Adjusting to life in the states.

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

Not fair! I blame the gay for that one! Those lot are messy though! Like, I can't even deal. It's like Jersey Shore meets Real Housewives... also known as that train wreck you can't look away from!

I'm also a closet fan of TOWIE.

Consider yourself judged again

[RM1987 3]

Where is everybody from in the UK and where are you now in the USA ?? I#m from Birmingham UK and now in Birmingham AL

I'm from Essex (I don't fit the stereotypical Essex girl description) and now living in Bremerton, WA.

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

This thread really made me smile. ETA: woahh this ended up being a long post but it's soo nice to get it all off my chest and share with people in the same boat!

I have been in Louisville KY for almost exactly 3 months now and, so far, it's been much easier than I anticipated. It really, really helps that everyone here loves 'the British', I still get comments on my accent and lots of questions and everyone is SO genuinely friendly and willing to help.

Maybe it's because i'm from the South of England so I have a 'stereotypical' English accent but I generally don't have an issue with people understanding me APART from sometimes ordering in a restaurant- usually as people have mentioned earlier when ordering water!- I think this may be because taking a drink order is the first time a waiter/ess with interacts with you, so your accent surprises them and catches them off guard.

I try to use some Americanisms just to make life easier but am stubbornly holding on to other British phrases- the loo, boot (not trunk) etc. When sending official correspondence I make sure to double check all spellings but I use an American laptop so that helps. Its not so much the language that I find challenging but, and this may sound strange, branding? I used to find it slightly overwhelming going into Target or Kroger and standing in the cleaning aisle attempting to choose products with NO clue as to what were the 'good' brands; in the UK I had my go to products that I could trust. Here I have to start all over again (My husband is 23 and a recent college graduate so asking him for advice on dishwasher tablets isn't going to be much help!). I'm getting there and our grocery shops are much quicker now!

I'm only 22 and graduated right in the middle of the whole visa process but I studied UK law, which is pretty much useless over here so I think it may prove challenging and potentially frustrating when my EAD comes through. I am so excited to actually start working though, getting out of the house, meeting people and contributing financially will really help this feel a bit more real I think.

Overall we are probably still in our 'honeymoon' phase where it all feels like an extended holiday. I am so incredibly lucky to have such a supportive husband, prior to me moving here he relocated to an area which is a 2min walk from bars/shops/restaurants and best of all a 5 min walk from a HUGE park so I can still go on my daily walks and that has honestly helped me no end- when he's working I can get out of the house without needing a car. It has been difficult relying on him for everything, he comes home tired after work and I am bored/up for getting out and doing things. It will make a huge difference when I sit my test and we buy a car- need to start practicing those parallel parks!

I do miss England, I miss the aesthetic prettiness of it all (which I didnt even think about until I left), I lived in a beautiful quaint village and here everything is BIG and functional, not necessarily attractive. I have recently started watching a few British tv shows on youtube and I laughed in a way I haven't laughed for ages- I get that humour and I get those references. I obviously miss the food, but thats no so bad as i'm the cook in this house so can sneak Shepherds pie and the odd Roast onto the menu occasionally. The hardest part for me is the distance from family & friends, I just wish I could pop home for a weekend. I always knew that would be the hardest part though and facetime, Skype, iMessage etc all make it soo much easier.

I do think that this initial period of being 'trapped' at home, unable to work, is difficult but its almost over (hopefully) for us. I would also imagine that if we decide to have children then that would be very difficult. Raising them away from my family and in a different culture will be hard for sure.

I truly am glad that everyone has enjoyed this thread so much! And sharing all their stories, it's a great read. And yes I worry he'll be stuck at home here too after the move, since we live in a very rural town in Tennessee so without a car you can't really go anywhere. The only thing that helps is that I work from home so at least he won't be here alone all the time and i'll be here. I just hope i can figure all the paperwork out and everything for AOS haha But I think he'll miss some of the stuff from England but overall he likes it here he says more. But it's hard to say. But I so cannot agree more about the aesthetic prettiness of England compared to here. You so hit the nail on the head with that. They tend to only build the buildings here to be cheap and functional, where is in England so many of the buildings are really old and so they are beautiful to look at as is the landscape. I loved looking around when I came to visit. So much different than it is here, but I was only there for a week and was just there to see him and to meet his family so I didn't get to see most of the tourist type places or castles, etc... So he's promised to take me back for a couple of weeks later on so we can go and view everything and I can see it properly. I can't wait!

[Cam54 84]

Im from kent but a more common area so my accent can be a cross between posh and chavvy most of the time so asking for water is a constant trouble as I switch between over pronouncing the t and not pronouncing it at all. I live in California now and people are so incredibly different to people I knew from home, there are alot of unspoken social rules I have no idea about and people are so loud!! lol, in my work review recently I was told I talk to quiet, my volume was never an issue in the uk

[MacUK 983]

in my work review recently I was told I talk to quiet, my volume was never an issue in the uk

Pardon?

When I was in the States I was mostly told that I talk too fast for people to understand.

Now I live in Scotland (moved from Milton Keynes) I find it's the natives up here who speak too fast

[Pooky 3,348]

Because there are few places in the world that aren't an improvement on Portsmouth

Oy! Watch it, you!

[cowboysgirlfriend 1]

I have been here for six months now. I am happy here, but the one thing I am struggling with is the food. Some of it just tastes different, it isn't what I'm expecting (cheese, for example. Cheddar doesn't taste anything like cheddar). I'm still hunting for the right go-to brands. A lot of it is trial and error just now. I often get cravings for random British foods - a good banger, McVities chocolate digestives, Branston Pickle... And I'd love to go somewhere, just once, and get a really good cup of tea for a change.

[CoTL 2]

I have been here for six months now. I am happy here, but the one thing I am struggling with is the food. Some of it just tastes different, it isn't what I'm expecting (cheese, for example. Cheddar doesn't taste anything like cheddar). I'm still hunting for the right go-to brands. A lot of it is trial and error just now. I often get cravings for random British foods - a good banger, McVities chocolate digestives, Branston Pickle... And I'd love to go somewhere, just once, and get a really good cup of tea for a change.

I haven't had a decent sausage since I got here! I've just recently got "Irish Banger Sausages" from Fresh Market, and they are a joke. Chocolate digestives, I have actually seen at Walmart though! World Market has quite a lot of English foods too.

I want black pudding.

[MacUK 983]

Think I'll nip out and get some Wiltshire back bacon and bangers for a buttie, maybe a pack of Hob Nobs too.

[LeftCoastLady 441]

Hello everyone! I haven't posted in ages, but good to see some familiar names are still frequenting the UK forum.

My husband was born and raised in Wales, but spent the last 10 years before moving to the U.S. in England. We live in Portland, OR. (I saw a post in this thread from someone in Vancouver, WA...hello neighbor!)

Adjusting to life in the U.S. was easy in some regards for my husband, and difficult in others. The weather in the Pacific NW is similar and he loves the rain/clouds. There's a pretty big UK expat community here, so stores tend to carry special items. We can find Marmite in the local supermarket and he's adjusted to the bread and cheese options -- Franz and Tillamook, respectively. He's not a big tea drinker nor does he care for Indian food, so those didn't trigger off feelings of homesickness in any way.

Because we did the K-1, he couldn't work right away. At the time, I worked from home, so that was an adjustment for me to have him at home all day while I worked. We created a "mancave" in the second bedroom with a TV, XBox, comfortable chair, and streaming subscriptions so he could have a space while I worked. Other days, he would take the bus downtown and hang out in the library or Powell's Books for a few hours.

Once the green card arrived, he started applying for jobs, but it was hard. He would get to the interview stage, but not get the job, which was very demotivating and he became really down on himself. I let him vent, but also didn't let him get himself too down to the point where it would lead to not applying to anything.

But, things picked up! Thankfully, he landed a volunteer gig, which led to some short-term paid work before landing his current position.

These days, we both have full-time gigs outside the house. He's so much happier being busy and not feeling as if he were being a "mooch" despite my reassuring him things would get better. One time last week, when I was working a bit later than usual, I sent him a small shopping list of things to pick up on his way home. One of the things was bacon. He made the "I bring home the bacon!" joke for two days.

Like others have said, there really isn't one experience to adjusting because there are so many variables -- age, location, willingness to jump into the new environment, etc. Definitely take time to be supportive and try to encourage them to explore their new surroundings as much as possible. One of the first things my husband did shortly after arriving was get a library card. It's a small thing, but empowering because he did it on his own.

I wish everyone the best on their journeys! (It really is one!)

Edited April 4, 2015 by LeftCoastLady

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Try this you guys, they let you ship as well. Or those that are close can stop in. I am not promoting them nor do I know them. lol But I have seen some really good reviews about this place and their sausages you can purchase to cook at home as well. We are going to try when my fiance gets here. I hope it helps

http://www.theenglishporkpiecompany.com/

[cowboysgirlfriend 1]

Try this you guys, they let you ship as well. Or those that are close can stop in. I am not promoting them nor do I know them. lol But I have seen some really good reviews about this place and their sausages you can purchase to cook at home as well. We are going to try when my fiance gets here. I hope it helps

http://www.theenglishporkpiecompany.com/

OK, this and finding a World Market not a thousand miles away has made a rather intolerable week vastly more tolerable. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[vicks5721 18]

As I have been here two weeks now since March 24 th I thought I would add how I am doing. I knew before I came that I would fit in well here and I was and still am happy about living in a small town with only 1,300 population. I was right that I knew I would feel at home here! Let me say before I continue though it is not what some people call "honeymoon period" I am feeling. It is that feeling of you are home and where you belong.. I have always loved America and the culture. I am loving all the food and nothing has surprised me there, it doesnt taste different really if it has it is better! I love how they celebrate holidays here, recently I experienced Easter and gift baskets and the chocolate yum! I do miss the tradition of large easter eggs like in UK, but everything else makes up for it. I noticed how cold it was when I got to Minnesota but I am getting used to it now. I am more of a introvert so I don't need constant contact with people and I am relaxed about when and how I will make new friends. I enjoy nights in watching tv, going online, watching movies and when I get a library card reading. I am enjoying going to the supermarket and I actually find branding easy to understand and there are actually alot of familar brands as well like colgate and other international ones. I even found there is my favourite shampoo brand here so I can use the same one.. but I am happy to try new things as well. I get asked by my fiance's family all the time if I like the food and I love it all! They know I don't like very spicy food though I do like mild versions of curry, mexican etc. I love walking around town when it is warm enough out it is so peaceful compared to where I lived in England and I don't miss home at all. I rarely get homesick whenever I go away and I don't miss it besides a good fish and chips maybe from the seaside. Christmas will be odd without Yorkshire puddings but I look forward to my future in laws cooking, they both are great cooks. I look forward to all the places we will go and when we are married and when we do my AOS, EAD so that I can work soon. In the meantime I am content and enjoying getting used to living in a new house meaning the difference not a settling in thing. I am getting more used to joining in with talking to his family everyday and what to say etc. They ask me alot of questions but I give them benefit of the doubt with the silly ones and I know it is because they want to get to know me and where I am from. I know if I hadn't taught myself things about America I probably would do the same thing alot more. I love the lifestyle here, not many people agree with me but I like the American news better. So life is great! I am the happiest I have ever been being here in Minnesota with my Soulmate and best friend and in my favourite country! So it's all positive and I believe in staying positive always. I look forward to learning to drive and working in the future and right now I am excited to marry my fiance!

[rhirhi 35]

vicks5721, what a positive story! Love it

I actually realised a few weeks ago that I feel really settled here all of a sudden. Just after Christmas I went through a rough patch where I felt almost constantly frustrated by the differences between here and the UK, then of a sall udden I felt much better. Was a nice feeling! I'm starting to figure out which brands are good, how health insurance works and all those things which made me feel like I'd just landed here from another planet. I actually did our tax return which made me feel very proud! Still waiting on the refund though, so whether I did it right or not is another matter entirely

[Pooky 3,348]

I love the lifestyle here, not many people agree with me but I like the American news better.

Heresy!

Seriously, though, it sounds like you have a great outlook on life here in the US. Long may it continue.