Adjusting to the Island

Well, I've been back on the Island for a bit over a week now. Getting used to cars driving on the right and all that sort of stuff. Still saying "hi-ya" as a greeting but people don't find that too odd; "cheers" or "ta" for thank-you they do however. Slowly changing the rest of my vocabulary over back to Canadian speak. I'm still having trouble saying "pants" for what you wear as outerwear on your legs. I keep leaning toward saying "trousers" but I know people here will find that funny-sounding, so I've just been avoiding using the word.

The coins here seem light and flimsy after UK money. I nearly threw a dime out when it was sitting on a scrap piece of paper because I didn't notice the weight of it. I don't know the coins by feel anymore - going through Tim Horton's drive-thru I was trying to pick out quarters but kept thinking I was getting nickels. Somehow imagined a quarter would feel bigger.

Money seems to fly away here, like things are more expensive. Not sure if it would be if one sat down and calculated out prices in reference to typical wage, but it feels like it. 20 bucks doesnae last long.

I've been bitten by mosquitoes for the first time in almost two years. If I had to choose a blood-sucking insect, I'd go with mosquitoes over midges though.

The main adjustment has been the heat. I haven't been able to go outside in short-sleeves for ages, usually I had two layers on plus a jacket. Here it's been above 20 degrees every day, going down to about 15 degrees at night (warmer than it was in Scotland by day). My jacket's been hanging in the closet and it's been sandals instead of shoes. It was 30 degrees, feeling like 39 degrees with the humidity one day. You can have no clothes on in that heat and still feel too warm.

It's funny how memories of a place can be buried deep in one's brain. If I don't really think about where I'm driving when I go into town, I end up at the university. That's the route I drove the most, so that's my auto-pilot.