Because I know these things…

I know that the PM lives in Downing Street and that Scottish bank notes can be used anywhere in the UK. I know that you can get a national insurance number at a JobCenter Plus and at a social security office. I know that kids in England must attend school between the ages of 5 and 16, generally work in a supermarket or a newsagent as their first job and that women make on average 20% less than men. I can tell you that about 80% of the total population of the UK lives in England, that its patron saint is St-George and that the UK is one of 5 permanent members of the UN security council. I can enlighten you on the fact that 10% of UK Christians are Roman Catholic and that Indians make up the largest minority group. I know that the reigning monarch can only advise, warn and encourage the PM and that civil servants need to be politically neutral and professional. Did you know that you need to be on the electoral register if you want to vote and that you can use a mediation service to sort out disputes with your neighbours? How about the fact that the NHS will treat every UK resident for free but if multiple people are living in shared accommodations, they each need to buy a TV license? I can tell you that you can be dismissed immediately for serious misconduct and that trade unions aim to improve pay and working conditions for their members. I can also tell you that you need to be 21 to drive an HGV, that you can be arrested if you refuse to have a roadside sobriety test and that a non-EU driving license is valid for 12 months in the UK (but then you need to obtain a UK one).

I can tell you all these things because I passed my life in the UK test last Friday. I can also tell you that it took me longer to write this blog post than it did to actually pass the damn test (which took the whole of 3 minutes).

My citizenship paperwork is now on its way to London where my solicitor will look it over and forward it to the Home Office. In the meantime, we had a bonfire last night and to mark the occasion, I ceremonially burned the study materials that had bored me senseless for the past two weeks. This made me happy.

Current Mood: Happy