I'm back!
#39923 - 01/23/04 01:56 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Hi guys! Thanks you so much for your email Bev, that really cheered me up at work. I am so chuffed that you guys thought of me!
Been busy, busy lately and a bit down, so I've been metaphorically hiding under the duvet (wish I could for real!). Not helped by the fact that my thyroid test came back okay, so the doctors have no idea what's wrong with me. I'm trying to organise my wedding, find a house and sort out some work, all the while I'm struggling to stay awake! Plus, my fiance, Simon, managed to dislocate his shoulder when we were skiing over New Year, so I've been having to do everything for him too.
Having slept for much of the last four days, I'm now back in work (my boss called me yesterday when I was off sick and basically said I had to come in  ).
IBS-wise I'm not too bad, though I had a rough patch when I tried eating more fruit and veg. Definitely made me feel worse not better!
Hope y'all okay. I'm looking forward to catching up with all the goss.
Love Linz
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Hi Linz!
So good to hear from you. We were worried! 
I can't believe they still don't know what's going on!  I hope you get that situated soon. Do you have any other tests or anything scheduled?
Hope everything else works itself out too. How's the wedding plans going? Mine are going so-so. Still got TONS to do it feels like. Only 259 more days to go! 
Did you finally get some snow? Did you travel to go skiing over New Year?
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Re: I'm back!
#39934 - 01/23/04 05:19 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Hey Mags!
Thanks for thinking of me - it really helps. You guys are so sweet.
No, I have no more tests scheduled. My GP is pretty useless and I'm out of ideas as to what to ask for. If it's CFS or Fibromyalgia, then there's no cure and no real treatment so I'm not sure that a diagnosis would be any help!
Wedding plans are going okay. I've just made the invites and hope to send them out this weekend. I'm bloody glad we're inviting lots of people in families so there're less invites. I couldn't have coped with any more to do!
What've you sorted out so far? Our next things to do are finalise the cake order, sort out rings and I need to go shopping with both my Mum and my bridesmaids! Just gotta make some time! When's your date? Si and I got very excited/scared when we realised that there's less than 6 months to go! I need to get in shape!
No snow here, though there could be some next week. We went to the French Alps to ski over New Year, which was cool.
Linz
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Hi Linz!
I was wondering how you were doing....If I would have known you were having such a tough time I would have shot you out an email for sure.
So glad to have you back. Sorry things aren't going great. We are all here for you 
Take care and keep us posted!
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Chuffed?
#39946 - 01/23/04 07:26 AM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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Well, WELCOME BACK, Linz! Yippee Yaay! We're chuffed too (I think)?
Has your doctor thought about referring you to a GI? If he can't help you, find another doctor. You need to get some relief -- you've only got six months to go before the big event, Girl!
It's SOOO good to see your smiling face again, Linz. Welcome home.
Bev
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Have they done Fructose intolerance tests since you are having trouble with fruits and veggies? I have mine in a few weeks and will be interested to see the results. I have to do the thyroid one too! Hope you feel better soon!
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Re: Chuffed?
#39956 - 01/23/04 08:01 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Ooops! I keep on forgetting how "English" I speak! I think you've got it. I guess the best meaning is "gladdened"..."pleased"???
I'm seeing my GI soon I think, but I don't think the current problems are IBS related. Heather's diet seems to be keeping that under control. Anyway...he's a good doc, so maybe he can refer me to someone who might help. (Note to self...MUST chase up appointment!).
I'm planning to quit my job before I get married (to work for myself, not be a lady-of-leisure  !) and I reckon that'll help. Get a good week of sleep in at least! But I definitely want to have enough energy for my wedding (and the honeymoon ).
Thanks for caring. It makes a difference.
Linz
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Re: Chuffed?
#39963 - 01/23/04 08:29 AM
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Kree
Reged: 10/08/03
Posts: 3748
Loc: Northern NY
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Welcome back, Linz! It sounds like you have an awful lot going on in your life right now! I'm so sorry your doctor hasn't found anything to help you out. How frustrating for you! I hope you can keep your spirits up and that they find something out very soon! It sounds like you're focusing a lot on your wedding, though, and that's a good thing. What better way to take your mind off bad things than spending lots of money, right?? That's always a good time. Lol. Anyway, get well soon and it's good to see you around again!
BTW, chuffed is such a cute word! I've never heard that before. Do we use any words that are totally foreign to you?? I never really thought about that before. 
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"Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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Chase Up?
#39981 - 01/23/04 09:30 AM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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I need to learn the English language.
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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- Jennifer
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Welcome back Linz!!! It is so nice to see your smile again!
Sorry you are not feeling well and the doctor can't find anythig wrong with you. Keep your chin up and hope you feel better soon.
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Quote:
If it's CFS or Fibromyalgia, then there's no cure and no real treatment so I'm not sure that a diagnosis would be any help!
Linz, it's true that there's no really good treatment, but there are plenty of things that help a little that your doctor can prescribe. I would definitely pursue a firm diagnosis. I'm feeling so much better than when I was first diagnosed, there's no comparison. There's a great book in the same series as Heather's about fibromyalgia: The First Year--Fibromyalgia: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed -- by Claudia Craig Marek. I highly recommend it. There's also lots of websites (but none as good as this one!!)
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Thanks Laura, I'll look it up. My doctor is hopeless so I'd better know exactly what I'm talking about before I suggest it!
Linz
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The French Alps! That sound awesome! So does skiing. I've never been yet. Chris and I were just talking about going recently. He skis - has skis and everything. I can't wait to try it!
Did you actually make your own invites? I was thinking of doing that - a friend suggested it.
Well, I got my dress, picked out the BM dresses (Isn't it nice to use BM for bridesmaid instead of bowel movement - I think of that every time I use it! LOL), and that's about it. I've still got lots to do, but I have plenty more time. Our date is October 8.
I'm sorry you have such a yucky GP. I hope it all works out for you. 
It's good to see you back on the boards though!
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Mags
#40335 - 01/24/04 05:52 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Go skiing. It is so much fun! You have to get a good instructor though so you enjoy yourself learning.
Yep, I made the invites. We've got a big stationery store chain over here called Paperchase and I bought hand-made ivory cards with envelopes from them, along with coloured paper for the inserts and translucent plastic to go over the cover (it got complicated when the HTB got involved!). I got ribbon from another store and printed everything out on my PC. Took a while, but the savings were worth it!
I hadn't even thought about using BM for bridesmaid instead of bowel movement! Cool idea...makes me smile . I've got to sort out going shopping with my BMs (he-he). Not had much success so far. The biggest thing is going to be getting my Mum's outfit though! I've got a whole day in London planned for her - starting with a makeover!
Have fun. Linz
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I've been wanting to try skiing since I was in high school. Of course I was going to do the instructor thing, but I always wanted to go with someone else that had never gone before too. That way I could have someone to do the instructor thing with, and someone to hang out with after. The bad part with my fiance is he knows what he's doing. He did offer to take the instructor thing with me (isn't he so sweet!  ), but I don't want to drag him down. Don't worry, I'll do it someday!
You did yours on the computer! I forgot I'd seen them. Lana suggested stamping them. I've never done stamping before, so I don't know what's it's like. My mom & I are going to host a party soon though, becuase Lana found this really cool thing for favors. She's so good at that stuff!
I got lucky. I only have one local BM ( ) and we went shopping and found a dress we loved. I just told the other 2 BM's that's what they were getting. They both ended up loving the dress though too. They had a Jr.'s dress for my little sister that matched PEFECT! I let them pick out the shoes.
That should be so much fun with your Mum. (Mum! LOL I've never used that before! ) Weren't you trying to get her to get a big hat or something? I don't know why that seems familiar. The day in London sounds like so much fun!
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Brit Slang
#40369 - 01/24/04 09:28 AM
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peaches
Reged: 09/28/03
Posts: 1183
Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Welcome back, Linz! I was worried for you since you haven't been on the boards for such a long time! Anyways, I might be going to England to study abroad next semester, so I was doing some research and I found a website that had a list of British slang words on it so I thought I'd post it so that people could refer to it if necessary lol
British Slang
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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Don't worry Peaches, you'll pick it up no time flat when you're there. I didn't really use much British slang (it sounds sort of stupid and fake coming out of an American) but I knew what everyone was saying pretty fast.
Good idea with the link though, thanks!
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Yeah I hope so! I'm still debating about whether I want to go or not. It's kind of weird to be pretty young and go to a foreign country for 4 months by myself without knowing anyone. What was it like for you?
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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It was lonely at first. I was there for a year or so... a whole school year. I missed my family and friends and my fiance. But I really really enjoyed it. I made really really good friends, I felt very independant, I had a ton of fun, I learned a lot.
What I noticed with the people who studied abroad for one semester is that while they had a good time, they didn't seem to experience as much of the culture. When you're there so briefly you end up partying a lot and travelling so much that you never really get to the part where the novelty wears off and you're just living life.
This is a good thing and a bad thing... you probably won't get to the stage where you're importing peanut butter (British peanut butter is bad. Just awful. My friends said they hated Peanut Butter and then we discovered it wasn't that they hated peanut butter, just British peanut butter! ), Macaroni and Cheese, and complaining because nothing's open after eleven.
I say go for it. I think you'll have a ton of fun.
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Hey Peaches,
I went to Mexico for 2 monthes when I was your age and had a blast! I stayed with a host family who only spoke spanish which was a great way to learn. I met so many new friends and learned so much about the culture that I really never was homesick. I bet you will have a lot of fun!
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Hey Peaches, thanks! This'll save me trying to work out what I'm saying!
Come to the UK! We're not scary really. You could always come visit me! Travelling is so cool. Get as much in as pos while you're young and it's cheap! Do you know where you'd be staying if you did come visit? I work in London and I live in Reading (west of London), but I come from the New Forest (central southern England).
What's wrong with our peanut butter chinagrl???!!! I love the stuff. Peanut butter and jam sandwiches (a definite US import)...yummm! But I agree, our licensing laws suck. But then we can drink (legally!) before 21 so maybe it evens out?!
Linz
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Re: Mags
#40407 - 01/24/04 01:05 PM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Hey, with the skiing, the best thing is to both go to lessons, but go with separate groups. That way you get to make friends, you get to take it easy and your man can be as daredevil as he likes. Then you can ski together in the afternoon. My Mum is a great skier, but she still takes lessons as you can always improve and it gives her confidence.
I wish we did bridal showers over here! As Si and I got engaged on holiday and then it was the uni vac, we never even had an engagement party!
You can go so mad with favours and stuff. You can get anything! I know you can buy kits to make invites if you need inspiration. I looked at lots of different designs to get ideas.
Is "Mum" another English word...? Yeah, I want her to get a great hat. We love hats...they tend to suit us for some reason and you can never be too-fat/bad-skin/bad-hair for hats! I just wish I could get one for my wedding too! All my friends are going to have to get married so I can go to their weddings!
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Well, maybe "wrong" was the wrong word... after all, it's just my opinion. Maybe I should have gone with "different." Now, Marmite, Marmite is just WRONG!!
Anyway, I found all of the non-imported peanut butter to be very coarse and extremely salty, whereas the American peanut butter I prefer is very very creamy and sweeter.
You live in Reading? Man, I wish I knew you when. My husband and I got stuck in Reading TWICE (due to misleading train schedules on the web) and had to sleep in the train station in the middle of winter. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
It's not so much the fact that you can't drink after 11, it's more like, you can't go to a movie, you can't go to the grocery store, you can't do any of those things that Americans take for granted will be open very late.
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We had a bridal shower for my best friend for her wedding. We did put definitions of what a "shower" is on the invites, but we got lots of comments from people about how much fun they had. Do you have any wacky American friends to throw one?
Oh, incidentally the shower was themed around "bath" products and held in Bath... so we had a Bath Shower in Bath...
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Hey, we have 24-hr grocery stores now! Not all, I admit, but its getting there. I hate places that close. Sundays in this country drive me insane! Cos I work shifts, I don't particularly notice the weekends. So I'll plan to do my shopping on my day off and then the stores'll close early. SO strange!
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Showers!
#40412 - 01/24/04 01:14 PM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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That sounds cool. Unfortunately I have no American friends (and all my friends and me seem to be sooo busy these days), so a shower's out, but I'm looking forward to my hen-do.
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Maybe you have them around London, but in Bristol there STILL aren't any! Oh, and the worst was when we tried to buy a bottle of wine at five minutes until 9 pm and we couldn't.
I'm with you on the Sundays though. No wonder Douglas Adams called them the "long dark tea time of the soul."
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We don't have 24-hour grocery stores in America! Only drugstores lol Well at this point I'm not veen sure if I'll be going or not but if I do, I'll be sure to post up where I'm going, when, etc. The main thing that I'm worried about is to start going to school. I mean, if I'm really open and bubbly I might come off as being really weird, but if I sit there and don't sa anything, I might come off as being snobby or something ya know? It's one of those things. But I really, really want to go! It's kind of expensive, and the deadline for scholarship entries end on January 31, so I've pretty much missed it now because I have to get a physical checkup and go to the dentist and all that. So we'll see. Jenny, were you only lonely because you were homesick? Or was it that you didn't have any friends for a while? Friends are my main concern actually. If I don't have people to go out and explore with, what's the point? They also won't let me drive, which sucks, but my mom said that most countries actually WALK places lol is that right, Linz?
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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I love Ellen. Her sense of humor is MY KIND of humor! She absolutely cracks me up.
Any-who..... she has an English gentleman on the show who does the music -- Tony -- and they're always going back and forth about his English translation of the American language (ha! ) Has anyone watched him? This guy is so HOT (uh-oh -- can I say that in here?); I love to watch him dance.
Okay, I got side-tracked a little there .... just a little distracted .... oooh baby! He is SOOO cute .... uh oh --
Where was I? Oh yes, the English. He comes out with the craziest words -- and when he does, you can just imagine the look on Ellen's face. Priceless.
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Well, it takes time to make friends, so I was lonely for both reasons at first. And there is something to be said for doing stuff on your own.
Also, no need for a car. They have much better public transportation than us, better buses and trains! I walked most everywhere because I was too cheap for the bus. But I got in really really good shape doing so because Bristol is one GIANT hill and classes were at the bottom of it and the residence hall was at the top!
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Thanks, I needed that lol I was like, "No car.....no car.......no car...." So maybe if I won't look like a fool walking a mile to store, I will lol The only thing with the friends part is that I'll have to eat lunch by myself and everything like that. But maybe the people who have lockers (do they have lockers?) and such by me will be nice and realize by my accent that I'm just a stupid Yank who doesn't know what the heck she's doing!
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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By the way, did you have IBS when you went? I guess that I have to put on my application that I have it and I'm worried that it'll prevent me from going!
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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lol It just dawned on me about how hilarious it is about the British peanut butter!!
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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I have no idea if British high school s have lockers. I assume you're talking about high school, right? Linz... help out here?
As for IBS, yeah, I had it while I was there. I lived in a self catering flat though (that is, it had a kitchen and I was responsible for purchasing and making my own food) so it wasn't an issue. I lived in an entirely vegetarian flat, and I knew quite a few vegans, so you should be able to eat just fine.
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Yes, we need Linz here lol Well I hope my host family will understand if I can't eat certain foods. How were you with restaurants? Did you have to order like, a plan chicken or what?
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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Ha ha... nope, I'm a vegetarian. No chicken for me. Restaurants were fine... it's all about choosing where to eat. I mean, even though I don't agree with this, English food has a reputation for being bland, right?
I'm sure your host family will be understanding. My host Mum stocked up enough vegetarian food to feed a family of 12 for a week because she wanted to make sure there was stuff I could eat.
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Re: Brit Food
#40496 - 01/24/04 06:20 PM
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peaches
Reged: 09/28/03
Posts: 1183
Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Wow! I hope I get your mum!! lol Wel lI have to pass a phone interview, so if they ask for details I'll explain more about it. I couldn't live without chicken, so I could never be a vegetarian. Thank you so much! I really appreciate you sharing your experience. I was very nervous about the trip and I've been debating whether or not to go. I don't know if I can this year or not, but I'll definitley go at some point. My mom and I were just seriously considering it last night, but it's pretty expensive so we'll see!
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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Oh yeah, we walk everywhere. It cracked me up when I was in the States a few years ago that I'd be walking round town and all the drivers would be STARING at me in disbelief!
Plus, although our transport system is notorious, you can get trains or buses pretty much ANYWHERE.
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Re: Brit Food
#40555 - 01/25/04 03:34 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Hey there! Questions, questions, questions!
Uh...lockers. I think most schools have them now, but they're not a big thing like in the States (see, I watch Buffy, I know stuff ). I reckon you'd make friends really easily. Obviously, the language might be a barrier though (only kidding!). When I was at school, it was pretty friendly and people were so curious about foreigners that they ended up being the most popular people!
Vegetarianism has been so popular here for so long that I doubt you'll have problems with your IBS-diet. People are used to teenagers being "weird" . I find eating in this country easier than anywhere else I've been. You can get soy and dairy-free products at the supermarkets and it's rare to find a restaurant that can't do me anything. I've even found that pizza restaurants will do me a yummy pizza without cheese - just ask. I usually just have the problem of stopping myself eating too much!
Only thing would be to stock up on fibre supplements and Beano before you come over cos we don't have them!
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English buses
#40571 - 01/25/04 07:29 AM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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Yeah, but all those buses are driving on the wrong side of the street!
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Re: Brit Food
#40573 - 01/25/04 07:32 AM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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About that "Brit food" -- what's up with those bangers and mash -- steak and kidney pudding -- bubble and squeak -- ???
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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You're welcome... it's fun to talk about my studying abroad experience. I really liked it. I doubt you'd really want my host mum though... I was staying in a little teeny tiny farming village called Alfington. It was off a slightly larger teeny tiny village called Ottery-St. Mary. The only thing in the slightly larger town was a pub, where every night old men sang us Frank Sinatra songs. It was a very interesting weekend, but I doubt you'd like it for much longer!!! I did milk cows though...
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Re: Brit Food
#40687 - 01/25/04 02:12 PM
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peaches
Reged: 09/28/03
Posts: 1183
Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana
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Quote:
I did milk cows though...
Did you have to wake up at 5 in the morning and do all of the farm chores? LOL!
Bangers and mash.....yum...
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It comes down to the art of living on [color/red]
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Re: I'm back!
#40712 - 01/25/04 03:57 PM
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Kandee
Reged: 05/22/03
Posts: 3206
Loc: USA, Southern California
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Welcome back Linz. My but you have a lot on your plate........be gentle with yourself and maybe you'll start feeling better. Sleep realy IS often the best medicine! The stress you have would make anyone's tummy upset, but from what you said, you're handling it all pretty good!!!
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Re: Brit Food
#40781 - 01/26/04 12:35 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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As we have crappy weather, we're into comfort food! That's the best way to describe our national dishes. But, don't ask me about bubble and squeak - I can never remember what that is!
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Re: Brit Food
#40794 - 01/26/04 05:51 AM
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peaches
Reged: 09/28/03
Posts: 1183
Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana
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I think we're both cursed with crappy weather. We just got another 4 inches of snow last night, and tonight we're supposed to get another big snowstorm. What's up with that??? But hey, no school!
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