Life In This United Kingdom, Part 1

I'm guessing when Dorothy stepped out of her house into the Land of Oz, she was pretty shocked. I mean, she went from a world of black and white to one in technicolor. A world of people to a village of munchkins, witches, and wizards. The dry farmland of draught-ridden Kansas to the plush greenery and colorful poppy-fields of Oz. That's a pretty stark contrast.

I'm not sure that when I stepped off the plane into Edinburgh that I had quite the same experience of extreme culture shock. But, things are different here in Edinburgh than back in the States. Some differences are subtle, some quite obvious. Many which lead me to say, in shock, laughter, irritation, and/or confusion, "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore."

I think we should find humor wherever we can, so what better fodder for a blog by expatriates than the sharing of the daily conundrums of living abroad. Hence the series "Life in this United Kingdom."

For the first instalment, the topic is FIRE.

The British seem to have a pervasive fear of fire. I'm not sure on what this fear is based (I mean everything is built in stone), but it's apparent to every American I have talked to here. In Scotland, there are several things that immediately clue you in to this fear of fire:

At Joe's School, they have Fire Action Plans posted every 20 feet. In one stair well, there is a plan posted on every other landing (which occurs at every half-flight of stairs).

Alternating with the Fire Action Plans, is Fire Safety Equipment.

Several of our friends have fire blankets and extinguishers installed in their flats, by the property owners/managers.

Signs like these posted throughout the city:

There are also fire doors everywhere. Seriously. Yesterday at church I had to walk through two sets of fire doors to go 50 feet to the bathroom. Some friends of ours even have a fire door in their flat, between the bedroom and living room (the only two rooms in the flat). And, the building staff were apparently horrified that they are propping this door open! They are truly in every building and are all marked "Fire Door. Keep Shut."

When I worked in St. Louis, there was an English man who worked there too. Every Thursday night, when he worked late, he insisted on shutting the fire doors before leaving for the night due to his upbringing to always shut fire doors. (I didn't even know these were fire doors until he pointed it out. They were only ever used to keep rowdy children contained so they couldn't run laps past our therapy offices).

And, finally, there are also frequent fire safety warnings. On a recent tour, the guide told us outside the building that if we heard an alarm during the tour that was a fire alarm and we must exit the building immediately. As soon as we got inside the house (maybe 5 minutes later), he again reminded us of the fire alarm and implored us to stay close to him so that in case of a fire he could get us out safely. I've even heard that some lectures at Joe's school start with a fire safety warning.

They even test to alarm every week:

To be honest, although I laugh at this fear, it is not a good cultural paranoia for me to be exposed to. I actually have a huge fear of my home catching on fire. I am one of those people who leave for work in the morning, drive a few minutes and have to go home to check to make sure I turned off the stove (not every day, but I do worry frequently that I left something on). I unplug everything if we are gone more than a day and don't like to put the laptop on soft things (like the couch) because I think it could ignite. I won't leave home until the clothes iron is completely cool (I mean, it could fall over and start a fire, right?) It is irrational, but ask Joe--I can be a bit irrational. Anyway, this cultural paranoia has slightly increased my hyper-vigilance.

But, it has not, ironically, reduced any of my joy in striking matches. I still love that.