Culture Gap

Funny story: This morning I went running in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens (which was absolutely beautiful by the way...and I saw a ton of dogs which is ALWAYS a plus). On the way home, I decided that a) I should finally stop being stubborn and just buy a darn hair-dryer and b) I need Q-tips. So I bop into Boots (like CVS at home) and find the hair-dryers quite easily. I search high and low throughout the store for some Q-tips and just don't see them anywhere! So I walk up to one of the employees who is stocking a shelf and politely say, "Excuse me, where can I find Q-tips?" The woman looked at me like I had three heads. So I repeated myself, "Q-tips, like for your ears." This time I got crinkled eyebrows and a shaking of the head. So I decide to try another approach: "It's like a cotton swab." So she takes me to the cotton balls. Still not getting what I came for. So I say, "You know, it's like a stick with cotton balls on both ends. For your ears." DING DING DING! The woman responds, "Oh, you mean to say cotton buds." And there they were. 

Moral of the story: Q-tips are not a thing in London!