Have you ever noticed that
a) £2 coin looks very similar to 2 € coin, because both are big bi-colored coins, and
b) £5 looks almost like 5 €, because they are both small green banknotes?
Well, I have made myself look like a fool because of this.
Usual me: I forgot to take the euro notes and coins out of my wallet. Then I went to Aldi, selected stuff to buy, removed all my euro coins from my wallet and placed them into my pocket (in order not to mix them!), and waited in a cashier line. My stuff cost £3.25, and I was happy that I had enough coins.
Wait, that's 2 euros, said the cashier lady. I apologized, cursed silently, checked whether there were any more coins left, found no £2 coin, and took out a £5 note.
Wait, euro again, said the cashier lady. So I apologized again, cursed silently again, and gave her £20 instead. I made pretty sure that there was the smiling queen on the note before handing it in.
:-)
Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Sunday, 17 January 2016
My identity crisis continues!
I have visited Europe for the second time since moving to the UK, and I feel so ridiculous here! Plus, I have no idea where do I belong, who am I, and stuff like that.
I have no idea why, but I really do have a problem with the fact that traffic in the UK is on the 'wrong' side. (Definitely on the wrong side, not just on the left side. It's just wrong and that's that.) I still occasionally overlook approaching car or bike, especially when I go for a bus in the morning. Driving on the left side also means that if you meet a person, that person goes to the left when s/he wants to avoid you. And the roundabouts are... wait... clockwise. (I am actually never sure, and it takes me a while to figure this out!)
Now imagine me, back in Europe. You'd expect me to be cool and relaxed, looking on the correct side when crossing the street, not jumping under trams and cars, not experiencing any problems in avoiding people, etc. etc. Right?
Wrong! Of course! In the UK, I always look on the wrong side when crossing the street, and the same now applies in Europe! I just do the European way in the UK, and I do the UK way in Europe! Goodness, why? And just today, I nearly walked into a guy. I avoided him, but it felt awkward. Only after he looked at me like I was crazy I realized that I have just avoided him the UK way... in Europe.
Well, I am not sure this will ever get better.
On a more positive side, there was snow in Europe, lots of snow. I enjoyed that a lot. just the looks of it. I really like snow; sometimes I just wonder why on Earth have I chosen rainy England.
I also enjoyed watching European trams. I don't know why, but the funny Manchester trams just seem unreal to me; these European trams are much more solid, present.
I have visited Europe for the second time since moving to the UK, and I feel so ridiculous here! Plus, I have no idea where do I belong, who am I, and stuff like that.
I have no idea why, but I really do have a problem with the fact that traffic in the UK is on the 'wrong' side. (Definitely on the wrong side, not just on the left side. It's just wrong and that's that.) I still occasionally overlook approaching car or bike, especially when I go for a bus in the morning. Driving on the left side also means that if you meet a person, that person goes to the left when s/he wants to avoid you. And the roundabouts are... wait... clockwise. (I am actually never sure, and it takes me a while to figure this out!)
Now imagine me, back in Europe. You'd expect me to be cool and relaxed, looking on the correct side when crossing the street, not jumping under trams and cars, not experiencing any problems in avoiding people, etc. etc. Right?
Wrong! Of course! In the UK, I always look on the wrong side when crossing the street, and the same now applies in Europe! I just do the European way in the UK, and I do the UK way in Europe! Goodness, why? And just today, I nearly walked into a guy. I avoided him, but it felt awkward. Only after he looked at me like I was crazy I realized that I have just avoided him the UK way... in Europe.
Well, I am not sure this will ever get better.
On a more positive side, there was snow in Europe, lots of snow. I enjoyed that a lot. just the looks of it. I really like snow; sometimes I just wonder why on Earth have I chosen rainy England.
I also enjoyed watching European trams. I don't know why, but the funny Manchester trams just seem unreal to me; these European trams are much more solid, present.
Thursday, 14 January 2016
I have visited Cambridge for the first time!
It takes approx. 4 hours in various trains to get there from Manchester. By the way, I have noticed that the Virgin trains which run from Mcr to London probably cause me migraines, because they make some sub-sonic noise.
The only really interesting thing about the journey is that you can buy a train ticket which also works for London metro, between Euston and King's Cross. You just insert the train ticket into the automatic machine, and it lets you go through, and you can ride one station by metro! Isn't it funny?
Cambridge gives an awful first impression (at least when you arrive from London), and a very good second impression.
When you arrive from London, there is a building which looks pretty much like some really ugly industrial establishment, perhaps some waste management facility or something like that. It's box-like and with a huge chimney, and you just wonder - and that's that? Everyone says Cambridge is very nice, but the only thing I see is this? (I was later told that this ugly building is a hospital.)
Then you come to a train station (which is just usual train station), and you have to walk, like, 20 min from the train station to the city centre. This walk is not really the nicest in the world - the street is just an ugly big street with a lot of traffic, and the buildings are not particularly interesting or beautiful. And during the whole walk, you just wonder: and that's that?
And then you arrive to the city centre, and you see all the beautiful stuff! There are the white-stone neo-gothic buildings, with the gardens and the arches, and all the things from postcards. It looks like bright Hogwarts. :-)
The downside is that all these nice buildings have a very clear message on their door: keep off, college members only.
It takes approx. 4 hours in various trains to get there from Manchester. By the way, I have noticed that the Virgin trains which run from Mcr to London probably cause me migraines, because they make some sub-sonic noise.
The only really interesting thing about the journey is that you can buy a train ticket which also works for London metro, between Euston and King's Cross. You just insert the train ticket into the automatic machine, and it lets you go through, and you can ride one station by metro! Isn't it funny?
Cambridge gives an awful first impression (at least when you arrive from London), and a very good second impression.
When you arrive from London, there is a building which looks pretty much like some really ugly industrial establishment, perhaps some waste management facility or something like that. It's box-like and with a huge chimney, and you just wonder - and that's that? Everyone says Cambridge is very nice, but the only thing I see is this? (I was later told that this ugly building is a hospital.)
Then you come to a train station (which is just usual train station), and you have to walk, like, 20 min from the train station to the city centre. This walk is not really the nicest in the world - the street is just an ugly big street with a lot of traffic, and the buildings are not particularly interesting or beautiful. And during the whole walk, you just wonder: and that's that?
And then you arrive to the city centre, and you see all the beautiful stuff! There are the white-stone neo-gothic buildings, with the gardens and the arches, and all the things from postcards. It looks like bright Hogwarts. :-)
The downside is that all these nice buildings have a very clear message on their door: keep off, college members only.
Five new English expressions!
- pinky promise: an unbreakable promise sealed with interlocking your pinkies (little fingers)
- handle with kid gloves: handle with too much care (kid gloves - gloves made of the finest leather which comes from an offspring of an animal (e.g. calf))
- the last straw: the last one little think which makes it all unbearable (full story goes that there is a camel, and you load stuff on his back, and then you add the one last straw and the poor animal's back breaks)
- a square peg in a round hole: something that does not fit (just imagine how well a square peg fits in a round hole)
- no-brainer: something that is so easy (obvious) you don't have to think about it
Saturday, 9 January 2016
Have you ever received a cheque? Well, until I came here, I have never imagined that I would receive something like this, but here in the UK, funny things happen all the time, and I have got one the other day!
It was from Barclays, the bank that made me so much angry with their attitude when I wanted to set an account with them. I filed a complaint, and after maybe three months, I got an apologetic letter telling me how sorry they were that I have been treated badly, and how sorry they were for the delays in dealing with my complaint. They sent me compensation... which took a form of an enclosed cheque. Saying that I was surprised would be a huge underestimation of my feelings.
Anyway. Cheques are here to be turned into money asap (everyone who's ever watched a gangster film knows this), so I wanted to do that this weekend. The bad thing is that it was my first cheque ever, and I had no idea how to do it. (Obviously, compared to the UK, the Czech Republic is a modern, progressive country, which just does not engage in archaic activities like exchanging cheques. We rather pay contactless.)
So I went to Barclays, with the intent to ask there. Because that is the bank which issued it, and I expected them to be able to tell me. There was an old lady behind the counter, who misunderstood me completely, and insisted that I couldn't possibly set an account in their bank because I had no proof of address. (I have heard this stuff before!)
I misunderstood as well, and thought it was obligatory to have a proof of address just to get my money. So I started thinking - first, what is this country where you obviously cannot do nothing without six difficult-to-get papers, and second, what is this bank which knows by now that I have no proof of address (I've mentioned this in my complaint) and still sends me cheque which cannot be cashed without it?
Luckily I asked again, and then the situation clarified. I could have my money without proof of address, but not in cash, it must be paid into a bank account. (Well, what is the point of cheques, I ask myself. Why not just send the money into a bank account, without processing a funny coloured piece of paper?)
However, I was sent to my bank instead of the bank which issued the cheque, so that my bank can put my money into my account. Cool. Fortunately HSBC has a branch just across the street, and so I went there. An assistant told me what to do.
First, you have to fill in a white paper slip, where you write your name, account number, and the total amount of money for all the cheques you are submitting. Then, you input this paper and all cheques you want to cash (= 1 in my case) into a machine. The machine asks you to either insert your debit card, or to input your name and account number. (Why did I have to fill in the white slip when I have to input the same info again?) Then the machine issues you a bill, which looks like a normal Tesco bill but there is a tiny (illegible) photocopy of your cheque and the white slip on it. And that's it, finished. Your money will arrive in approx. 4 days.
Wait, what! In four days?! Like, seriously?
It was from Barclays, the bank that made me so much angry with their attitude when I wanted to set an account with them. I filed a complaint, and after maybe three months, I got an apologetic letter telling me how sorry they were that I have been treated badly, and how sorry they were for the delays in dealing with my complaint. They sent me compensation... which took a form of an enclosed cheque. Saying that I was surprised would be a huge underestimation of my feelings.
Anyway. Cheques are here to be turned into money asap (everyone who's ever watched a gangster film knows this), so I wanted to do that this weekend. The bad thing is that it was my first cheque ever, and I had no idea how to do it. (Obviously, compared to the UK, the Czech Republic is a modern, progressive country, which just does not engage in archaic activities like exchanging cheques. We rather pay contactless.)
So I went to Barclays, with the intent to ask there. Because that is the bank which issued it, and I expected them to be able to tell me. There was an old lady behind the counter, who misunderstood me completely, and insisted that I couldn't possibly set an account in their bank because I had no proof of address. (I have heard this stuff before!)
I misunderstood as well, and thought it was obligatory to have a proof of address just to get my money. So I started thinking - first, what is this country where you obviously cannot do nothing without six difficult-to-get papers, and second, what is this bank which knows by now that I have no proof of address (I've mentioned this in my complaint) and still sends me cheque which cannot be cashed without it?
Luckily I asked again, and then the situation clarified. I could have my money without proof of address, but not in cash, it must be paid into a bank account. (Well, what is the point of cheques, I ask myself. Why not just send the money into a bank account, without processing a funny coloured piece of paper?)
However, I was sent to my bank instead of the bank which issued the cheque, so that my bank can put my money into my account. Cool. Fortunately HSBC has a branch just across the street, and so I went there. An assistant told me what to do.
First, you have to fill in a white paper slip, where you write your name, account number, and the total amount of money for all the cheques you are submitting. Then, you input this paper and all cheques you want to cash (= 1 in my case) into a machine. The machine asks you to either insert your debit card, or to input your name and account number. (Why did I have to fill in the white slip when I have to input the same info again?) Then the machine issues you a bill, which looks like a normal Tesco bill but there is a tiny (illegible) photocopy of your cheque and the white slip on it. And that's it, finished. Your money will arrive in approx. 4 days.
Wait, what! In four days?! Like, seriously?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)