Won't Miss #7: road and TV tax

I didn't even know that TV tax existed until I came to the UK and was suddenly required to pay it. Yes, you're reading it right - in order to watch TV in the UK, you have to pay a special TV tax. You can't even dodge it by saying that you don't watch TV, because if you watch any TV programs on your computer, it counts too. 

In addition to the TV tax, there is also a road tax that everyone has to pay. We have two cars, so we have to pay the road tax on both cars. That's in addition to insurance and yearly MOTs (inspections). The amount you pay based on the engine size and CO2 emissions or whatever else, so my husband pays less for his since his is a compact car. Mine is not, meaning that you can actually sit comfortably in the backseat for extended periods of time (just ask Hong), so I pay more. 

All together we pay about £500 extra a year for all these taxes. Of course now I should say "paid" as we will be leaving in July, but I still will not miss the extra expense of paying for these taxes. 

P.S. An no, having one car was not an option. As I've talked before, I live in the middle of nowhere with no public transport. I also can't just drop off my husband at his work, as I'm not even allowed to drive where he works. 

Won't Miss #6: APO address

Having an APO address has has many benefits and one, relatively minor all things considered, annoyance. In case anyone is wondering, APO address is a sort of PO Box address used for military overseas, which allows for mail to be sent using domestic prices instead of international.

The problem comes up when some companies or sellers simply don't ship to APO addresses either because of restrictions or because the simply don't want to. I understand when there are restrictions, like mailing nail polish or lithium batteries, but a lot of times I can't even get non-restricted items to be sent to me. In other times, it takes a very long time for me to get items. I've started asking people to only use USPS priority mail instead of First Class or FedEx, because the latter two take almost two month to get to me. I also avoid using companies that I know use those services.

On the other side of the problem are restrictions that I have to abide by. I also can't mail any nail polish, perfume, lithium batteries, and other stuff that I don't recall at the moment back to the US. It makes thinking about any gifts extra troublesome, because I can't mail some of the things I know my friends and family would love.

While the benefits of having an APO address definitely outweigh the negative aspects, I will not miss getting excited over something only to find out that the company won't ship to me or that I'm not allowed to ship it back to the US.

Won't Miss #5: narrow, winding roads

I've been slacking on these post, mostly because I like to have a picture to go with each post, but sometimes I just can't get one. Well, I can't be slacking anymore, so I'll continue posts even if I don't have any photos.

I really hate the roads here in England. The highways (motorways) are ok, because they are just as big and straight as in the US, but the roads I'm referring to are all the other ones. In the picture above you can see a street right next to my house, and when all these cars are parked on one side of the road, it literally creates a one car only road. Yes, it can happen in the US too, but at least in the US there are large driveways which help avoid the situation. In UK, driveways are tiny, if there is even one, so everyone is forced to park on the side of the road.

In addition, most of the roads where I live are extremely narrow and winding, to the point that I never know what's going to come around the corner. I think the main reason for that is because these roads were used to separate different farmer's fields, so they pretty much ended up following the shape of the fields. I could be completely wrong about that, but this is the only explanation I can come up considering I do live in the middle of nowhere with lots and lots of various fields. Driving at night is especially scary, because usually these roads have no street lights, so it's hard to see where you're going. Throw in some fog, extra bright lights, sharp corners and it's an accident waiting to happen.

I will not miss driving on these roads, and will be so happy when we're back in the US. 

Won't Miss #4: parking charges

I know that parking charges are not exactly news, and I've been to some big cities in the USA where they are a normal part of life. However, I lived in a small Pensacola, FL and I rarely ever seen parking charges there. I don't think even downtown there had any charges, because I don't ever remember paying any. 

Here in UK however, parking charges are EVERYWHERE! Forget London, even smaller towns have a fee. The picture above is from one of the parking garages in Cambridge, and I ended up paying £23 to park there for a day. I can tell you I won't ever do that again, but on that day a friend I went with didn't want to take a Park & Ride bus because she had a stroller and I listened. Let's just say I won't ever listen to anyone with a stroller, unless they are willing to pay the parking bill. Two people are more than capable of getting a stroller on the bus, especially when these buses are very low to the ground. Sorry for the off-topic rant. 

Other places don't have such high rates, but it all adds up after a while. For example, to go my usual Bury St. Edmunds, I have to pay £2 for up to 1 hour, £2.80 for up to two hours, £3.30 for three, and £4 for up to 4 hours, and if I want to stay longer, I have to pay again. There is also an additional charge of £1.10 to park there after 6pm, but everything closes at 5:30 anyway so all we ever go there at that time is a movie theater. It used to be free after 6pm just last year, but since I've moved here the charges went up 3 times and the night rate was added. 

In other places, the parking is outrageous during the day, but generally free after 5-6pm. The problem, like I've mentioned before, everything clothes at 5:30pm or around that time, so there is really nothing to do in order to benefit from that free parking. Another thing that drives me crazy is how even if I manage to find free parking at the outskirts of the city, it's timed. I'm referring to a nice retail part outside of Cambridge specifically, which has lots of different shops I would have liked to visit, but I can only park there for 2 hours max. There are cameras which are used to catch those who just re-park after two hours. Really, 2 hours is not enough to go to a big retail park. 

Overall, parking in England is really annoying, and those who know me personally know that I constantly complain about it. I don't have a luxury of a train station right next to me, so I have to drive everywhere and as a result, I have to think about first finding the parking, then how much it will cost me, and then how long I can actually stay there.  A lot of time it takes away the enjoyment of going anywhere, and I will not miss that. 

Won't Miss #3: cobblestone

I used to think I can walk without tripping in any type of shoes, but not so much after I moved to England. I don't know if my inner clumsiness had finally came out (and as a result I should start cosplaying Usagi instead of Rei for authenticity purposes), or the roads are simply different. I tend to lean toward option B because of COBBLESTONE! It's freaking everywhere here! And I get that England is old, and cities are old, and that's what people used to pave the roads, and then something about cobblestone shifting instead of cracking so it lasts longer. I get it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!

Cobblestone is pretty hard to walk on, especially when every little stone had shifted and there are big gaps in between. Now, no matter which shoes I wear, I guaranteed to trip at least once. Yes, even when I wear flats. It's extremely annoying, especially when I wear kimono, because I know everyone is staring at me, so the last thing I want to do is trip while whole bunch of people are watching.

Photos taken during our last trip to London.

Won't Miss #2 - stinging nettle

I absolutely hate nettle! It seems like it grows here literally on every corner and then some. It especially bothers me when it grows in places that prevent me from getting to fruits or berries, but according to almighty Wikipedia, the ground where nettle grows is very fertile. Well I don't care! 

I actually got stung on the bottom of my foot because I unknowingly stepped on a tiny plant that grew in between concrete tiles in our backyard and lets just say it didn't contribute to my "love" towards it. It also tries to grow in my garden, but at least there I have some control over it (and hey! It means my garden soil is fertile!)

I definitely will not miss having to watch out for every plant in case it might turn out to be nettle and I won't miss getting stung in random places! 

Won't Miss #1 - living in the middle of nowhere

Hello Everyone, 

Today I start my first post about what I don't like about living in England. 

All these are in no particular order, they are very subjective and based on what makes ME happy or not happy. While I don't mind any of my readers sharing their opinions, I really don't want to get into online argument over how great UK is or is not. I get enough of that from other Americans who live here, who love it here, and who have been extending or coming back numerous times.

Check out that map! Yup, that's where I live and trust me, it is in the middle of nowhere. Of course some people might say that it's a "beautiful English countryside", but I say that I live in the middle of pig farms, sheep, horses and cows. We also get fields and fields of potatoes, wheat, corn, bunnies (yup, I can see fields literally covered with bunnies just hanging out, doing their bunny things), rapeseed, and anything else that can be grown on the ground. 

My Lakenheath Village is literally one street long and we're lucky that we get a grocery store in it. I drive through villages that don't even get that much. Having a car is a necessity here, and every single house has one. One time I was complaining about that to one of my friends, and she asked me why do I need a car, after all I live in EUROPE! I wanted to scream and pull my hair out, because she clearly didn't understand that Europe doesn't mean "London" or "big city" every time, and that it also means small villages and animal farms. 

If I want to go hang out somewhere, I have to plan on driving at least 30mins, which wasn't so bad in the USA, but pretty annoying here in the UK. Remember those pig farms and wheat fields I've mentioned before? It also means tractors, that go SUPER SLOW and which are often impossible to pass on the winding roads. 

Living in the middle of nowhere also means that I can't take public transportation easily and have to rely on my car to go everywhere. There are no train stations nearby, buses show up once every three days (it seems), and even if I do try to take a train, it will take an extra long time (as compared with trains from London for example) and will cost a lot more too.  

I won't miss this area because I prefer the convenience of a city.

~ Lyuba