Sad Commuter

Well, I am 2 weeks into my stay as a UK resident. I've even got a Residence Permit that has replaced my driver's license in my wallet. I feel official.

In my official capacity here, I am learning what it means to be English. Mainly it means complaining a lot. Especially about the weather and about driving. I live in the western part of London and work just south-west of London, which you can see on this highly accurate map of the UK is populated with sad commuters.

My commute is 45-60 minutes each way, and let me tell you, they are stressful minutes. I am no stranger to driving in the UK. I have been doing it on work trips here for the better part of the last 15 years. Usually, I am driving fairly short distances from the hotel to the office or the train station, or longer distances through the countryside. Now that I am driving medium distances through semi-urban areas in crowded rush hour traffic, it's a whole different situation.

I have often told people that driving on the other side of the road/car is tricky at first, but you get used to it. The thing that is most difficult about driving here is the ridiculously narrow roads, which are made more perilous by cars parked wherever their drivers happened to want to get out, pedestrians, and cycles - both the motor and pedal varieties. Plus Now that I have to deal with all of those stressors for nearly 2 hours every day, it's taking a bit of a toll. I feel like a nap after I get home.

To give you a sense of what it's like, here's a video of the last mile and a half of my drive. Note that this mile and a half takes about 6 minutes to complete. This is part of the problem. My hour-long commute is a little under 18 miles. You do not move fast here. Some other things to note in the video:

• Passing parked cars sticking well out into the lane
• Passing oncoming traffic well into my lane
• A double-decker bus about a foot from my door with a parked car about 6 inches away from the passenger side
• Stopping for a good minute for no apparent reason
• Jarring speed bumps every 50 yards or so
• Pedestrians at zebra crossings requiring cars to stop
• Bicycles zooming down the road
• Good times had by no one

So towards the end of the day at work, it was raining and I was complaining about the rain and having to drive home in it and that it was slowing traffic down even further. My co-workers told me I sounded very British - well done! After a little while the sun came out and it was blazing through the window and I said, "Ugh! Now the sun will be in my eyes and I won't be able to see!" With that, my co-workers declared me fully local. Now all I need is an accent.