7 Benefits of Living in the UK

For the last 10 months I've lived in this great country we call the United Kingdom. While I've not had to pay taxes, or use the healthcare system, or vote for politicians, I have worked and travelled here, made friends, struggled with homesickness, and drunk many, many cups of tea. In fact, I'm drinking one as I type.

I'll be leaving this blessed place in less than two months. It will have been an amazing year, the best of my life so far. I'm looking forward to seeing my family again, but will miss Britain for so many reasons. 

Today I decided to write down a few of those reasons. There are many more, but here are seven that sprang to mind:

Real Food

I might get exasperated at the expiration dates, but it's nice to eat stuff that tastes real and isn't loaded with chemicals.

London - British apples in Borough Market, photo by Daxis

Best TV Shows Ever

Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Doctor Who...if it's not British then I don't know why you're watching it.

BBC, photo by Tim Loudon

Shocking Beauty

Every day I can look out my window and say, "God, how am I this blessed?" The beauty of the country fields and the city streets is beyond comparison. Sure, the lights of Paris glitter and the Grand Canyon is impressive, but to my mind you can't top a ruined castle, or an English field dotted with sheep, bordered by a mossy drystone wall.

Best Day Trips Ever

Everything is a day trip away! Or at least there is a lifetime's worth of places to go and things to see within a day's train travel from anywhere in Britain. Ever tried to research day trips from Northwest Arkansas? Not the brightest horizons.

The Accents

Call me shallow, but even after a year of living in the UK I can still appreciate English accents. They are so diverse—some comical, others luxurious—and I will certainly miss them when I go home to the States.

I LOVE BRITISH ACCENTS, photo by Jordyn Rothman 

Tea Culture

So many tea breaks! There's always something to look forward to, it makes the workday fly by, and it provides the perfect excuse for homemade tray bakes.

RoyalTea Novelty..., photo by Duncan Hull 

Friendly People

Speaking as a generalisation, the English people are fabulous. No two ways about it. I treasure the times when I've been sitting on a train or walking down the road or browsing in a shop and gotten into conversation with a local. I don't know why people say Brits are rude to Americans—I have met with nothing but friendly helpfulness, or at least an endearing "Thank you, love."

Any other benefits you could mention? Let's hear it.