10 Things I've Learned so Far

Here we are at the end of our 10th day in Northeast England, and I thought I'd take a few minutes to review some of the things I've learned, both serious and not-so-serious.
1) The National Health Service is faaaar from uncomplicated.
2) People in England do have access to private health insurance.
3) Computer keyboards are different here. The " is on the 2 button, while the @ symbol is by the enter key. Despite all the typing I've done in the last 10 days, I still have not managed to adjust to this simple change, and I'm constantly going back to correct myself.
4) Curry ROCKS!
5) Staffordshire Bull Terriers are wonderful to walk uphill. Downhill, not so much.
6) As weird as it may seem to Americans, black pudding is muchmuchmuch better than scrapple.
7) Soccer fans are more entertaining than the game they are watching.
8) The people of Hartlepool once hanged a monkey because they thought it was a spy for the French. You can't make this stuff up, people.
9) A standard test match in cricket lasts 5 days. 5. freakin. days.
10) Last but not least, I had really high expectations before coming here, and they have been exceeded at every turn. You all know how much I was looking forward to this trip, and it's been better than I ever could have imagined.
G'night, kids.
Amy