Living in London

You don’t realize what you have learned, and how you have changed, in a number of subtle ways, until you come back to the place you started. We have been in London about five months now, and have returned for a week to the San Francisco Bay Area.

Noticeable immediately:

• Over-the-top friendliness: Every person with whom you make eye contact on public transportation (yes we do have a little of that here) smiles. Not a tight little grimace smile, but a big, happy, generous smile. At least half a dozen complete strangers have started conversations with me. The store clerks act like they are so pleased to see me. It’s a bit scary. My mother-in-law asked if Americans seem "needy" and I have to say "yes."
• Teeth size and color: My god they are all so enormous and white. Is all this smiling friendliness, or just showing off the dental work? This goes hand-in-hand with the note above, but it really has to be called out on its own because these teeth are just stunning.
• Christmas décor: There are hardly any Christmas decorations, even around Union Square. Some of the smaller areas, like Berkeley’s Elmwood district, have nice, understated decorations in the stores, but I haven’t seen anything that comes remotely close to London's celebration of Christmas. It’s warm here, around 15 Celsius, so maybe people just can’t get into the season.
• Driving, driving, driving: It’s endless. We need two cars and have put more than 600 miles on them in five days. (We really feel the lack of any physical exercise whatsoever.) The cars on the road are all huge and spotlessly clean. As a further homage to time spent in car, the "vanity plates" are numerous. More friendliness I guess.
• Sunshine! You actually need sunglasses here (for the sun, not just the smiles).
• Pedestrians: People in the street have the right of way here, and they know it.