Definitely not locals

It's obvious to everyone as soon as we open our mouths that we're not from around here. People usually think we must be American. I determined not to be offended! One woman stopped us in the grocery store when she heard us speaking to one another. "Excuse me, where are you from?" "Canada," I replied. "I thought so!" she said with enthusiasm. "I just got back from visiting my brother in Montreal." I was rather surprised that with all the French Canadian accents in Montreal, our Ontario accents would sound familiar.

Aside from our accents, other things give us away: such as the inability to recognize the values of the coins.

• 2 pound coin helpfully looks like a Twoonie: gold ring around a silver centre
• 1 pound coin is about the size of quarter but a dull gold colour and thicker. It says on the edge: DECUS ET TUTAMEN meaning 'an ornament and a safeguard'.
• 50p (pence) coin is the size of a loonie but silver and 7 sided.

These 3 are fairly easy to identify quickly at a checkout counter. But I find the following coins a bit more confusing at a glance:

• 20p looks like a nickel (but with 7-sides)
• 10p looks like a quarter
• 5p looks remarkably like a dime
• 2p is the size of a loonie but brown like a penny
• 1p is almost the same as a penny

Sometimes it is just plain difficult to locate things in the grocery store. Eggs, for example, are not kept in a cooler but just on a regular shelf, which explains why I couldn't find them in one store. The frozen vegetables were not in the freezer section but in a special section adjacent to the fresh veg--some place I never thought to look.

These things are probably all blatantly obvious to the locals but not to us!

Oxford

We fell in love with Oxford as soon as the bus rolled into town! It's like stepping into another century--with the exception of the ubiquitous McDonalds, KFC and Gap, among others. Practically every corner has a massive building built several centuries ago.

Oxford is famous for its gargoyles. The one to the right is a medieval bagpiper--one of a dozen

carved into an organ screen in the

anteroom of the Chapel at Magdalen (say 'Maudlin') College. These are

reputed to have inspired C.S. Lewis' stone statues in the Narnia Chronicles. More gargoyles are to be found on walls in the quadrangles. About 20 feet above the ground in a wall looking into one of the quads is a 15th pulpit--still used annually on the Feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24).

Being a good Anglican, I was thrilled to see the Martyrs' Memorial, commemorating the burning at the stake of Ridley, Lattimer and Cranmer, for their adherence to the Church of England, during the reign of Roman Catholic Mary Tudor in 1555-6. Cranmer is the one with the Bible in his hand.

We also visited Oxford's oldest building, a Saxon Tower built in 1040, which was once connected to the Bocardo prison, where the 3 bishops were held. We even saw the door to Cranmer's cell.

The Church of St. Michael at the North Gate attached to the Tower houses a 15th century window, a 14th century font and a 15th century pulpit (still in use), from which John Wesley preached in 1726.

Being Lord of the Rings and Narnia fans, we couldn't resist lunching at the Eagle and Child,

where the Inklings met to discuss their writings over pints. The corner in which they sat has their framed pictures on the wall above. A very cosy pub!

Cabinet War Rooms

Churchill's cabinet war rooms below the Treasury Building have been turned into a museum. Some of the rooms are exactly as they were the last day they were used. It is amazing to see where people worked, slept and ate in this hidden compound. Apparently Churchill was quite a character: wearing these odd zip-up jump suits, smoking cigars, working very long hours and expecting his staff to do the same. From my perspective, it seems as if it would have been rather thrilling to work there but I think it was perhaps rather stressful with all the bombs falling above.

Buckingham Palace

We went to London to see the Queen! She wasn't there but we saw the grand state rooms of Buckingham Palace instead. (Presumably the Queen is still at Windsor Castle). It is impossible to describe the grandeur and beauty of the place. The rooms are elegant with much gilt, crystal chandeliers, elegant freizes, statues, magnificant paintings, lofty ceilings. I was surprised at the collection of art: paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Van Dyke. It was just like being at an art gallery.

They had a special exhibit of artifacts associated with the Queen's visits to Commonwealth countries. I enjoyed seeing the various elegant gowns the Queen wore to different state events. Naturally, the most beautiful dresses were worn to visits of Canada e.g., Confederation celebrations in 1967.

Apparently the Queen finds a place to display gifts from heads of state. We duly noted the soap stone carving of a polar bear and hunter--a gift from Canada!

Souveniers were very expensive in the gift shop but we bought a few small things anyway.

We lunched at a pub nearby on "beef and ale" pie. The waitress pronounced ale rather like "owl" so it took a few seconds for us to figure out what was in the pie!

Safety in the UK

Our kitchen utensils were not quite sufficient, so we decided to purchase a chef's knife. Did you know that in the UK, it is illegal to sell a knife to someone under the age of 18? Likewise, people under 18 cannot purchase toy guns, even the colourful, obviously toy, nerf guns. However, children can play with them.

Also, on the subject of knives: it is illegal--a serious offense, we were informed by a bobby--to carry a pocket knife. The security at Buckingham palace is similiar to that of an airport: empty your pockets, put purses on the conveyor belt to go through the scanner, walk through the metal detector. It was at that point, the pocket knife was seized. Interestingly, in Canada you can buy one at any hardware store--and they are legal to carry!

British vs. Canadian English

While both Brits and Canadians speak English, a trip to the grocery store makes it clear that we use different words for the same items. What Canadians call a shopping cart, the British call a trolley. An interesting feature of the trolley is that all four wheels pivot, whereas on the Canadian cart only the front wheels pivot. This makes pushing the trolley quite a challenging exercise; it tends to take off on a diagonal when you go around a corner. Canadian carts are much easier to steer!

Orange juice in Britain comes either "with bits" (pulp) or "smooth" (without pulp). Milk can be purchased as skim or semi skim (just under 2%). Cookies are biscuits. Dish washing soap is called washing up liquid. Garbage bags are called refuse sacks, which when filled go in the dustbin, rather than the garbage bin.

Many brands are of course different. Surprisingly, one can buy Cheerios and Shreddies. Laundry detergent and household cleaners, however, are all unfamiliar brands. Nevertheless, we thought the packaging of "Cif" surprisingly similar to the Canadian product, "Vim."

Country of origin of products is important here. Meat products are clearly marked on the package as to origin: British chicken, Irish Beef, Welsh Lamb etc. We were surprised to see an ample supply of Canadian cheddar in amongst the cheeses!

St. Peter and St. Paul

On Sunday we went for the first time to the Church of England! St. Peter & St. Paul's is a handsome building, "only" 200 years old. Apparently, when the church spire collapsed, only 5 minutes after the bell-ringers left, the damage was so huge, it was decided to build a whole new building.

From the parish website:

In 1776 the spire on the old church, for the second time, fell down and caused so much damage that it was decided to build a new church on the vacant site of Castle Hill. This new church, in the 'Debased Gothic' style, was consecrated by the Bishop of Lincoln on 6th December 1780 and dedicated to the Apostles Peter and Paul.

In 1866 extensive restoration was carried out, a new chancel added and a decoration scheme in the Gothic style completed by the local architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. The tower and spire remain unchanged since 1780, and the windows slightly altered. The buttresses and porch are the work of Scott. www.buckinghamparishchurch.org.uk

The liturgy was very similar to our Canadian Book of Alternative Services, with only a few small differences. Due to concerns about Swine Flu, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have mandated that the laity will receive bread only; the clergy will consecrate and consume wine. I was happy nonetheless to receive the Eucharist, having attended other Protestant churches for several Sundays previous.

The parish seems very active, with groups for various ages of young people. We look forward to attending the informal non traditional service called "ignite" that attracts families with older teens and also young adults.

Buckingham

Buckingham, where we are living, is located about 100km NW of London. The nearest major centre is a post-war city called Milton Keynes, which is approximately 25 minutes on the bus. To get to London by train, one goes from the Milton Keynes Station. Milton Keynes is also a popular destination for the locals because of its large shopping centre. Because of the modern low rise office buildings and the vast upscale mall, Milton Keynes reminds me of Mississauga. The World Vision head office is also located in Milton Keynes.

Buckingham (pop. 11,000) itself is very pretty, with plenty of handsome Georgian buildings. Our rented house is located just a few minutes from the town centre and shops on High Street. There are lots of interesting shops (shoes, clothes, gifts, stationary, jewelry), banks, restaurants and even a grocery store (with organic and specialty items) very close by. The large Tesco (chain grocery store) is 20 minutes on foot. The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is 10 minutes away on foot; its tall spire is a useful landmark.

The roads around the town centre are windy and narrow and in some places the sidewalks are rather narrow also! People drive very quickly but are very good about stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks. We are learning to look right, then left (not the other way around) before crossing.

The University of Buckingham hosts a significant number of international students from Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

People are very gracious and endeavor to be helpful when we ask for assistance with the bus, or how to get somewhere. (I hope that I am that gracious with visitors to Canada!) We find ourselves often asking for assistance. We take for granted all the things we know how to do back home.

Why Resident Alien?

Why resident alien? I'm here in the UK not strictly as a tourist, as we are living here in a rented house for 4 1/2 months in Buckingham. I am in part a resident--one who puts the dustbin (aka gargage can) out on a weekly basis--but also a tourist. This is my home but not permanently and I'm not a Brit but rather a Canadian. As Christian I am a resident alien on this earth: it is my home but not my permanent home. So it seemed to me that the title "residentalienintheuk" for this blog is a apt one. I will post from time to time tidbits about life in the UK.