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Expat Life

Getting to Know the UK: Immigration and Family Roles

Welcome to the second installment of my life in the UK series where I’m learning everything about this grand nation that I live in. This week I’m learning all about the evolving melting pot and changes in society particularly as it relates to women and children. There were lots of dates and statistics that I didn’t know but lots of other stuff that frankly anyone living in a modern western society would be familiar with.

Making a Melting Pot

After WWII, there were vast shortages of labor required for the rebuilding effort. As a result the government encouraged migration to Britain from many areas across the globe. Immigration policy was fairly open until the 1960s and 70s when the government put restrictions in place. Immigrants have primarily come to Britain from:

Girl Power

Women account for 51% of the population and 45% of the workforce in the UK. All women over 21 have had the right to vote since 1928. Acts of Parliament in the 1970s gave women equal pay rights and the right to non discrimination in the workplace. The 1968 strike by sewing machinists at Ford Motor Company spurred much of this legislation. Watch the excellent movie Made in Dagenham for a dramatization of the story. This should serve to remind women lucky enough to live in countries where they have the right to vote that women before them fought hard for the rights and freedoms we have today. Don’t ever take their efforts for granted.

And, as a true testament to the changing views toward women in Britain, the 16 Commonwealth countries recently agreed to change the laws about succession to the throne. Now, sons and daughters will have equal right to the throne. So if William and Kate’s first-born is a girl she’ll be ahead of any younger brothers in line for the throne.

Finally, despite the fact that 75% of women with school age children do paid work, women in the UK still have primary responsibility for childcare and housework. I did not need to read a study guide to know this.

Children and Young People

People under the age of 19 represent 25% of the population or 15 million. The most startling thing I’ve learned in my studies this week is that “young people have different identities, interests, and fashions to older people.” Really? You mean my grandparents aren’t also big fans of Jay-Z? I also found it interesting to learn that when children grow up sometimes they even leave their parent’s homes to live on their own as adults. Thank goodness. Kids watch too much TV, they don’t play outside enough, and they live in a variety of family situations (dual parent, single parent, step parents, etc.). Young people are eligible to vote age 18 but in the 2001 general election only 1 in 5 first time voters actually took advantage of this. Maybe young people aren’t that interested in politics? While this is intended to describe what it’s like growing up in the UK, this could be anywhere.

Education

As a parent I’ve had to wrap my head around the different terminology etc. they use for schools in the UK as I’ve prepared for enrolling my son in school. It’s also been helpful just to have some frame of reference as I socialize with friends and we recount stories from our childhood. My “high school” years don’t really match up with specific stages here but instead cross the boundaries of secondary school and A levels. The one thing I am finding out that I love about English schools is a school uniform. On the days my son attends pre-school it’s a relief not to have to worry about his fashion choices in the morning. It’s just one less thing to worry about. In summary:

Join me next week as I learn more about the population, its regions, religion, and customs.

This is part of my ongoing series about understanding life in the UK, an exercise that’s helping me study for my Life in the UK test. Plus, I thought it would be interesting to share some facts and observations about this country I’m living in before it takes the world stage next month when the Olympics come to town.

Getting to Know the UK: How it All Began

When you decide to live abroad, one of the things you learn about is the tedious process of work permits and visas, the rules that countries put in place to keep other people out, to restrict the free flow of immigrants into their great nations. I’ve been through this a couple of times already and it’s because of this process that I can’t be eco-friendly and get all my bank statements and other bills online. I must have the original paper copies of everything. I have file cabinets overflowing with paper I do not want to receive. We are in the 21st Century aren’t we? But I digress.

Well it’s time for me to go through this process again, for what I hope is one of the last times in the UK. And this time, well, I’ve got to take a test. I’m not trying to become a UK citizen but I still have to take the same test to prove that I understand what it’s like to be British, to live life in the UK. And because I work best with a deadline, I’ve booked myself a test appointment at the end of this month and I’ve got lots of study material and a few practice tests to get through between now and then.

So here’s the thing. It just so happens that there is a lot of national pride here in the UK these days with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this past weekend and the Olympics around the corner. And I thought what better way to “revise” (Brit lingo for studying) than to share some of the things I’ve learned over the next few weeks. Maybe this will help me pass my test and help everyone else learn a little more about the United Kingdom as it’s set to take the world stage next month.

Building a Kingdom

First things first. It’s important to understand the difference between the Commonwealth, the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England. It’s easy to fall afoul of the nomenclature so if you want to impress your British friends, show them that you know these don’t all mean the same thing. I could write-up a bunch of boring stuff to explain this, or just watch this video.

As you’re watching the Olympics, note that in most sports (i.e football, rugby), there are four different teams that compete internationally for the countries of the United Kingdom. However for the Olympics, there is only one team for the entire UK.

The first chapter of my “Life in the UK” study guide is really a history lesson. What I’ve found interesting is that I’ve quizzed my UK family and they can’t answer these questions. Maybe they should have to pass a test to keep living here? I started to recount a lot of the history here but as I was typing it all up, I thought, my god, this is the most boring post I’ve ever written. So while this week is still all about UK history, I’ve just picked out a few things that almost seemed current. Like:

Early Britain was characterized by war. First by the Romans, Anglo-Saxon tribes, Vikings, and then Normans, trying to claim the land. Then it was the Protestants and Catholics fighting to claim the Crown, the land, and the loyalty of the people. The Protestants eventually won out everywhere except Ireland. Extremist religion never seems to be on the right side of history.
Though King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215 limiting the power of the monarch, it wasn’t until 1688 that Acts of Parliament officially created the constitutional monarchy of today.
Who knew that the Black Plague had a bright side? It led to a labor shortage which created lots of jobs for the poor and eventually led to the development of a middle class.
“Perhaps the most important principles of the Enlightenment were that everyone should have the right to their own political and religious beliefs and that the state should not attempt to dictate in these matters.” Maybe modern-day America could learn a few things from 18th Century England?
The UK has had strong female leaders throughout history, Boudicca, Elizabeth I, Queen Victoria, Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher. Yet women did not get the right to vote until 1928.
It was only in 1922 that Ireland split in two. This seems fairly “recent” and has me looking at Scotland’s latest push for independence with a different lens.
Despite the loss of America, at the end of the 19th century over 400 million people globally were ruled by the Crown. Watching all the Diamond Jubilee events over the past days has just reinforced that even today the Commonwealth’s reach is vast and diverse.
The UK’s National Health Service has provided a minimum standard of healthcare for everyone since 1945. The world hasn’t ended, there aren’t any death squads, and the UK life expectancy is higher than that of the US. America are you listening?

As I’ve spent the weekend watching the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations (and wishing she’d hung ten on some water skis yesterday), I can’t help but contrast this to the divisiveness in America today. Here I feel like there is unity across the nation even though there are so many cultures and faiths represented in the British Commonwealth. I feel like no matter what someone’s political or religious beliefs, people here don’t take it personally as these aren’t what define people. And they have a sense of humour about it all. That even if you disagree, you’re able to laugh about it and still come together and celebrate. Here, I see the true scope and meaning of empire. When have you last seen Americans come together in a unified way like this? WWII?

Finally, I’ll share the official song for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration. A testament to the reach and popularity of the Queen, Sing is written by Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber. And features Prince Harry rocking out the tambourine.

Next week, join me as we’ll learn about the changing UK society.

Also, if anyone knows what the Queen carries around in her little black handbag, I’d love to know.

And, if you’re an expat and have taken the Life in the UK test, feel free to leave me a comment and tell me all about how easy (or hard) the test is.

* Source for all: Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey To Citizenship 2nd Edition by the Home Office

June 4, 2012

Expat Life, Gratitude

Sunshine is the Best Medicine

Sunshine is just good for the soul isn’t it? When I wake up on a sunny day I feel more motivated, more energized, more alive. I feel like I could conquer the world.

Did I love sunshine this much when I lived in Virginia? I’ve always been a sun worshiper but I’m sure when the dog days of summer arrived and it was almost too hot to go outside I appreciated the sun less. But here in England, bright warm sunny days are more of a novelty and I think that’s why I appreciate the sunshine so much more these days. One of my friends even noted that I now have a totally English approach to sunshine, instantly breaking out the shorts and sundresses even though it might not be quite warm enough. You just want to be that optimistic. You’re so desperate to shake off the gloomy winter and enjoy the spring that even the slightest hint of warmth has you breaking out the summer clothes.

So I’m taking every opportunity to soak in the sun’s rays while it’s around. To refresh, renew, rejuvenate the soul, rebuild the karma. Just feeling the warm rays upon my face. AHHHHHH! It’s like it takes years off (even though it’s adding all the fine lines and wrinkles). It relieves all the built up stress. Gives me an inner peace and calm.

I feel like Edward in Twilight all glowing and sparkly when the sun strikes my skin.

May 29, 2012

Expat Life

What Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road Has Taught Me

So I had a little car accident. Nothing hurt other than my pride really, well that and a bit of the car’s side panel. It was just that the brick wall in front of our house jumped out unexpectedly and viciously attacked the car. The nerve. But it got me thinking about my journey as a driver in the UK.

Of all the things I had to overcome when I moved to the UK, nothing scared me more than driving. On the wrong side of the road, narrow windy roads, with roundabouts. And REALLY narrow parking spaces. The thought of having to get behind the wheel of a car and negotiate these new things while having absolutely no idea where I was going, well it made me afraid to leave the house.

And it’s not that I couldn’t drive. With almost thirty years behind the wheel I’d describe myself as an experienced driver. But it’s just that my instincts were always wrong. Look left, no right! You’re too close to the curb! Watch out for the horse!

What benefited my driving the most was being thrown in the proverbial deep end. I started work just a couple of weeks after I arrived in the UK and had to drive for my job. I had no choice. Odd given the ubiquitous public transportation system. But the geography I covered was considerable and sometimes remote which meant that wasn’t really an option. So within a week of setting foot in the UK, I was behind the wheel driving up the motorway into the outskirts of London and getting stuck in the Chiswick Roundabout.

I took a few driving lessons over the first couple of months. Enough to give me some confidence and educate me on the UK road rules. The law allowed me to drive on my US license for a year but eventually I had to bite the bullet and get a UK license. This required taking a theory test and a practical on the road test. I put these off forever waiting until the last-minute. I was so scared of failure. Plus, jeez, I was 16 the last time I took a driving test. I panicked about the theory test but passed on the first go as I think you pick up enough common sense after thirty years of driving to take an educated guess at most questions.

But the practical, well, I cancelled or rescheduled this test so many times until I couldn’t procrastinate any longer. And given the number cyclists and pedestrians you have to dodge in Oxford, I could not have chosen a worse place to take this test. In the end, it took me two attempts at the notoriously difficult practical.

Now driving on the left has become as natural as driving on the right was. I don’t think twice about getting behind the wheel and I even feel like I’ve got a license to complain about other drivers. And I’ve mastered the Chiswick Roundabout.

What has all this taught me?

That the things you’re afraid of are never as bad as you imagine them. Except for sharks and snakes.
That pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is the best way to grow as a person.
That getting thrown into the deep end and tackling a fear head on is the quickest way to get over it.
That overcoming our own internal critic is often far more difficult than actually doing the thing we’re afraid of.

Mark Twain once said:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

And while deep down I know all this and believe it I also know that some days I can’t get past the fear or the gremlins inside saying I can’t or shouldn’t do something. Hopefully, the act of even writing this all down will remind me to throw off the bowlines more often and tell the gremlins to just sod off.

May 3, 2012

Expat Life

Springtime Yellow That Doesn’t Drive Me Mad

Springtime in Southern Virginia was always both my favorite and least favorite time of the year. My favorite because of the warm (but not too warm) sunny weather and the flowers coming into bloom. My least favorite because of the pollen from said flowers and trees. The trees in particular would create a dusty yellow pollen that covered everything in sight. Yellow cars, yellow roads, rivers of yellow running down the streets to the drains. Yellow dust everywhere. Pollen was such a problem that the local news channels even included a “pollen count” as part of the weather forecast.

For a month or two, that yellow dust was my nemesis. Springtime meant sneezing, watery, itchy eyes, and a runny nose. And if I chose not to suffer the miseries of hay fever, I’d walk around in a fog induced by allergy medicine.

But here in England, there are glorious things that bloom in the springtime, brilliant yellow amazing things that don’t start me wheezing. Rapeseed fields specifically. I’d never heard of rapeseed before I moved here (basically it’s where canola oil comes from). But it’s one of the best things about the English countryside in Spring.

And while I love to capture the golden-yellow fields against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky, sometimes catching them against an amazingly dark and foreboding sky is just as good.