| andrew scates |

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Cheers.

So I just got back from England, where in London a bird pooped on my jacket.

Also, I went to the International Congress on Preaching (www.preaching.com/icop) in Cambridge, which was organized by my employer, so I got to go for free. Of course, I worked the whole time. The congress (or 'conference' for us Yanks) went really well, even though we did get harassed and harangued by a German cult (link) which included this guy on the right:

Anyway, I drank lots of tea. After it was over, I got to walk about London, where I saw Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster, and Big Ben. I also ate chicken tikki masala three times.

Some interesting cultural differences:

1. Coke is made with real sugar, not corn syrup. Also, Nando's is the only place where you can get free refills.

2. There is no water-use restriction on toilets, so flushing is like watching a miniature Niagara Falls. Also, I recommend not sitting all the way down when you do this.

3. They don't use shower curtains much (usually there's a 5'x3' token piece of glass), so bathrooms are completely tiled and caulked.

4. Biscuits = Cookies.

5. In the USA, a latte at Starbucks costs about $2.70. In the UK, a latte at Starbucks costs £2.70. Unfortunately, the conversion rate is their favor, so the UK latte really costs $5.41.

6. Take-Away = To-Go

7. Cheers = Thanks.