My Sunday Photo - Enjoying a Starbucks

Pre lock down I would go out for a Starbucks every single day of the week. I'd pick a different location each day, whether it was the Souk Madinat with views over looking the Burj Al Arab or a drive through on my way home or to a mall.

I went out everyday for a coffee for 5 years that we lived in Dubai to just get out the house, for the random chat with a stranger and to stop me going stir crazy.

We have a coffee machine like this in the UK and Dubai, but the actual drinking of the latte wasn't the experience, it was the going out. Up until now I've always drunk tea at home.

Since lock down started the day before I arrived back in the UK and I made a 4 hour journey by several trains across the country, without being able to purchase a latte as I would've normally done and without being able to visit the local Caffe Nero stores as I favour in the UK, I had to learn to make my own lattes and quickly.

Since I've managed to get a Starbucks blend from Tesco click and collect this week, I've been drinking coffee from Waitrose, their own blend. I've realised even more it's never been about the coffee, it's been about the going out.

So I've been going out for the past 10 weeks with a take away latte. I've been going out to the garden to sit and read or blog. I've been going out with my take away cup as I've walked to do my food shop or taken Bob on a walk.

During lockdown I've consumed 71 lattes. Each and every time I've made one, I've put £3 in a pot and so far I've totalled  a saving of *drum roll* £213.

I will go back one day to the coffee shops, but from now on I'll steer clear of the big chains (unless I'm travelling), but these visits from now on will be to meet with family and friends, not just to visit for something to do. I'm learning to find things to do that don't involve me spending money and just going out for the sake of it.

I'm new to these parts, can you help me please?

Why is this such a difficult concept for people to grasp?

It's not just about being in another country, assuming things will be done the same as back home, it's simple things like visiting a new coffee shop and approaching the counter to place an order and being told rather firmly that you need to sit at a table and they'll come to you.

It's the assumption made by the people that you ask for help from, that YOU know what you are doing, in my opinion based on the fact that they have little or no knowledge that things might work differently elsewhere. My mistake is to make my own assumption that I might not be the only person who is on their first visit and that when I explain that they may actually help me.

Yesterday I went to a coffee shop near the hotel in Dubai, there were tables and chairs outside and two, what I assumed to be waiters, dressed in a distinctive uniform stood in the area, so I ask if I just take a seat, they say yes, so I then asked if they could bring me a latte, to which one replied 'it's self service' on approaching the counter I'm asked for my order then told to take a seat and they'll bring it to me.

It isn't just a miscommunication or understanding of language spoken, it's happened in the UK. We were in Nandos in November in the UK, we had booked a table, were shown to it, given a menu and when my mum and I ordered coffee, we were told by the waitress to order and pay at the counter. Now I know I  have to do this for example in Whetherspoons, because I've tried booking a table for 20 in the past and told I couldn't. So I naturally assume that because I've booked a table, because the waitress has shown me to it and given me a menu, that I can actually order from her.

I just don't understand why people have to be so rude about it, dismissive, to the point of sometimes taking the mick, a little snigger and a funny look.

The thing is, I know a lot about a lot of stuff that maybe you don't know and when employed as a child welfare officer I assumed that when you came to me for help and support it was because you needed my assistance, that why you came to me. exactly the same applies if I go into a shop, cafe, restaurant, bank, municipality and ask. 'Please can you help me? I new to these parts'