8 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT LIVING IN THE UK

Last updated on January 7th, 2024 at 07:40 pm

Moving to a foreign country is daunting. It is an unfamiliar place that is far from the usual. Although my move to the UK was a good decision the process was long and arduous. I will talk about the things I like about living in the UK. This new place that adopted me and made me realise more to look at the brighter side of things.

My small and young family moved to the UK 8 years ago this year. England is my husband’s old stomping ground. My daughter calls it home too. As for me it is also home now because who knows where we would be in the future.

Moving from a Southeast Asian city to the British countryside was a good decision for the family. It is quiet, there’s green all around and peaceful generally where we first lived. But there were ups and downs too which contributed to the adjustment to living in the UK.

We have moved house once since coming here and we lost loved ones. Many things happened in the short space of time that I lived here and I am learning a lot still.

Here are 8 things that I like about living here.

8 Things About Living in the UK

1. Walking

I like walking even back home or wherever I lived. Here, we go for walks, long and short, around the village, the seaside or the moor. You name it! We go to new places near or far or to familiar places which we like. In a small geographical area even where we are we could find old churches, historical sites, ancient bridges, rolling fields, farms with different kinds of animals or Dartmoor ponies and chocolate box houses. There certainly is something around the corner that surprises me or even my husband everytime we go out for a walk.

2. Pubs

We occasionally go to the pub for what they call pub lunch or an early supper too. We go super early sometimes to avoid the crowd which could mean a long wait for food. Waiting is part of the fun or game sometimes. Since we eat early anyway and nearly the same time of day we head there before everyone gets to the pub from their walk or work.

A pint of cider from time to time with my curry is nice although my husband might not agree. Well, that’s rare anyway so he has to bear with me.

Pubs (at least the ones that we go to) are children and animal friendly. I have not walked in to one that is unfriendly that I swore to never go back again. English pubs especially the old ones are like museums to me. They have low ceilings, a fireplace, lots of different rooms, a choice of drinks from the local brewery too! It is not only a place to have a drink (that could be a pint, a cup of tea or coffee or fizzy) with friends but also to enjoy food or the sun when he is out.

3. Dog poo bins

There are dog poo bins around a village, towns or even at the entrance of footpaths in the middle of nowhere. Responsible owners pick up their pets’ poop when they do while out on a walk.

Well, the red bins surprised me because where I am from we let the dogs do their own thing in the backyard. Do not open those bins though when you see one as I found out to my peril, they are stink bombs.

4. Gardening

Gardening makes me happy. It is relaxing plus having vegetables growing in the garden to pick for our meals is satisfying. This also helps my child learn a lot about plant life, food and patience to name a few.

Flowers like sweet pea or roses adds to the success stories that I had from the garden. Having been only able to grow sweet potatoes during my childhood gardening surely is a success!

5. Wild fruit and vegetables

Foraging is something I have learnt from my friends. Comes April when wild garlic is in abundance, the smell of it wafts in the air and I just follow my nose to pick them for my cooking. We need to choose where we pick wild vegetables or herbs though if we are allowed to. There might be places where it is prohibited to pick anything from.

Summer is the best time for bilberries in the woods. It delights my daughter to pick tiny berries which she pops in her mouth which leaves her mouth red not blue until we get back to clean her face. Bilberries are tart and goes well in crumbles and smoothies.

Around July the wild blackberries start to ripen and be ready for a treat of crumbles. It also signals the jam making season at least for us. I make pots of blackberry jam for the whole year for the homemade toast or for Victoria sponge.

One things to keep in mind about foraging is to keep to the path and not wander to trample on someone’s land.

6. Double-decker bus

The sight of a double decker bus coming to my stop excites me. It is live tv for me! I sit on top with my daughter every time. I can see the countryside from the top – the rolling hills, different kinds of trees and architecture, other people’s gardens too. It is fascinating to see a lot of things from a single journey on top of a bus.

7. Driving

I have never driven before coming to England. All I could drive were my flipflops! That was what my brothers used to tell me because I was incapable of learning how to drive when I was younger.

Husband is still mortified about me driving on the other side of the road when I practiced with him once. He patiently sat there most of the time while I talked to myself as I drove slowly. But nearly two years of on and off of learning how to drive I passed my driving test. This gave me freedom. The first thing I did after passing my test was to take my child on my own to the nearest indoor play area. It was one of the happiest days of living here because it was freedom.

Freedom or independence whatever it is called. It meant I went out food shopping or did the school runs which I left all to my husband when he was the only that had a driving licence. It also meant he could go away for work trips without me being stuck in the house.

We lived miles away from the city centre or from most places that I needed and wanted to go to. Seeing friends was also occasional as I had to wait for my husband’s free time to drive me to see people.

You might see me driving on the left now or whatever is left of the road. Please say hello by raising your hand or a nod when I have a hard time reversing on country lanes.

8. Tea

I like a cup of tea. The question one would hear often in our house is “Would you like a cup of tea?” or “Can you flick the kettle on, please?”. Every single thing is talked about over a cup of tea however big or small that might be.

Endless cups of tea or coffee has become a big part of living in England. It goes very well with a slice of scrumptious cake or a biscuit. I like to wrap my hands around a hot cup and slowly sip it to keep me warm. And I enjoy dunking a hobnob in hot tea like I used to do with a hot pandesal back home.

Thoughts or to sum this all up

Living in the UK is not all ups there are also its downs but wherever we live there will always be pros and cons. I am fortunate to be given the chance to enjoy a cup of tea, go for walks amongst ancient trees and historical places and raise my child in the countryside. The British weather could be depressing as it could be unpredictable but hey what are those wellies and coats for?

What do you like about living in the UK? What do you think about living in a foreign country?

I post photos on Instagram of life in the UK periodically, please check them out.

How about a browse of Filipino recipes or watch our video on the thing I like about living in the UK?

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