The previous weekend we decided to visit Philadelphia by train (getting to and from the train station here is a battle in itself). It ended up raining alarming amounts. Philadelphia is the 6th largest US city, and on a nice day seems a great place to explore – in the rain it’s a pain to get about. I plan to return soon!

I’m currently unable to drive. My UK licence is only valid in Delaware for 60 days (even though it’s valid for a year in neighbouring states). Worse, you can’t register a car (which you must do when you buy it) without a US licence and insurance. To apply for a US licence you must sit a theory test, receive a learners permit (and you then can’t drive with a UK licence, so need a passenger over 21 with a US licence), and then take a practical test (no booking, you just turn up very early morning for a slot that day). Practically, you can’t take the test in an instructor’s car as you don’t know when it will be, but if you bring your own car you’ll need a passenger to be able to drive it there. You also can’t apply for a licence (or even open a bank account) until you have an SSN, which I still don’t have. Even if this is all completed, insurance is extremely expensive and all cars are huge (a 2.0 l car seems the smallest).

As you’ve probably noticed, I’m not able to discuss my work. Sorry about that…

Last Sunday was Independence Day. This was a rather strange experience, as everyone was essentially celebrating not being British. We went over to Newark, DE celebrations. Most people came prepared with camping chairs or sat on the back of their pick-up. There was music, food and a 25 minute firework display. The massive roads lead to only minor delays despite thousands of people leaving at once – the tailbacks could have lasted hours in Britain. In short, a mini-festival.

Regarding my favourite topic – food – supermarkets and grocery stores don’t seem to sell packs of sandwiches. Instead, they (and a huge selection of other variations) are available at coffee shops and fast-food outlets, usually at relatively low cost. I’ve yet to have an American cheeseburger… Five Guys comes recommended (whose menu consists only of hamburgers, cheeseburgers $5.19 / £3.40, hot dogs and fries $2.69 /£1.79). Our local ‘coffee house’, PureBread, is nice (tea $1.65 / £1.09; muffin $1.99 / £1.32; egg & cheese toasted croissant $2.99 / £1.99; sandwich/panini ~$8 / £5.30). Wholegrain cheerios are like British ones.

Today we visited a grocery store called Trader Joe’s. They sell (nearly) only their own brand, and focus on quirky, organic and affordable produce. I got some white stilton with apricots imported from the UK, pesto, real ginger bear and normal-looking chicken sausages. I suspect I’ll end up visiting a lot in the coming year…

This week temperatures hit 39°C / 102°F with 3 days of excessive heat watch. At that temperature it’s impossible to walk anything more than a few hundred metres.

It transpires that we needed to visit a Walmart Supercenter if we wanted groceries (more than 15 miles away, so another time) and not just a normal Walmart. Instead, we were recommended Acme, ShopRite or Giant, all of which are 3-6 miles away. Food is fairly expensive, partly due to the recession and weak pound. A loaf of Walmart Great Value bread (i.e. Asda Smart Price) is $2 / £1.31, whereas it would be more like 45p in the UK (although it is about a 1/3rd bigger). Meat is really cheap though…

Last Sunday and Monday there was an ‘excessive heat watch’, with temperatures peaking at 36°C. As a result, it was hard to explore much. Our house comes with pool access, as well as a free toasted bagel on weekday mornings, down at the ‘Clubhouse’. Last weekend there was also a Pool Party there, a commonplace event out here it seems, which is basically a poolside BBQ with lots of USA flags.

The heat subsided to highs of around 30°C, so I had a wonder before starting work later in the week.

I live out in a little village with high average income and low crime levels. There is a bus service into the centre of Wilmington (‘downtown’), but there is very little there – about a square mile packed with offices, but no real shops. Worse, last bus departure is 6pm, and being downtown is ill-advised after this time. Instead, shops and cinemas are dotted in the suburbs, accessible only by car. Such a scenario really only developed due to the demand for being able to easily drive everywhere. The centre of town is mostly ignored, and whilst the suburbs and out-of-town shopping centres are nice, it’s a very strange setup. It does make taking a train or coach from the town centre problematic though.

I arrived on Thursday in the United States for the start of my year-long work placement. As my first time out of the UK, or flying for that matter, things appear to be going well. Greeted by the start of a storm, my flight was the last able to land. Overall flying is pretty good although the long waits are tiring. Immigration and customs was smooth, and a humid 30°C followed.

The house is pretty good. Whilst it is expensive, it’s in a nice neighbourhood and includes all bills (besides having only an energy allowance) and furnishings which saved a lot of complications. For a rental arranged 3,500 miles away it turned out pretty well. Sadly, because multi-million dollar houses are less than a mile away prices in shops are extortionate. Additionally, the mile and a half journey to work has no pavement, making a car desirable.

Most striking is that nearly everything is different in some respect. Just some of them:

• Bread and milk seem to be sweetened.
• Chocolate is really odd (with a distinct lack of Cadbury’s, although I did find some ‘Cadbury’s Caramello’ which tasted nothing like its Dairy Milk Caramel counterpart and was actually manufactured by Hershey).
• Cheerios are all one colour, bland and sweet.
• Bleach seems to find its way into most cleaning products.
• People drive on the other side of the road (one of the more obvious things). I’ve yet to perfect crossing the road, and am never sure which way to look. Even when a pedestrian light is on walk, people still seem able to turn left around you.
• No-one seems to walk anywhere.
• There is a distinct lack of fruit, veg and potatoes in food stores, such as Walmart (in the ‘small’ one we visited there was none) – and what you can find is expensive.
• Power sockets are flimsy and don’t feel very safe.
• Sunrise and sunset occur over the course of about half an hour each, and earlier than in the UK (including time zones).