it's a geographical oddity

Borrowing from our favorite "O Brother Where Art Thou" lines, being in England is much like trying to order your favorite pomade in the middle of nowhere--it's a geographical oddity, 2 weeks from everywhere. Or, in our case, 5-10 business days.

It doesn't matter if it's making an appointment for the internet, flipping a remote switch to activate the internet, depositing a check, getting a credit card or a debit card. You're looking at 5-10 business days before you get anything. No urgency. That's just the way it is. I've even heard you have to give notice before you quit a service. That's a whole new odyssey waiting for us :)

I could respect it if that's how long it really takes to maintain the 37 hour work week and 5 weeks of vacation supposedly standard over here. I'm just not buying it yet. But then again, I'm part of an American culture that wants what they want now. I hope that's not what makes our working hours so long and demanding, but I have a feeling it is. It seems like "tight deadline" is the phrase most frequently heard around the office and we're always chasing our tails to meet it.

Maybe I could get used to the longer wait times. Then again, maybe not :)