Why I love the U.K, Part I

Where do I start?  First, it has been awhile since I was last in the United Kingdom, but when I do think about my visits there, fond and happy memories come rushing back.  I was living in Winchester at King Alfred's college as part of a student/teacher exchange program.


Here is a partial list of the characteristics that I admired.

*  The British sense of humor is that perfect blend of intelligence and      understated wit.  

*  And when I was there, that bit of reserve that I liked.  I learned very quickly not to be so effusive, to hold back a bit, to be more formal when I first met people.

*  Yes, I liked the pomp and ceremony.  When I lived in Winchester, Princess Diana came to visit.  The whole town came out to greet her in the center of the city, where the regiment of which she was the sponsor, was lined up. She seemed shy, looked tall even with her flat shoes.  But everyone was so excited and happy to see her.

* Not bragging about oneself is another trait I admired, so different from the United States.  And the biggest complement that a student could receive was that "he was quite clever."  Here we believe in over-complementing students, thinking that they will come up to what we tell them, while in the UK it is the opposite.   

* And yet the teachers that I worked with were very supportive of the students, but quietly, in the background. Every morning there was a short staff meeting and often a student would be mentioned who was "quite fragile," and to be aware of some problem, perhaps the parents were getting a divorce, etc. 

* But in the classroom, it was all business and quite strict.

* The Brits are friendly, but in a reserved way.  My fellow students and I from the US, enjoyed the pubs, the cozy warm atmosphere, and once someone heard our accents, the questions that followed.

* The history which surprised me at every turn.  My room at the college overlooked parts of an old Roman wall which was on one side of an old cemetery.

* And now those wonderful British television productions:  "Inspector Morse," "Foyle's War,"  "Downton Abbey," and more, all done with excellent actors and production staffs.  The contemporary mystery series is terrific as well, which we see here on Public Television.  And my new favorite:  "Doc Martin."

There is more, of course, and because of my effusive American personality, I have more to say, so there will be a part II.  (History, Literature, and Architecture to follow).

One more thing:  Hurray  for the British Pound Sterling and the British resolve not to adopt the Euro.

View from  the road  down from King Alfred's College.  Part of old Roman  wall at edge of cemetery.  St. Catherine's Hill in background., an old Iron Age hill fort.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Catherine%27s_Hill,_Hampshire