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Hooowwwww has it already been ONE YEAR since we moved to London?!

I simultaneously feel as if we’ve been here no time at all and also forever.

There are things that were so jarring when I first moved here that have faded into the background noise. The mundane things like street signs and crosswalks and useful public transportation, and the actually-amazing things like centuries-old buildings, bustling markets and cheap international flights. These things are just part of life now.

And then I’ll still discover things that make me pause and say, “Huh!” and realize that things are so similar, and yet off by juuuuuust enough to remind me that this wasn’t the first place I’ve lived.

“Same same, but different” is a phrase we picked up while traveling in Thailand. It was so ingrained in speech patterns there that tourists could buy t-shirts blazoned with those words. I’ve found it to be a super-useful phrase. It conveys so much! It’s like, the same thing… just … different.

I’m trying to mansplain and I can’t think of any different words.

I think you get it.

So what’s the same-same? What’s different? I’ll tell you!

Same-same: Batting cages at local parks. Rent a space, grab some buddies and thwack some balls.

Different: Batting cages are for cricket. Zero people here care about baseball.

Same-same: Snuggling into a comforter on a cool night

Different: Every night is a cool night and a comforter is a “duvet.” I can remember one night when I didn’t sleep under a comforter.

Duvet.

Warm Snuggly Thing.

Same-same: The Olympics!

Different: Ok, this actually has SO MANY THINGS so take a seat. For starters, no commercials. At all. Just sports-things presented without interruption. THE VERY IDEA.

Second. The announcers. They’re just … not great. BBC does so many things so very well but when it comes to obscure sports, they’re a bit … well they’re just very… British. And they kept pronouncing “gymnast” — pronounced ‘JIMnist’ in American — as ‘GYM. NAST.’ Like it’s two separate words. (IT ISN’T.)

Third. They aren’t interviewing the winners. I have seen so many interviews this year with people who have come in fourth, fifth, or even done something called “not advancing to finals”? What is this business? Has that always been a thing? Why are all of these athletes speaking with British accents? Is this some coordinated joke … ohhhhh I get it. British TV. British athletes.

Whoopsies.

Seriously though would it kill them to interview just one winn—er, I mean, American? 😉

First impressions watching #Olympics on @BBC as #USA #expat:
1a. They talk to a lot of #GBR ppl
1b. Why not interview the winners?
😬

— Ellen Schwartze (@EllenSaysHola) August 7, 2016

Same-same: Humidity.

Different: It’s humid in the winter. Not in the summer. The summer has so far been this glorious mix of 70s and 80s with patches of gray days. But in the winter, the humidity sticks to you (just like during a KC summer!) and it just sinks into your bones and you’re convinced you’ll never be warm again.

ALSO.

Same-same: Weather.

Different: Celsius. I still don’t get it, no matter how many times I hear “new tricks” and “quick maths” and “simple equations” and “Ellen You’ve Been Here A Year Srsly WTF Is Wrong With You Just Memorize It”.

It’ll remain a mystery until the end of days.

Same-same: Vacation time!

Different: PEOPLE TAKE IT. Here, they have gobs of vacation time to relax hard and play hard. And they use it. And everyone has passports. I (finally) got a full-time job, and my starting vacation allotment is TWENTY-FIVE DAYS. And then they add bank holidays and other such things on top of that.

Oh hey, I got a job! *happy dance*

So, to add:

Same-same: Exploring neighborhoods and London is pretty sweet

Different: I’ll have to explore on the weekends! And start waking up at responsible hours.

And because I knew you’d ask for it, here’s a photo of me and that guy I like on the exact Move-iversary. You’re such a romantic.

Four more years! Four more years!