America to UK

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135

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  • britlocs
    britlocs Posts: 124
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    I like rain.meh.
  • AGGUK73
    AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
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    Our (UK) weather is total crap. :grumble:

    But on days like today where the sun was out all day and so hot it makes this country amazing!

    We defo didn't have a hot day in the Midlands :( Muggy, yes with a spot of rain.....it better be hotter tomorrow!!
  • jzsor12
    jzsor12 Posts: 69
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    I live in the North so I doubt it's as expensive as the likes of London but the weather is absolute crap almost everywhere.

    I've never ever been to America so I can't quite compare.
  • rose_mortem
    rose_mortem Posts: 147 Member
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    Ever since I was little, I've always loved the idea of living in England :love: I read too many books that had British spellings, and that's how I learned to spell. It drove my teachers crazy :laugh:

    Sometimes I wonder if America's gotten so bad that it would be best if I escaped while I can, and where else to go but my childhood dream? You guys have so much helpful info :flowerforyou:

    When I was 11 and didn't receive my Hogwarts letter, my mom promised a vacation to the UK as a graduation gift... I'm hoping she'll remember it in 4 more years :happy:
  • britlocs
    britlocs Posts: 124
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    no "state laws" here,I guess.
  • AGGUK73
    AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
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    Ever since I was little, I've always loved the idea of living in England :love: I read too many books that had British spellings, and that's how I learned to spell. It drove my teachers crazy :laugh:

    Sometimes I wonder if America's gotten so bad that it would be best if I escaped while I can, and where else to go but my childhood dream? You guys have so much helpful info :flowerforyou:

    When I was 11 and didn't receive my Hogwarts letter, my mom promised a vacation to the UK as a graduation gift... I'm hoping she'll remember it in 4 more years :happy:

    awwww hope you get to visit here one day & I hope your not disappointed. Head for the countryside where olde English is still present. It's truely unique & I hope one day I can retire to a quaint English village :)
  • Katanthus
    Katanthus Posts: 348 Member
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    & more & more & more & more rain :(
    Our roads arn't that bad are they??

    Lived in the US for 13 years, and have seen MORE rain in 13 years, than 30+ in the UK. When you consider, the US is almost 38 times BIGGER than the UK, it is like comparing apples with oranges, with regards to weather. You go from one extreme to the other. Depends what you like. Louisiana for example, has 2.5 seasons.. flash frozen (a day or two), broiled, or steamed. Lived there 11 years, and I tell you, I longed for an autumn day.

    The standard of driving is better in the UK, as the test is tougher. Public transportation is FAR better in the UK. Yes, you have some MAJOR cities where they have public transportation, but for the most part... it sucks.


    Something many Americans do not even realize, WHERE on the map the UK actually is. When they think that you look out from the coast of Florida... straight at LONDON. In fact, you would be looking out at NORTH AFRICA.

    80% of Americans do not have passports, and have never left the continent, yet have MAJOR opinions on British weather.

    What determines your opinion, is where your heart is.
  • britlocs
    britlocs Posts: 124
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    & more & more & more & more rain :(
    Our roads arn't that bad are they??


    80% of Americans do not have passports, and have never left the continent, yet have MAJOR opinions on British weather.

    I remember reading that statistic and my mind was blown!
  • AGGUK73
    AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
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    & more & more & more & more rain :(
    Our roads arn't that bad are they??

    Lived in the US for 13 years, and have seen MORE rain in 13 years, than 30+ in the UK. When you consider, the US is almost 38 times BIGGER than the UK, it is like comparing apples with oranges, with regards to weather. You go from one extreme to the other. Depends what you like. Louisiana for example, has 2.5 seasons.. flash frozen (a day or two), broiled, or steamed. Lived there 11 years, and I tell you, I longed for an autumn day.

    The standard of driving is better in the UK, as the test is tougher. Public transportation is FAR better in the UK. Yes, you have some MAJOR cities where they have public transportation, but for the most part... it sucks.


    Something many Americans do not even realize, WHERE on the map the UK actually is. When they think that you look out from the coast of Florida... straight at LONDON. In fact, you would be looking out at NORTH AFRICA.

    80% of Americans do not have passports, and have never left the continent, yet have MAJOR opinions on British weather.

    What determines your opinion, is where your heart is.

    All I know is that this summer's weather has been abysmal, along with the last 2/3 yrs. We get a few days of sunshine & then back to cold & rain. I've actually had my heating on in June!! It's depressing week in & week out :(
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
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    Roundabouts! When driving through America we only ever found one little one!

    (eta I think they are called circular intersections in America!)

    They're called jughandles in NJ, not to be confused with traffic circles that every out of state idiot botched up and therefore they are almost obsolete here now. But i'm way off topic. I'm not a huge fan of US but I've never lived anywhere else but I don't think I'd ever want to live in England..
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
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    In the UK, people are less outwardly enthusiastic than Americans (well, except for things like football matches). People often express pleasure by understatement - 'not bad' as opposed to the American 'AWESOME!!!'.

    And the sense of humour is often deadpan, sarcastic with a straight face. People use a lot of double meanings and wordplay, and enjoy the bizarre and the ridiculous. It's less of a wisecracking humour than Americans have. And it's often self-deprecatory humour. Brits are more outwardly humble than Americans - not because they think they're inferior, but because that is the traditional form of banter and courtesy.

    When British people are rude, it's different from American rudeness - American rudeness is more 'in your face', whereas British rudeness is often quite subtle, and appearing polite on the outside, but with a tinge of superiority. It can be quite passive aggressive.

    Brits don't tend to say 'Have a nice day'. If you ask a Brit how they are, they're less likely to say 'I'm good', and more likely to say something like 'Mustn't grumble'.

    Brits don't do social eating as much as Americans. They do more social drinking.

    Shops tend to close at around 5:30pm, although in shopping centre, there is one day a week which is late night shopping, usually till 8:00pm. Same with coffee shops - they close at 5:30pm. In the evening, Brits go out to the pub rather than out for coffee.

    Contrary to what was said above, most people do drive to the shops, unless they don't have a car, or unless they have a shop just five minutes away and they just want to make a couple of purchases which won't be heavy to carry home. But shopping centres are often outdoors, with shops in rows along the street, as opposed to malls (although we have malls too). So within the shopping centre, people are walking around, outside, down the street, from shop to shop. But most people have parked outside of the shopping centre.

    Houses and cars tend to be smaller. And buses - the seats in buses are smaller. When someone sits next to you, your bottoms are likely to squish together! Restaurant portions are smaller. Brits who go to America always comment on how big everything is.

    Soft drinks don't always come with ice cubes and straws. And we don't have root beer. If you go to the dentist in the UK, you'll find the mouthwash you are given tastes like root beer. That's why root beer never took off here - it reminded everyone of the dentist!

    In shops, the staff don't generally come to greet you and chat to you and ask if they can help you. Except for in the shop Lush - which is a great shop for soaps and bath bombs and such. The staff always come and chat to you if you shop there.

    It rains. A lot.

    It's a damp kind of cold that gets into your bones. You can still feel cold when you're inside, even with the heating on. Homes aren't always so well insulated.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
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    In the UK, people are less outwardly enthusiastic than Americans (well, except for things like football matches). People often express pleasure by understatement - 'not bad' as opposed to the American 'AWESOME!!!'.

    And the sense of humour is often deadpan, sarcastic with a straight face. People use a lot of double meanings and wordplay, and enjoy the bizarre and the ridiculous. It's less of a wisecracking humour than Americans have. And it's often self-deprecatory humour. Brits are more outwardly humble than Americans - not because they think they're inferior, but because that is the traditional form of banter and courtesy.

    When British people are rude, it's different from American rudeness - American rudeness is more 'in your face', whereas British rudeness is often quite subtle, and appearing polite on the outside, but with a tinge of superiority. It can be quite passive aggressive.

    Brits don't tend to say 'Have a nice day'. If you ask a Brit how they are, they're less likely to say 'I'm good', and more likely to say something like 'Mustn't grumble'.

    Brits don't do social eating as much as Americans. They do more social drinking.

    Shops tend to close at around 5:30pm, although in shopping centre, there is one day a week which is late night shopping, usually till 8:00pm. Same with coffee shops - they close at 5:30pm. In the evening, Brits go out to the pub rather than out for coffee.

    Contrary to what was said above, most people do drive to the shops, unless they don't have a car, or unless they have a shop just five minutes away and they just want to make a couple of purchases which won't be heavy to carry home. But shopping centres are often outdoors, with shops in rows along the street, as opposed to malls (although we have malls too). So within the shopping centre, people are walking around, outside, down the street, from shop to shop. But most people have parked outside of the shopping centre.

    Houses and cars tend to be smaller. And buses - the seats in buses are smaller. When someone sits next to you, your bottoms are likely to squish together! Restaurant portions are smaller. Brits who go to America always comment on how big everything is.

    Soft drinks don't always come with ice cubes and straws. And we don't have root beer. If you go to the dentist in the UK, you'll find the mouthwash you are given tastes like root beer. That's why root beer never took off here - it reminded everyone of the dentist!

    In shops, the staff don't generally come to greet you and chat to you and ask if they can help you. Except for in the shop Lush - which is a great shop for soaps and bath bombs and such. The staff always come and chat to you if you shop there.

    It rains. A lot.

    It's a damp kind of cold that gets into your bones. You can still feel cold when you're inside, even with the heating on. Homes aren't always so well insulated.

    Now this gave me more info than the rest of this entire thread lol. And it's pretty much what I had already imagined. God bless you guys who live there. I couldn't do it...the ppl in NJ are rude enough and I'm a cynic but also very friendly and overly enthusiastic about most things. I'd stand out like a sore thumb there and ppl would hate me lol

    And why everything is so big in US? Because we have some elbow room over here lol
  • KinzieElise
    KinzieElise Posts: 584 Member
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    I very briefly visited London a few years ago and there is one thing that I remember quite well. People on bikes get very angry when you are walking in the bike lane. Although I'm sure that happens everywhere. Also, it seemed to me that there were alot more sites to see, even on a "wham bam, thank you ma'am" tour, because of the sheer amount of history. Of course, I'm from Wyoming where our only real claim to fame is Yellowstone Park.
  • MiCool90
    MiCool90 Posts: 460 Member
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    David Cameron or Barack Obama

    Take your pick...
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
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    Hi there!

    I'm a 19 y/o university student who moved to the UK a year ago.

    I'd say the biggest difference for me was food and finding food at the grocery store I liked. The grocery stores in the UK have a VERY limited variety of things (compared to back here in the US), and if you need anything "American", be prepared to shell out lots of money for it, or not be able to find it at all. I've learned a lot of new recipes out of desperation from not finding what I wanted at the grocery store.

    For instance, I kind of live off of frozen meals sometimes. They have a really small variety over here... mostly curry, or some variation on shepherds pie. You can only eat so much.

    Another thing is obviously the transportation. I walk EVERYWHERE. And I commute two hours every day to get to school. That includes a walk, a train ride, and a tube ride. Sometimes a bus as well.If you don't get a car straight away (I dont have one), don't expect to do any major projects or have anything be convenient at all. For instance, I have to take a 40 minute bus ride to get to the pet store if I suddenly run out of something for my rabbit.

    One great thing is.... all of the grocery stores deliver! YEP! I get my groceries DELIVERED! I also get almost everything I need off amazon, as it is way easier than trying to trek out and carry whatever it is back to the flat. The postal service here is really fast - most packages get here within 1-2 days, whereas in the US it can take 5-7 days IIRC.

    Oh, and what someone said about the shops closing early is absolutely true... and it's very irritating at times. What IS nice, however, is that most of the shops are clustered together, so you can get your shopping done in one place :D

    I can't think of much else... but if you move here, I'm sure you'll like it. There are lots of things about the USA I definitely prefer and miss, though :)
  • Sarah_Wins
    Sarah_Wins Posts: 936 Member
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    Oh & we have a wicked sense of humour, lost on the majority of the globe :)

    My favorite thing about the English, and it's a lengthy list, is you amazing humor! British movies and tv shows are SO much better than ours!
  • AGGUK73
    AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
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    In the UK, people are less outwardly enthusiastic than Americans (well, except for things like football matches). People often express pleasure by understatement - 'not bad' as opposed to the American 'AWESOME!!!'.

    We are 'reserved'!

    And the sense of humour is often deadpan, sarcastic with a straight face. People use a lot of double meanings and wordplay, and enjoy the bizarre and the ridiculous. It's less of a wisecracking humour than Americans have. And it's often self-deprecatory humour. Brits are more outwardly humble than Americans - not because they think they're inferior, but because that is the traditional form of banter and courtesy.

    Yes we have a strange humour, but it's awesome!

    When British people are rude, it's different from American rudeness - American rudeness is more 'in your face', whereas British rudeness is often quite subtle, and appearing polite on the outside, but with a tinge of superiority. It can be quite passive aggressive.

    We are polite.

    Brits don't tend to say 'Have a nice day'. If you ask a Brit how they are, they're less likely to say 'I'm good', and more likely to say something like 'Mustn't grumble'.

    We are realists.

    Brits don't do social eating as much as Americans. They do more social drinking.

    We know how to have a good old knees up!

    Shops tend to close at around 5:30pm, although in shopping centre, there is one day a week which is late night shopping, usually till 8:00pm. Same with coffee shops - they close at 5:30pm. In the evening, Brits go out to the pub rather than out for coffee.

    My local shopping center is open till 9pm, & yes we like the pub, it's called socialising ;)

    Contrary to what was said above, most people do drive to the shops, unless they don't have a car, or unless they have a shop just five minutes away and they just want to make a couple of purchases which won't be heavy to carry home. But shopping centres are often outdoors, with shops in rows along the street, as opposed to malls (although we have malls too). So within the shopping centre, people are walking around, outside, down the street, from shop to shop. But most people have parked outside of the shopping centre.

    My local shopping 'mall' is open till 9pm every night(excl Sun). It has ample parking spaces all under roof.

    Houses and cars tend to be smaller. And buses - the seats in buses are smaller. When someone sits next to you, your bottoms are likely to squish together! Restaurant portions are smaller. Brits who go to America always comment on how big everything is.

    True to all of the above.

    Soft drinks don't always come with ice cubes and straws. And we don't have root beer. If you go to the dentist in the UK, you'll find the mouthwash you are given tastes like root beer. That's why root beer never took off here - it reminded everyone of the dentist!

    I worked in the dental proffesion for over 20 yrs & this is new to me??

    In shops, the staff don't generally come to greet you and chat to you and ask if they can help you. Except for in the shop Lush - which is a great shop for soaps and bath bombs and such. The staff always come and chat to you if you shop there.

    We HATE being 'hassalled', if I want to buy something I don't need a shop assistant to harrass me!

    It rains. A lot.

    So very true!

    It's a damp kind of cold that gets into your bones. You can still feel cold when you're inside, even with the heating on. Homes aren't always so well insulated.

    My home is extremley well insulated, like a sauna in the winter when the heating's on ;)
  • AGGUK73
    AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
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    David Cameron or Barack Obama

    Take your pick...
    Neither!
  • Sarah_Wins
    Sarah_Wins Posts: 936 Member
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    first time i experienced that was in Ireland. i saw on the roads of Dublin markers pointing which way traffic was going. i thought to myself why is this needed? i know its the opposite of home...well after a few pints at the bar i step out and nearly get clipped by a truck. doh!

    This happened to me as well! I was standing on the edge of a curb in Dublin with my back to the street and nearly lost my balance... at that moment, not more than an inch behind me, passed a huge city bus! Nearly fainted.
  • opuntia
    opuntia Posts: 860 Member
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    Another thing is obviously the transportation. I walk EVERYWHERE. And I commute two hours every day to get to school. That includes a walk, a train ride, and a tube ride. Sometimes a bus as well.If you don't get a car straight away (I dont have one), don't expect to do any major projects or have anything be convenient at all. For instance, I have to take a 40 minute bus ride to get to the pet store if I suddenly run out of something for my rabbit.

    That depends where you are in the UK though. I've never had a car. I often walk, because I like walking, but I live in a city where I can easily take a bus to wherever I want to go. A twenty-minute bus ride to the city centre. Or I can walk ten minutes (or take a two-minute bus ride) to the local supermarket which sells most things (including pet food, although I don't have a pet).

    I'd advise, if someone is coming to the UK and won't have access to a car, to look carefully at where you move to - find a location with shops and other conveniences in easy walking distance. And maybe don't decide on your location until you know where you'll be working/studying - and then find somewhere close to your workplace/uni.

    Oddly enough, when I tell Americans that I don't drive and I take the bus, a lot of them tell me that wouldn't be possible where they live - that everyone has to be able to drive to get around. Obviously that will depend on where in America they are, but then if I were moving to America, I would look for somewhere where there was good public transport.