each week when Scott comes home for one or two days before the car service comes to collect him bright and early on Monday morning for his next week of work travel.

When Scott took this new job, we both knew there would be some travel involved. I am just not sure either of us thought there would be this much travel involved - and I know neither of us knew what the situation would be like with me back at work on top of it. This past weekend was a perfect example of the compression felt by both of us, by having one spouse who is not around during the week. Scott was in the office on Friday here in the UK and intended to scoot out of the office a bit early so he could catch Crosby and spend some time with us since he was due to leave early on Sunday morning. As responsibilities go, there was too much work to do in the office and he needed to finish things before leaving town so leaving work early on Friday never happened and his arrival home was after Crosby went to sleep and was even later than expected for dinner.

So, Saturday we raced around town trying to run a few errands - Scott wanted to get a gym workout in, he needed a haircut, etc. I wanted to just have a short break myself since I had been on my own for the whole week prior with Crosby, and that never really happened because Scott had priority on his to do list since he was going to be out of the country the next day. I also wanted some quality family together, knowing that we were only going to have this one day to be together, just the three of us again for a while. Too many things to make happen in a short period of time, of course sandwiched in between Crosby's naps and her meals.

There is a part to all of this traveling and long working hours that I have come to expect - most especially as part of the expat assignment - but there is a part of it that I did not expect and that is the difficulty of having good conversations with my spouse while he travels. Crosby & I can really manage fairly well on our own, although it is tiring. What I miss is the part of the night when even if Scott is home (very) late from work, we have a good 15 minute (minimally) catch up on our days and we have a partner with which to decompress. With Scott's international travel schedule, it has been difficult to get a good conversation in on the phone. His free time seems to come right as his work meetings are wrapping up, just before the dinners start, which is the time when Crosby is at her crabbiest and needs the most attention from me at this point in my day - so a focused call is difficult to manage. Or, Scott's schedule frees up after dinner which seems to be late and at that point I am half asleep because I am trying to get rest for my early start at work the next day. Or perhaps Scott has a free moment during the day - it always seems to coincide with the days that I am in the office and can't talk myself. And then of course there are those trips like the one this week, where there is a significant time difference in where Scott is and the UK, so managing a time to catch up is even more complicated! Couple these challenges with the fact that I find my husband not a good phone conversationalist to begin with and consequently, I feel like there are too many missed conversations during the week. The weekends become even more crammed with playing catch up and even still - the weekends never make up for everything in the same way as it would if Scott were home.

So here we are at the end of a 6 or 7 week solid stint of Scott having been away every week and some weekends straight in a row without a break. He is coming back just in time for his family to arrive in the UK and just in time for me to leave the UK to go on my first trip (and first nights away from Crosby) alone for a short bit. In theory, it sounded marginally like a good idea, although now that it is almost here, both of us are finding it to be a wee bit more stressful than anything else. At this point, we would both say it would just be nice to have a week away from work as a family together, or even better yet, a weekend for Scott & me away at some point too. Neither of those things are going to happen now because of other plans set forth, so we are just trying to move forward in that continuation of the "cram-everything-into-as-little-time-as-we-have-together" mode in the few hours we have as our little family of 3 before our visitors arrive.

The good news for Scott's family who is coming to visit is that they get to spend time with him, since he has arranged his travel schedule to be here while they are. The downside for me is that as soon as they leave and just after I return, his traveling commences again. And although it will be nice for him to have some extra hands to help out with Crosby while I am away, it would have been a good experience for both he & Crosby to be on their own for a week so Scott could see how the other shoe fits (since we have a nanny who comes when I work so she comes when Scott works too!). His response to this idea was something coy, reinforcing the fact that he knows how to make these things work to his advantage. (I describe his response with all my love of course). If I had my parents over every time Scott left town, I think they would live with us permanently at this point!

The only other small advantage from all of these worldly travels of Scott's is that Crosby is gaining a collection of dress up clothes and shoes from around the globe that will rival many other children's play selections some day.....

A vibrant skirt and top from India (Crosby needs a few years to grow into it)

Turkish slippers taste yummy!

The Turkish slippers are pretty cute on her little feet!

Back at it

I have been back at the work bit since January now, and it has been another learning experience I did not expect. I have learned that I like to work.

I am not sure why this has surprised me so much but it has. I knew when we first moved to England that I liked working because I was pretty close to loosing my mind for the first 6 months when i didn't have a job. Once I found my (current) job and started at it, I really was much happier. It's funny because I always thought that not having to work and having all kinds of time on my hands sounded like a dream. Once I had the option of not working and just being a lady of leisure, I actually hated it. It probably didn't help that I had (and still have) a husband who works a LOT and that is part of the gig since we live abroad for his job right now.

Being back at work has more than its fair share of challenges but it also has some advantages. Last week I was invited to the launch of the new innovation center for Kraft/Cadbury because they are now a US/UK company and I work with such companies in my job. (It's really a great fit since I fit the bill as an American living in England). Not only was it a really cool day to spend at Cadbury learning all about their chocolate (and tasting loads of it!!) but it reminded me of why I do enjoy my job - AND - how much I have grown within myself by working over here.

As I was driving to this work event I was thinking to myself that I was not sure if I would know anyone at the event but it didn't matter whether I knew anyone there or not. I know that I have enough confidence to walk into a situation where I don't know anyone and I will be able to walk up to people, will politely introduce myself, have a conversation, and hopefully make a worthwhile connection by the end of my time at such an event.

Thinking through these steps made me remember how I felt three years ago when I had just started my job over here. I was starting to meet stakeholders and other business people in the local area for my job. I met a local CEO of an organization and he invited me to be his guest at a business black tie gala. I accepted because it was due to be a worthwhile business event.

The day arrived and I was on my way driving to the event and it hit me - I realized I was about to walk into a 500 person event by myself and I knew only one person who was going to be in that room. This wasn't an event in Chicago anymore where I had gone to work functions by myself but always knew that because I knew enough people within my industry, I would walk in and would be able to recognize someone I knew - or someone with whom I at least had a connection.

This time, I was going to an event in a new city and a new COUNTRY and I did not have any type of professional network here yet! In fact, beyond my team of employees, I really did not know anyone else within a work capacity.

So, three years ago, I went to that black tie event and it turned out to be fine. In fact, it was more than fine. I actually walked away with a fist-full of business cards and made some connections to people I see and do business with now on a regular basis.

I am reminded of these thoughts and sentiments when I am off to events now where I am not sure if I will know anyone or not. And it doesn't bother me anymore because I know I have moved countries, made new connections, and built a new professional (and personal) network for myself since I had that first experience of getting thrown into the deep end here. It is good to remind myself about how I felt three years ago because it makes me realize how much I have grown and how proud I am to have established myself professionally within a new country, even though it was my husband's expat assignment that brought us over here. I know I would not have had the same (personal and) professional growth opportunities if we were still in the US, so for that I am grateful.

Cadbury's chocolate making headquarters!

They had the guests (only about 40 of us in total), tasting their liquid chocolate with various mix-in ingredients to see if we could create any flavor combinations that were worthwhile. Since it is their innovation center that we were touring, this type of activity takes place all of the time there.

And then as if I didn't consume enough chocolate at the event, they sent each attendee home with a bag full of Chocolate products to sample later.

My little taste-tester was, once again, into the bag straight away, trying to get her teeth into that chocolate! (Unfortunately for her she hasn't been allowed any chocolate).

How long is too long?

How long is too long to be an expat? I realize some people and families make a career out of it and are happy to do so for a very long time. I still unsure that we could be one of those families however we have already extended our tour of expatriate life longer than we ever thought we would.

This question of how long is too long is one we have discussed quite a bit lately because Scott has been offered and has accepted a new job (still with the same company) --- a promotion and a new position that will keep us in England a while longer. How much longer will we stay is the question? That answer is unknown.

We know it will not be forever. Neither one of us wants that situation, as we know we want to return to the US. However, we have quickly become one of those couples who we heard about when we were first moving abroad and both thought that would never be us.

It was the scenario we heard over and over again. "I was offered an expat assignment in X location for 2 years, and we loved it so much, it turned into 5 / 6 / 7....or whatever the greater number was." Countless tales of such assignments that extended well past their initial contract date. And now here we are ---- 3 1/2 years into an 18-24 month initial contract.

It is the right move for Scott's career for us to continue our time here, or so we hope at this point. The new job will be a great challenge for him and will hopefully allow his career to hopefully continue to flourish with his company.

But the more time we spend away, the more I grapple with the question of how long is too long to be away? Initially our answer was that when we were ready to start a family, we would probably return to the US. Clearly, I survived [the rather horrendous childbirth situation in the UK hospital] and we are still there. Dare I say, there is a part of me that has been glad to be in the UK with an infant because of the year-long maternity leave it has afforded me. (of course I am not sure that is outweighed by the lack of family within close proximity! or the really terrible hospital experience!)

Various discussions on this topic of length of time abroad now are focused on Crosby and our wants and desires for her life. Is this still the right decision for us to be abroad, now that we have a child? Is the end time for us abroad now when she is starting school? Is that primary school or secondary school? Or are we providing her with a great gift of life adaptability by being away and learning about another country/culture/lifestyle? Or will she feel unsettled because she will have not spent her entire life in one country and/or location? So many questions and concerns, and of course there is no "right" answer. People view such opportunities differently which is of course why some people accept such assignments and others do not.

We have also said we will continue to pursue the best career paths, provided that we are all healthy and well. God willing, this will continue to be the case.

Obviously with Scott accepting a this new job that will keep us abroad for a while longer, we have agreed that this decision is currently the best one for our family. However, with an end date unknown and time spent building a further life for ourselves in England, we really struggle with the debate of how long is too long and when is the right time to return home? We also realize that "home" will have a new meaning for us in the US because the variables will not be the same in our life / location / home / family etc from right before we moved abroad.

How quickly that feeling fades....

My little stinker baby tonight who is still wide awake at 10pm from jet lag! After she spent an hour screaming in her nursery, I finally brought her downstairs with me, but am making her rest on the couch in the hopes she will soon fall asleep.

Just a few days ago on Monday, we returned from a lovely relaxing and very nice holiday in Barbados and yet somehow the feeling of being completely relaxed and at ease seems to be fading all too quickly.... Nearly 36 hours after we touched back down in England, Scott turned around and flew back to the US for work, leaving Crosby & me here for a bit. It's amazing how quickly all of the laundry from our vacation has formed a huge mound, how tiring it is to be dealing with a very jet-lagged baby who is completely off schedule (and as a result I am off schedule since I was up with her at 11pm, 3am, and 6am again last night/this morning!), and how much I need to do to get things in order for our visitors we have arriving nearly 24 hours after Scott lands back in England next week! Temporary single parenting is part of what I knew I would encounter with Scott's job over here since he is traveling more frequently now.

However, these are most definitely the times when I do wish there was not an ocean between my family and me so I had someone near enough to come visit while Scott was away, or that I could go visit them without enduring a transatlantic flight.

How Time Flies

I know it's an old and frequently used cliche, "how time flies," but really, isn't it amazing how time flies??

This week has come with some time sensitive news for us regarding our life over here. First, we have been scheduled for an appointment next week to have our biometrics redone for our new visas since our current visas are due to expire in August. We moved here on an 18-24 month contract for Scott's job and now we are close to the 3 year mark....how quickly it has passed! I marvel at the strength and great experiences it has brought to us as individuals, to our marriage, and most importantly now to our family of 3. When I think about the difference time has made for us in these circumstances, I think about how nearly three years ago we kept thinking - "Won't it be great to get back to America to do x, y, z, etc. when we move home," and now, how we often say "We know we will move home, but we are surely going to miss x, y, z, about life in England when we have to move home. Let's hope it's not too soon, we still have a lot to do and see over here."

The time has gone by in a blink of an eye and I did not think when Scott accepted his assignment here that we would be one of those couples who signed up for a couple of years abroad and then enjoyed it so much that it turned into (?) number of years. It feels like just a few days ago that we were saying good bye to our families (and of course I was crying for having to leave!) and we were both filled with excitement and a lot of nerves about what was in store for us. And now, here we are, searching through the filing cabinet to find our original birth certificates, marriage certificate, and other appropriate paperwork so we can apply to stay here for a bit longer. Within the past three years, it is incredible to think of the world monuments we have seen in person, the trips we have taken, the different culture that we have now grown to embrace for so many reasons, and the reliance on one another that has cemented our marriage and family together.

The second time reminder came when our tenants living in our Chicago house informed us that they would not be renewing their lease this fall. Scott & I were giddy with dreams for our future when we bought that house. It's strange to think we only lived there for a year before we moved out and the plan for what we thought was going to be a life in downtown Chicago, became a life (temporarily) abroad. We have now had tenants who have lived in our house longer than we ever did and probably ever will. With the time that has passed is now the concern that we do not want to move back into that house when we return. Time has changed our needs and since we have been living in England we have lived just 5 minutes from Scott's office. In Chicago, we chose to live in the city and Scott commuted nearly an hour (more on most days) each way out to the suburbs to his office. Since we have lived so close to Scott's office here in England, the long hours he puts in at the office don't seem as long as they did in the US because he is home much quicker at the end of the day. The time he is able to spend with us as a family is important so we will live closer to his office when we move home.

And thirdly, my baby is growing SO quickly! How is she already 4 1/2 months old?

I have mentioned my mixed feelings about the year-long maternity leave here in England before, but right now, I am nothing but grateful for the time with Crosby. I am not sure how I would have ever been able to go back to work already. I feel fortunate to be able to spend this time with her and to enjoy the milestones of her first year as they happen. Yes, at some point we may decide to have another baby, but I keep thinking to myself I will never have this time back with my first child, just the two of us together. I am trying to relish the days and experiences we are having now. I keep thinking - I want to keep her this age forever, and then a few weeks later, I find myself more in love with her than I was before, and I think no, this age is even better, she is even more adorable now. How does this continue to happen? I am grateful for this time and hope I am soaking up as much of it as I possibly can, because time really does seem to fly....

The Commencement of Maternity Leave

January 7th was my physical last day of work in my office. I then commenced two week's worth of working from home...and at that point, I was still weeks away from my due date. I had asked the HR department if I could work longer and they seemed a bit shocked that I was asking to continue to work "in my condition" (as they put it!). Most women here like the time off before they have a baby was the response, or something along those lines.....and so no, they thought it was best that I just end my time at work for now and focus on the next bit of having a baby.

I cannot tell you how different this approach is compared to the US!

I have had numerous co-workers over the years in the US who would come in to work every day near their due date (or past) and wonder if that will be their last day in the office, or will they return to work tomorrow? Unless one is quitting or is having a planned c-section, it is just a waiting game to see when baby will arrive. Since maternity leave is only a short amount of time in the US, I understand why women are working until the very end....

Now being on the British side of this situation, I feel a bit torn about how it is handled in the US. On one hand, I am slightly bored (unchallenged I should say) at the moment (dare I admit this as I am sure once the baby arrives I will want this time back!), but I am also grateful that I am not having to get up early with my husband's alarm clock in the morning to hop in the car and drive to work where I would be "on" all day long. The insomnia in this last bit of pregnancy has been slightly unbearable and I would be a zombie at the office if I were required to be there all day at this point. So, in that sense I have to admit it is really nice to have this time to properly rest (or lack there of in my case, but to still not be in the office or commuting....) before I am on full time mom duty.

On the other hand, the "worker bee" in me is sad to be away from my job already. I enjoy my job and feel a bit disconnected from it already, even though I have only been away a short amount of time. I feel slightly lazy for having no major responsibilities at the moment and for being able to sit at the coffee shop for an hour or more, or for having a 3 hour lunch without worrying about finishing the pile of paperwork on my desk.

I know that soon enough my insomnia and 3am wake up calls will not just be for a bowl of cereal or toast for myself, but will be to take care of a little baby in our house so I am sure at that point I will look back and be grateful that I did have a bit of time for myself in advance of our baby's arrival.

Maternity Leave

The growing baby bump at 25 weeks...

Today at work I officially submitted my paperwork with the notification and intentions that I will be taking maternity leave in early 2011. I had obviously told my employer that I am expecting a baby and would be going on leave, but today I took the first step towards making it official in the eyes of my employer and also to start the process to notify the government that I will be on leave. Having not gone through this process in the US, I am not fully aware of the process there, but I do not think it is as "formal" since the government does not pay for one's maternity leave in the US.

There is a big difference here in the UK on maternity leave, in that mothers are entitled to up to ONE YEAR off for leave. In the US, most women I knew took somewhere between 6 - 12 weeks. FLMA and short term disability guarantee one's job in the US for up to 12 weeks while a woman is away, although none of this time has to be paid, although many employers do pay a portion of a salary during this time. There is also a difference in pay in the UK, as there is a standard protocol in that an employer pays the employee 90% of their salary for the first 6 weeks, followed by 9 months at a government stipend (note: Government, which means the employer is reimbursed for this salary while the woman is away) which is somewhere around 420 GBP per month. Compare this scenario to the US, where it is only 12 weeks off and most of the time those 12 weeks are not all paid - there is a big difference.

The differences roughly being stated above, I have to say I am struggling with these two situations. I was very nervous to tell my employer I would be going on leave because as an employer myself, I feel a full year away from the job leaves the team and company in a bit of a lurch. They might need to bring in a replacement for me, would have to train someone new and then by the time that new person is fully up and running, I would be back from my leave and all that time and energy has just been spent on someone else who is not continuing with the job, as I would be back to take it over. And then of course what happens to women and employers when a woman has multiple children back-to-back and comes back from maternity leave for a few months, only to leave for a full year again?

However, from a new mother's perspective, I cannot say I think 6-12 weeks is near long enough to be with a newborn. As an employer, do I really want an employee back at work who is overly tired from a newborn not sleeping, feeling guilty about leaving a little baby with a nanny or in daycare, and therefore might not be fully focused back on her job? Probably not. However, from the work perspective, 6-12 weeks is a bit of a blip on the radar and others can help punt to cover the woman's work load while she is away for the short amount of time....

I realize one of the big differences here is that the government is backing the system here in the UK, which is true in so many of their services, including healthcare, benefits, etc. whereas the burden really falls on the employer in the US and is not always a given requirement that an employer needs to honor in America.

I am not sure which situation I agree with more, but I am sure I may not know until I have the baby and am on leave for myself. Only time and experience will answer this question for me.

Red-Headed Step Child

At work last week I was recounting a situation and I said to a colleague, I felt a bit "like a red headed step child."

I received a very puzzled look.

He said, "I'm sorry, you've lost me. You felt like a red headed what?"

And so I tried to explain the meaning of the red-headed stop child reference. I did not realize it clearly was an American saying! Yes, upon further discussion, we could not move past this phrase because the British colleague was so intrigued by my use of this phrase.

Now, curious myself as to how this phrase came to be, I did a bit of online research where I found the following:

According to Urban Dictionary - Red Headed Step Child - A person or group treated without the favor of birthright. i.e. The boss treats this department like his red headed stepchildren. (note, this meaning was the one I was trying to use when I used the phrase in my conversation with a colleague.)

This bit about the origin of the phrase was quite interesting to me. I best watch myself and not use the phrase around any Irish I encounter! According to answers.com -

The origin of the phrase "red haired step child" dates to the 1830's & 40's when Irish emigrants began arriving in America. The newly arrived Irish were somewhere below free blacks on the social scale at the time, and lived in segregated communities. Then, like now, young men were having sexual relations with young women before marriage. Sometimes the men were Irish and the girls were not. This resulted in many out of wedlock children with that red Irish hair. When these young women did finally marry, usually to a young man not of Irish descent, the new husband was not particularly patient or sympathetic to the red haired step child and treated them harshly. The phrase is derogatory although many do not know its origin, it is still considered an insult to knowledgeable people of Irish descent, and should be avoided in polite conversation.

Another English/American conversation I found to be blog worthy....and one phrase I might avoid using for a while over here....

Simplly Gorgeous...

"Gorgeous" is a word I used to use to describe the way someone or something looks....I say "used" because while living over here I have noticed a very different use of the word. It seems the word here in England is often used to describe how things taste or smell.  

According to this online source, here is the description :

Dictionary:gor·geous

adj.

1. 1. Dazzlingly beautiful or magnificent: wore a gorgeous Victorian gown.
   2. Characterized by magnificence or virtuosic brilliance: the pianist's gorgeous technique

Very commonly here, locals might taste a cake or a food item and they will say "this is gorgeous!" I was puzzled by this comment the first time I heard it,  but now I have come to realize it is just common "speak." This past week I brought in M&M cookies to my new office mates and as the people ate their cookies, I heard "These biscuits are just gorgeous" over and over again....and it made me giggle every time! 

Further, as I drove to work the other day, I saw this billboard advertising a shampoo smelling "gorgeous." I guess it really is a common phrase in a different way over here! [and really is Head & Shoulders gorgeous smelling?!?!?]

Phrases

Even though English is spoken here in England, words and phrases are different. Today was one of those days were I said something at work, and everyone looked at me as if I had five heads.....and I heard things that I didn't understand either! 

The first situation was this morning at work while I was in a meeting discussing a merger. I made the comment of "Let's just move forward with it, so we are not nickel and diming you." After I made this comment, I was faced with a room full of blank stares by my British colleagues. Of course they did not know what I was saying because they don't have nickels and dimes here! I did not spend the time to explain the phrase to them because I wanted the meeting to move along. My interest, however was peaked about the origin of this phrase. I consulted the world wide web, and found this explanation:

nick·el-and-dimed or nick·eled-and-dimed, nick·el-and-dim·ing or nick·el·ing-and-dim·ing

v.tr.

1. To drain or destroy bit by bit, especially financially: nickel-and-dimed the project to death.

The second situation happened this afternoon when I received the following email at work:

Hi Cassie,
So sorry we are as keen as mustard and I will get on to it first thing tomorrow morning.
Best wishes,
CLIENT

I re-read the email twice and then let out a chuckle. I then asked the girls in my office if they had ever heard such a phrase before? They of course laughed at me, saying "You've never heard the phrase as keen as the mustard?" I responded no and then we all had a chuckle. I asked them if it were positive and they said, "Yes, it's very positive!" 

For more on that phrase, you can read :

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/as-keen-as-mustard.html

There are often phrases we hear over here that are not quite the same English versions of things back in the US. It is really two countries separated by a common language!

I have not done a great job at blogging about these happenings, and to some extent a few of the words and phrases have probably become part of our daily language now. Today's two phrase incidents were blog worthy and I do not think "keen as mustard" will be integrated into my daily conversation anytime soon. 

ADRIAN!

I have been working at a job here where I am actively engaged in the business relationship that the US & UK share. I work with UK companies who are looking to grow and succeed within the US marketplace, and vice-versa. It is a great organisation and a job I am enjoying. Because of my job and the transatlantic nature of it, I was invited to the ribbon cutting and press event for a new transatlantic route launching from our area airport, in order to represent businesses with transatlantic interests who will use this new air route. The flight is going into Philadelphia and so there was a ROCKY impersonator at the gate and on the tarmac prior to the flight's departure....and you wouldn't believe how many photos were taken of this guy by the passengers and airport workers. They all seemed to know him and love him here! Here is one of the press photos from the event - note how they have me (the American!!) with a flag draped over my shoulder to clearly identify what I represent! 

I also had my first UK media interview yesterday on camera with the BBC news...however, I didn't end up making the cut on the evening news. Maybe next time....