Hello Tonet,

Well you are asking all the right questions !, what youre life will be like in UK, is a very good start, this is good, as you are realizing now that it wont be long before you come, so its good to get opinions about food, clothes, culture and differences, the last time I wrote about my beloved UK, I got ticked off for telling how it is, but this morning I feel in a different mood, so I will mention some things whilst having a laugh about them.

Firstly, lets talk about food !, yes, there are major differences, but you dont have to give up the things you ove to eat here in UK when you come, you just have to adjust and buy the things ( or better get your prospective hubby to take you) you want.

Rice...Rice can be purchased in most major supermarkets, the main ones are Tescos, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, and M and S, also many local convenience stores always sell rice, however, my wife always complains that the rice they sell is not paticularly palatable to Filipinos, but there are so many growing chinese warehouses in UK now that you will be surely to find one in most major cities, for example if you like Thai fragrant rice, you can find that at the chinese warehouses, also, many Filipino ingredients, Datu Puti and soy sauces, and Mang tomas these also can be found at your local chinese warehouses, so dont despair, just make sure when you arrive, your hubby takes you to these places, depending on where you live, this may involve a day out in the car, but well worth it.
Another tip is this, if you are intending to cook Filipino dishes, that stink to high heaven, do this when hubby is out at work, then he does not pass out or collapse from the fumes of your special meals, when he is coming home from work. This will also avoid raised voices and you will not hear things like " You are killing me with your cooking"

Freindship and culturual issues.

Unlike the Philippines which is a very inter-dependant society, the UK is almost the opposite, I noticed that one person who posted yesterday said how there is no prejudice, generally this is very true, my wife commented to me many times, that no one is prejudiced against her, and that she fitted into UK society very easily, no one talked about her jet black hair, or her Filipino looks, she told me how happy she was when she got her job, no one treats her badly, I think she expected that.

However, UK Life can be very quiet for the Filipino spouse/fiancee just arriving in country, sometimes, the lack of contact affects that one, UK People are not very inter-dependant, they tend to go about their business and when the working day is done, they go home to their flats, houses, etc and dont really talk to others, a UK Street is not like a barangay street, there are not lots of people sitting out at night, chatting and having tsismis, its too cold at the moment for that, and even in the summer, thats also rare, people just dont do that, so having interaction with others is hard sometimes, many Filipinos complain about this, and say, there is no people around.

Many of my colleagues here at this forum have mentioned about where to meet people, andypaul said there are many thousands of Filipinos in country, they are everywhere to be found if you look, although you tend to meet them gradually over a period of time, you have to go to events and fun things to meet people, but gradually you will find like minded freinds, although you should also try and get indigenous UK freinds, and not limit your freindships to the Filipino community.

Some Filipina's come here and say, its boring during the week and they only enjoy the weekends, when hubby takes them to a shopping mall, this may be true, it can be pretty boring during the weekdays, that I will not deny, but life is really what you make it !, you have to have interests, that you can take up during the evenings, if you are not working, then find things to make you amused, if you are working, then your time during the week wil be taken up.

Its the winter right now, and you might need warmer clothes that what you are used to, you can get them here in UK when you arrive, you can of course bring some things you always use out in the Philippines before you come, there are endless lists posted in this forum of things too numerous, but really, you can get most of them when you arrive, there are at least 4 or 5 Filipino supermarkets I can think of in London alone, depending on where you live in UK, you will be able to find some of them here, if you look around.

Some of the other ladies have already said, when you arrive, it takes time to adjust to the way of life here, first impressions are not always a good indicator of how it will be, you will start to think that life here is expensive, that is true, to the average Filipino UK goods are incedibly expensive, as is any service you buy, adjustment comes with time, and even after long periods of living here, Filipinos still never adjust to the cost of living.

There are some great things about the UK, such as its wonderful scenery and history, those Filipinos who fare better, are those who embrace the culture and learn about the history and want to go around, to find out for themselves about the land, history, and culture, those who fare badly, are those who only want to go out for the day, if it involves browsing around signature goods shopping malls, this might be fine in the Philippines, but here, there is so much to do if you are prepared to broaden ones horizons, as others have said, dont have any pre-conceived expectations of how your life will be, take each day as a new experience.

Transport.

Transport will be different to everything you have ever experienced, its pretty hard to get a tricycle or a Jeepney just cos you want to get downtown, there are not many of those around, unless your hubby wants to brave the cold weather and tow you downtown on his push bike and cart, public transport is mainly, buses, ( expensive) and trains, taxis are not plentiful in most cities, and they have to be telephoned to get one, there are no flag downs in urban areas, they are almost non existent in rural towns or villages.

If you want a taxi, you will have to call a taxi, the rate of cost will be extortionate compared to the journey, buses do not always stop outside your door, you may have to walk for 15 minutes to a bus stop, buses and taxis are not the preferred method of tavel here for many, the private car is always the preferred method, in London, you will fare better if you get used to the London transport network, it is excellent, even though it is over 100 years old in many places, however, most Filipinos who live in the London area, are blessed with an excellent transport system, and they use it to the full.

But you may have to face up, that you do not live in the London area, and if that is the case, getting around may be difficult and problematic for you at first, some Filipinos who come to UK, actually never go on a bus or a train unless there husband is with them, it takes them quite a while before they will travel alone, this is normal so dont worry, but in time you will come to learn the various methods of transport and start to use them.

Thats enough from me, maybe others would like to chip in with their thoughts on new life here in UK,

Take care.