Wordsley, Stourbridge, England: 6 degrees, cold, sunny and slightly overcast.
My mother had said the day before that she would like to buy me a coat, an anorak, because of the cold and rain due to the English weather.
The idea was to visit the Marks and Spencer store at Merry Hill shopping centre to buy one. Maryhill is situated on the site of a former steel mill that closed during Margaret Thatcher’s tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Two local brothers purchased the land and subsequently developed it to create the Merry Hill Shopping Centre. It is enormous, at least twice the size of the Barra shopping centre in Rio, which is considered one of the largest shopping centres in Rio de Janeiro. According to reports, Merry Hill is the second-largest shopping centre in England, located approximately two or three kilometres from my mother’s home.
We left home to go to Merry Hill in the car, with my mother driving since I don’t have a driver’s licence in England, which feels a bit strange for me, considering her eyesight is not very good, being a little over 80. On the way to Merry Hill, my mother mentioned that she would like to stop by Sainsbury’s, a well-known supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, to do some shopping. I agreed, and when we arrived, I was amazed by the sheer variety and abundance of options available in supermarkets in general.
It is clear to me that England is so globalised nowadays that it has become a global market for almost anything you want – runner beans from Kenya, which my mother loves so much, coffee from Colombia, and the list goes on.
Because of this, I feel that the English people seem to be a little spoilt for choice; they can have everything in literally any variation, with the only factors being price and budget. The possibilities are endless, and the same applies to cars; everybody has a good car. I haven’t seen a single rust bucket on the street since I arrived in England.
Inside Sainsbury’s, I spotted a place selling SIM cards, so I took advantage of the situation and bought one for myself- another problem solved. Now I have a cellphone line in England; how great is that?
As we arrived at Merry Hill, there were queues upon queues of cars trying to find a parking space. It seemed that there were various parking fields available, but they were all full. The numerous cars gathered in one spot felt like a population —a sea of vehicles without people.
Despite the overwhelming number of cars, it was fascinating to see such a diverse range of impressive models. It is very rare to spot a Porsche, Audi, or BMW in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro, where one typically sees more common cars, such as Ford, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Fiat, and Chevrolet.
It is clear to me that, even though it sounds so obviously foolish, England is, in many ways, much wealthier than Brazil. What I’m trying to say is that even the lower English working class nowadays has the opportunity to own a good car.
Although many of these cars are purchased through financing, they are still not prohibitively expensive for the normal middle-class or lower-middle-class person. In Brazil, owning a good car requires either extreme luck or notable success because for the rest of the population, it’s just a regular, simple, and popular car. Even with options and extras, it’s still just a regular, simple, popular car.
The street where my mother lives was originally a council estate, but as I walk along it, I see BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, and more. Considering that council housing estates in the past were predominantly lower- or working-class areas, the cars seen there are considered very high-class for Brazil.
This struck me as soon as I arrived in England: the disparity and differences between Brazil and the United Kingdom. Although I have believed for a long time that Brazil is an inhumane country, my first day out in the streets of England was shocking in comparison and proves it.
Going back to my coat, when I was a child, Marks and Spencer was already a very, very famous chain store and quite popular. Now, it is regarded as a British institution, truly a part of the British retail culture. Just as we cherish fish and chips, pubs, and Buckingham Palace, we also celebrate Marks and Spencer.
Finally, we found a place to park and Marks and Spencer. We saw two coats that we liked; one was half-length and the other three-quarter-length. For the cold and rain, and without lining, so that I can wear it in Brazil, I preferred the three-quarter length. However, the discussion between my mother and me was about whether it was worth it to buy the large size with a slimmer fit or the extra-large size with a looser and baggier fit.
My mother wanted me to choose the extra-large, and when she wants to, she can be very overbearing and insistent in her arguments. However, I stood my ground and opted for the large size with a slimmer fit. It is a beautiful raincoat that can also be used in Brazil. I thanked her and appreciated the gift, even though I hadn’t intended to buy another coat at that moment.
We were going to have lunch at one of the restaurants in the shopping centre, but there were so many people and it was so noisy that it was impossible. My mother suggested a small cafeteria in Kingswinford, near where she lives, which is quite reasonable, so we went.
The cafe in the middle of Kingswinford was a simple but clean place, run by Romanians. I had an enormous burger with fries and salad, almost like a traditional Bauru sandwich in Brazil. My mother ordered a prawn sandwich with salad and fries.
They were very nice- nothing sophisticated in terms of food, just good, wholesome comfort food. After about an hour, I paid, and we left. It was £20 for both of us; in Brazilian Reais, it is approximately R$140. Not bad for what we had, which included tea and coffee.
It is now about 4:00 p.m., and the sky is already darkening as it begins to rain. We arrived home, had some tea, and later a sandwich. I worked a little and went to bed around 11:00 p.m. after another pleasant and productive day.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
