Things to Know as an American in England
- Admin
- Mar 5, 2018
- 5 min read
Our country may have once been ruled by England but a lot has changed between our countries. While the culture shock from America to England isn’t too intimidating, there are still many major differences that I discovered upon arriving in Great Britain. It would be impossible to list every little variant in our cultures, I have come up with some of the big ones I noted while studying abroad in England.
Keep Left: Most people know that the UK drives on the opposite side of the road, but most don’t realize this applies to walking rules as well. People in England generally walk on the left and use the left side door. I found this hard to adjust to, as I automatically veer right when walking. This led to many crashes in the hallways at school, especially when rounding corners. Consciously remind yourself to keep left and soon enough it will become a habit. By the time I returned home, I was so used to it that walking on the right became a struggle.
Watch Your Tongue: We may both speak English, but believe me, there are so major differences in our language. From names of items, like silverware (“cutlery”) to the words phrases we are so used to saying, such as “that sucks”. There may be a few things that the Brits say that you may not understand, or vice versa so mind what you say. Both countries have different phrases, words, and slang, so there may be a small language barrier. For the most part, you can try to figure it out (or Google it) but don’t be afraid to ask if you need to! I plan to write a whole post on language differences since there is so much to go over, so stay tuned.
Have a grape day: Whenever I see a vibrant purple colored candy, I automatically think it must be grape flavored - what else would it be? Well, that’s not the case in England. The purple flavor will almost never be grape. The grapey goodness has been replaced by ‘blackcurrant’, a flavor not available here in the States. This dark purple fruit looks similar in shape to a blueberry and tastes more like a blackberry. I’m not a fan of fruity candy in general, but I was shocked when I saw the flavor advertised on a box of Skittles. So if you’re a fan of grape flavored treats, keep in mind that the purple colored sweets may be deceiving.
Stay in School: One of the biggest shocks for me coming to England was how different the school system was. I may cover these differences in its own post because it was so major to me. To put it simply, there are two main divisions, primary (ages 5 to 11) and secondary (ages 11-16). At 16, students take huge exams called GCSE’s, which are not like the multiple choice ones we take in the US. Depending on their scores, they can advance to sixth form, which is usually at a local secondary school, or college, which is similar but usually larger and more informal, where they take 3-4 subject over the course of two years (ages 16-18). At the end of the second year, they take A-Level exams which decide where they can go to university. They also have the option to take an apprenticeship over the two years, if school isn’t for them. There are so many other differences between American and English schools and I look forward to talking about those in another post soon!
Shop Til You Drop: In America, we are used to being able to shop late into the night. I’ve been on grocery runs at 11 pm and working at a retail store up until 10. Some stores, like Walmarts, gas stations, and fast food restaurants can even be open 24/7. So it was surprising to go to England and discover the local shopping center stores closing their doors at 5 pm, even on a Friday. Few stores are even open on Sundays. Sometimes we’d get back late from a trip or need to pass some time before we met up for dinners out with friends, but everywhere would be closed. I even got locked in a bookstore once because I didn’t realize they were closing! Now, this doesn’t apply to every store, as there were some grocery stores like ASDA or Tesco that were open late or even 24 hours, but don’t expect to go out at 8 pm for a late night clothing haul.
Keep the Change:
I was so excited when I exchanged my ugly green dollar bills for the brightly colored British pound notes. The notes were easy to distinguish, as they come in different sizes and colors according to worth, it was the coins that I had to adjust to. In America, we often disregard our coins, using any opportunity to get rid of the bulk they cause in our wallets, but in England, they serve more of a purpose. The coins, called ‘pence’ (or ‘p’ for short), come in .01, .02, .05, .10, .20, .50, 1.00, and 2.00. There are no one pound notes, they are always coins, so don’t overlook these! I found that, besides the 1p, 2p, and 5p, I used coins a lot. They came in handy when buying food, paying for the bus, and splitting bills at restaurants. Getting used to them can be a bit tricky and I always had to read how much they were worth before I handed them to the cashier, but I found it easier as time went on. The shapes and sizes are easy to memorize and I got the hang of it eventually.
Oh The Places You’ll Go: Public transport is one thing I will never stop praising about Europe. Having the freedom to hop on a bus or train and travel around the country was amazing. In America, if you don’t have a car or drivers license, you’re stuck unless you live in a city with a decent subway system. But in England, I was able to travel both locally by bus or take a train somewhere further away. Without this system, I wouldn’t have been able to experience nearly as much as the country as I did. While the costs can add up and the bus schedules can be tricky, it was a fair deal for the amount of freedom I got. The access to the public transport is definitely one of the things I miss the most about living in England.
While there are probably an endless amount of differences between England and America, I felt that these were the most prominent and important during my stay across the pond. But, despite the clear differences that may stick out when visiting another country, it's important to also find some common ground. Finding similarities can help us learn about and understand countries, getting to know them rather than separating the two places. So keep in mind that, no matter how different a place may seem, there are also many things that bring us together as well.
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