Top Ten Things I Have Learned Living in Newcastle, and England in General, So Far

10. Tasty bits. That's right, tasty bits are awesome. Most orange juice here does not have tasty bits, aka pulp. In fact, I only found one tiny section devoted to orange juice with tasty bits in the grocery store today.

9. Dominoes meat extravaganza pizza. I saw on a commercial that you can order a dominoes pizza with a ridiculous amount of meat. Think it can't get any more ridiculous than the concoctions in the US? Try their version with pepperoni, ham, chorizo, meatballs, tandoori chicken and sausage.

8. The locals don't understand that 40 degrees is cold. In fact, I understand that they don't acknowledge cold weather really at all, since most girls wear short shorts/skirts, tank tops and sandals ALL year long. That's right, snowing or raining? That calls for hoochy outfits. And most importantly, no jackets. Because that would be too much to handle, and would be along the path to admitting it's cold out.

7. Techno. That's right, techno music is EVERYWHERE. And it is always really loud. Riding in a bus? Techno time. Re-mixes are popular too, but only with a techno beat of course.

6. Roasted ox flavored crisps. Or pickle, or Canadian ham, ketchup, roasted steak....you catch my drift.

5. Sandwiches. Are everywhere. Pre-packaged, or made in front of you. Doesn't matter, anywhere you go, there is a plethora of sandwiches to choose from.

4. Fire doors. They are everywhere. I have to walk through at least ten on my way to Alissa's room. Not sure how they work since some open toward you, and some away. They are in every building, everywhere. They confuse me, and are a total pain in the ass.

3. To go along with number 4, the smells in between fire doors in my building. Each area of hallway between fire doors has it's own unique scent, usually strong, and usually gross. It's awesome.

2. Cheese. It's delicious, and locally made cheese is the best. Enough said.

And the number one thing that I have discovered while in Newcastle is:

1. Native Americans. That's right, every Saturday and Sunday a group of Native Americans puts on a show in front of the monument in the main shopping area. One plays a flute-type instrument with a techno beat in the background. At least one dances around, in what appears to be a traditional Native American dance. They are all dressed in skins and headdresses. And always draw quite the crowd. It's awesome.