Gains and Losses - Pt. 1

I have been in the good Ole US of A almost 6 years now and an American for a year this week, so I thought I'd take a tongue in cheek look at what I have lost and gained during that time.

First the losses:

3 teeth! Seriously, I lost on average 1 every 15 months when I first got here and it's not like I don't take care of them, I'm actually a qualified Dental Assistant. It was just a combo of continued issues from the UK and then an especially nasty accident where I fell flat on my face and broke a front tooth, well a crown but it resulted in a VERY costly implant. For awhile I began to wonder if there was something in the Okie water.

Bacon Butties - to understand the full impact of this on a Brit go HERE

Some body weight, probably due in part to the above, but also see Pt.2.

Traffic and all I have to say about that is "THANK YOU GOD".

A cat called Felix, who stayed behind with neighbours who loved him very much and gave him a great home.

A Water Butt, for those not in the know that's not a physical affliction, it's a very 'green' rainwater recycling receptacle much loved in England. I have yet to see one here in what's currently the new mid-west desert area known as Okieland.

Umbrella usage, for much the same reasons as above. Although I did import 3 with me just in case when I moved here, it's not easy seperating a Brit from their trusty umbrella. Having said that, I have yet to use one of them as it's either: unbelievably windy, crazy lightening or totally mad rain as Okieland only seems to do severe weather.

Football (Soccer) fever of the nationalistic kind only seen in European countries, I'm not sure anyone here gets the true significance of Manchester United's influence on the World.

Snake free rambles across the countryside, these days it's all too fraught with potential danger for any possible pleasure to be gained.

Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps, nuff said if you're a Brit.

Pubs, the bars over here are just not the same in either appearance or atmosphere.

The metric system and this is another 'thank god' moment, as I am of the age where I was right on the cusp of the changeover and I just never did.

Close proximity to the Sea, probably the loss I feel the most, that's not family oriented. Brits have a percentage of seawater in their veins I think due to being an island nation and I miss the ability to just go and sit by the sea hugely. If I ever do make it to the seaside here, I am likely to make a spectacle of myself running in fully clothed and dancing with joy.

The use of the word A-L-U-M-I-N-I-U-M, although I do have fun confusing the Yanks occasionally with this one ;-)

Stress free gardening, I have had to learn it all over again moving to an entirely different climate and eco-system. However I am starting to feel better as many of my gardening friends here seem to suffer the same stresses I do and there's some comfort in this.

Historic architecture around every corner. I find it hard to get even slightly excited about something that's less then 150-years old, coming from England.

Indian Curry. I have to drive 3 hours to find one and occasionally do.

Small bugs. Seriously people what is up with bugs over here, are they on speed or something?

Shopping in London on my doorstep, OKC just ain't quite the same.

British humour, nobody else really gets it.

Hats (not cowboy), people just don't wear hats here like they do in England.

Next up the gains, good and bad.

Now this is a motivation!

Whilst I have been gone, we saved ourselves $40 a month and switched from DirectTV to cable and with no loss of channels or quality. In addition we gained a few channels, including one that has made my life in the USA complete with happiness.

We now have Fox Deportes, the Spanish language sports channel that features football (that's the proper kind - aka soccer) 95% of the time. In particular they show many live games from the Barclays Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup competitions.

This means in the past 8 days I have got to watch my team, Manchester United live twice, something I couldn't even do back in England due to 'tv rights'. I also got to watch Arsenal & Spurs in Europe and tomorrow Man Utd once again, also in Europe.

Some might say the downside is it's all in Spanish. But you know what I don't care at all, in fact I have got a Spanish language course and am now motivated to learn some. It will be handy at work too as we have quite a few Hispanics in our area and it can sometimes be a struggle communicating.

Watching in Spanish is no hardship as we know the game inside out and most of the players, so we know what's going on and the more we watch the more phrases we pick up.

I have only been able to see a handful of games in the past five + years and Manchester United (and #11 Ryan Giggs) has been a passion of mine since childhood. I spent the whole of last week looking forward to the Man Utd v Arsenal FA Cup game on Saturday - and then we won too.

My love of our national game and my team is one of the things that makes me so quintessentially British and I am chuffed to bits to have it back in my life.

Sometimes you only realise what you miss when you get it back.

Just call me Alex Ferguson!!

So today I am venturing into the world of football coach, or soccer as it is known here!

We have a pretty active 'soccer' little league in our area and the lady coaches are work colleagues of mine and the players are students. So we have had a few discussions over lunch about their need for a greater knowledge of the 'beautiful game' to assist them with their coaching. As with many Americans, they have not really watched soccer or played it. Although I have only ever kicked about a ball in fun, having been an avid Manchester United fan for life, there isn't much I don't know about the game and it's rules. So I offered to help and my offer has been gladly taken up.

They are part of a pretty good sized league that plays every Saturday morning in the nearby town. Right now they are not at all hopeful of success as kicking the ball whilst moving is proving a challenge, but I have no doubt the other teams have the same issues.

Now it's a whole different ball game when you only have 3 or maybe 5 players a side and they're under 5ft tall, but I really hope I can add something to the team for them. I have to say I am quite looking foward to getting involved and helping out, I have no doubt it will be fun and may also result in a few funny tales!

Watch this space...

What a racket!

We are enjoying the World Cup coverage, it's great to have so much quality football/soccer available on US TV for a change. What we are not loving is the bloody racket those Vuvuzela horns make without a break for the whole game!

Sure we could mute the sound, but then we also lose the commentary and with foreign unfamiliar teams it's kind of essential. Sadly I think the World Cup will lose viewers over the din they're making. It was enough to make us give up and turn it off today, during a match with no personal interest we would otherwise have watched.

But as FIFA are selling them online, I doubt the wish of the majority for Vuvuzela's to be banned will be granted!

This is just rude!

I'm sorry, but if you're going to see your HS football team break the NATIONAL RECORD for most consecutive wins in eight man. Don't put up your 'gnome' hat during the game blocking the person behinds view!

I was so tempted to push down the pointy bit, in fact during the course of the game I did subtely a couple of times, much to my friends amusement. Some people have no consideration!

Sunday Book Review x 2!

I have been reading alot more these past 3 weeks and so this week we get two book reviews!

This was the first Anita Shreve book I have read and I was really impressed with her character development. The story is told through all the characters, gradually revealing a shared dark secret that still ties them to each other, from their college days.

It revolves around these old college classmates reuniting for a wedding, under sad circumstances. The bride and groom were college sweethearts and then split and married others. Years later at a reunion they meet again, fall in love, leave their respective partners and re-ignite their relationship. They are older and wiser but the bride has stage three breast cancer, and so the wedding that should have happened 20 years earlier, is hastily planned. The venue is one of their classmates beautifully restored hotel in the country.

They all get to reflect on how each of them has changed and their achievements in life, as they now hit their middle forties. Old feelings resurface between them and the plot thickens.

One clever aspect I especially enjoyed was the telling of a complete second story within this one, by a character who is writing a short novel. All in all this was a very satisfying read and I really enjoyed it.

Who knew I would choose to read a novel based in the world of American Football. But earlier this year I read another of John Grisham's 'lighter' novels and loved it. This has excellent reviews and is based in my fave' country of Italy, so I went for it.

It follows the fortunes of Rick Dockery a third string NFL quarterback, who totally screws up a crucial final for his team. He is the laughing stock of the footballing fraternity and will never play in the NFL again. So his wily agent fixes him up with a semi-professional Italian team in Palma. Rick rapidly discovers there's more to life than football; introduced to the delights of Italian food, wine and opera, all of which pleasantly surprise him. His driving experiences in a stick-shft tiny Fiat, with miniscule and hard won parking spaces, is not so pleasant but funny!

His team is made up of part-time amateurs with a passion for the game and life; Grisham really nails the Italian psyche. Their dream is to win the Italian NFL's version of the Superbowl and they all believe Rick is the key to winning.

I loved this book, it was fast moving, entertaining and fun. The game play descriptions were often beyond me, but this didn't take away from my enjoyment at all. This is also a book I have recommended the Hubster reads, as men should love it.

So a good 10 days reading, both of which I would highly recommend. And now I have finally discovered Stephanie Plum and am reading 'One for the Money'.

Seeing as you asked....

Well a few of you have in the past few weeks and Pam was especially persistent yesterday! So here's the latest on how my job is going and whether I 'get' American Football yet.

Well I am loving my job still, things have finally calmed down a touch after the madness of the new school year starting. Having said that we have been busier this week dealing with the end of the first nine weeks and all the reporting that entails for my Principal.

I know everyone of the nearly 200 students by name and face, slowly I am linking parents with children, but I still occasionally get them mixed up. A minor problem I encounter, is the parents assume I know exactly who their little precious one is just with the first name. Now some I do, but others who I have had less dealings with, can still get muddled in my mind.

I have definitely found my feet with the school database and feel more confident with everyday that passes. I am slowly learning the educational terminology here and the significant events in the school calendar. I have learned that things move fast in a school environment and the 'Tasks' feature of Outlook is my bestfriend, ensuring I forget nothing, usually!

We have great camradarie and support amongst the staff, which in an all female work environment, can be rare. But I can honestly say it is a happy and caring place to work. You may remember that my Principal was also new to her role this year, I think we have formed a good working relationship and she is proving to be a great boss and inspiring leader.

I love working with the children, it is just so rewarding, I also enjoy all the hugs I get. I have alot of fun with them and find I really care for their welfare. I have become an expert in amateur nursing, sussing out real or psychological sickness and bandaid application!

It is really my perfect job, I love to be busy and multi-task, so I look forward to work everyday - when there's no Book Fair anyway!

As for the American Football, well we have been going to the home games and I am enjoying it. My understanding improves all the time and supporting a team on a 77 game unbeaten run helps alot! There are many similarities to rugby which I have always enjoyed and the towns enthusiasm just sweeps you up in the excitement.

It's been almost five months since I started, which has flown by and I am still really glad I decided to go back to work. I would say I feel pretty confident in my abilities as school secretary and each day brings new challenges.

Friday Night Lights

Well we had our first home game last night in High School football, and yes I was there as promised, having a lesson and trying to get into it.

I actually enjoyed the whole experience in the bleachers. Being the secretary at the Elementary means I now know even more people than I did before, so it was very sociable. I sat with the hubster, some of my sorority sisters and their husbands.

It was a beautiful evening and our 5 times State Champions team are on an undefeated run of 73 wins. The band was in great form, as usual I loved watching the cheerleaders and we scored with a 64 yard touchdown from the opening kick-off!

We ended up winning 46-0 in the first half, so it was a short game, which is often the case. And therein lies a problem. They often win in the first half, so it's going to take me awhile to learn the game when they're all so short! In fact nearly all those points were scored in the first quarter and the second string got to play the second quarter.

But there were definite similarities to rugby, it was faster moving than I expected and I actually really enjoyed the whole evening. The team even got a mention on the Oklahoma news channels tonight.

Our results to date: 50-0, 44-6, 44-6, 46-0 - Gooo Indians!

Really trying

....yup I am 'home alone' well not counting the excellent feline company and I am actually CHOOSING to watch American Football!! The Redskins vs The Giants, no clue where they're from but they must be big to be on Primetime.

So I am really seriously trying to understand and get into this sport now, even if I have no clue what's going on! ;-)

My education starts here!

With the start of September comes my renewed campaign to understand and take seriously the sport of American Football.

You see I now work for the school with the Class C State Champions for 5 years running, so I have to learn to love this sport! This weekend I invested in an 'Indians' supporters magnetic badge for my Mazda and right now I am watching College football on ESPN. I'm really trying people!

Let me explain why it's so hard for a Brit' to love this sport in one word - RUGBY! You see our rugby players don't need all that padding and all those breaks during the game. It's just full on all out war for 40 minutes, with rare stoppages and constant brutal action. We Brit's just like our sport a bit more bloody!

But enough - I am beginning to see all hope is not lost. There are some definite similarities in the games, enough that I am beginning to get an idea of what the devils going on. I am trying to look past all the padding and see the athletes underneath, I am appreciating the catching skills a little more and the finesse of the plays. Ladies I have also noted how cute their buts look with a little padding! ;-)

As they say - I have the team, the shirt, the bumper sticker and now all I need is the knowledge and finally the passion.

So help me out if you're a football fan and share the important/interesting things I need to know to love this sport?

I have 25 days and counting to our first home game.