Differences: living in the US versus the UK

[wexford65 0]

This thread is NOT meant as a knock against the UK or US. I started the 'UK sayings that arent in common use in the US' thread which seemed to get a lot of interest. I thought it would be nice to see what those from the UK appreciate here in the US or miss from the UK.

This thread below is the reverse of what got me started on this:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=3338.0

So, for me:

* I am currently in Florida (moving to the west coast this winter) and LOVE stepping outside in January to see the sun and experience temperatures in the mid 70s. After four years of it I am missing seasons, hence we are moving. The wonderful thing is the ability to get pretty much any weather you want by moving around the country.

* The ability to buy almost anything at 10PM seven days a week when near a big city is amazing. I did leave the UK in '95 so it might be like that there now for all I know.

* The selection of fresh fruit and vegetables is beyond anything I ever saw back in the UK.

* Lets be honest, the UK accent DOES help open doors and make friends.

* Health care is TOTALLY different. You pay for it but by golly you get a great service!!

So, what do YOU like about the US that you didn't have before.

On a different note and to level it out what do you miss from the UK. For me the biggest two by far are British foods and the good old British sense of humor. My wife now 'gets' most of my wise cracks but very few of our friends do.

I do also admit missing a good village pub. My wife (USC) and I went to the UK last winter and spent an evening in a small pub with thatched roof outside Stratford Upon Avon. She pretty much fell in love with the place and now hates the themed British pubs here that seem to think calling everyone mate, saying cheers and having Union Jacks all over the wall is IT. Oh, and they seem to feel a need to include music from Oasis.

Edited July 23, 2009 by wexford65

[milesinfront 2]

I live in Manhattan. I appreciate:

Polite, sober children. Stores that stay open beyond office hours. Variety of products / services. Patriotism. Good weather. Good food. Good service. Safe streets.

I miss (although I can survive without):

Good old-fashioned pubs, British TV. British humor.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I miss British holiday entitlements

[wannabe_texan 0]

I live in Houston, things I love about here:

- The weather, I will never get bored of the sunshine (I have no need for seasons after so many years of cold and damp growing up in Wales).

- Great people - very friendly, saying Hi to people you don't know in the street and the elevator

- Fantastic food, places to visit, many different cultural experiences just within the one country

- Nobody is judgmental on the fact that I'm an entrepreneur. I gave up my fast track mgmt job in London at a Fortune 100 company to be with my husband here and start a business from nothing. In England, people would think (and do think) I was crazy to give up the security and salary. I know better.

- The red soil/dirt of Texas (in the country) - I still think that's amazing...

Things I miss about England (and western Europe generally):

- Old Architectures - I used to love to go to National Trust houses/places/castles that were really old (not just a couple hundred years old *wink, wink*). My father's house in the UK is over 300 years old, you rarely see a house in Houston that isn't scheduled for demolition at 30-40 years...

- People 'seem' to take better care of their pets there... I volunteer at the SPCA and foster dogs, maybe its a Texas thing, but I've seen bigger numbers of stray/homeless/unwanted animals and worse things than I ever imagined

- Rose gardens (all that rain is needed to make some things beautiful)

- Marks & Spencers

- The parks and the tube in London

[English Muffin 59]

The best things about living in the US are 'right turn on red' and the lack of chavs.

The only thing I miss is bread.

[TracyTN 237]

Hubby misses decent beer, kebabs, curries and his family.

Beyond that, he prefers everything else here.

[Mark&Steph 0]

I miss British holiday entitlements

[mamaSue 38]

Things I love here in Georgia.....

The weather

Golden Corrall

My house...my pool... and the wildlife in my backyard

The politeness of everyone I've met

Nascar and the rodeo

Being called "Miss Sue"

Things I miss....

My daughter (but she works for an airline, so she visits often)

Being able to drive to Europe

Crusty rolls

The NHS..... Especially the NHS!!!!!

[Gemmie 142]

I live in Massachusetts.

I love:

The standard of living generally seems higher in some aspects

A much better value for money - everything was so damn expensive in the UK

Nice food - and honey mustard

Polite people and good customer service wherever you go

Actually waking up to some sun

Everything staying open for longer than 5-6pm

Safety. There are no drunken teenagers around here, and I've only heard of one rapist making the news

I miss:

Not having commercials every 4 minutes

The British accent (along with the humour as others have said... I can't even explain why it's different, I just know that there are different reactions between the two countries to certain things)

Indian take-aways everywhere

Being able to walk to everything needed and wanted

Not having religion mentioned so often; as well as hearing about gay rights, women rights, etc. (that might just be because the news covers the whole country though)

Having food and drink without enormous amounts of sugar

My family and friends

[Welshcookie 17]

I live in Massachusetts.

I love:

The standard of living generally seems higher in some aspects

A much better value for money - everything was so damn expensive in the UK

Nice food - and honey mustard

Polite people and good customer service wherever you go

Actually waking up to some sun

Everything staying open for longer than 5-6pm

Safety. There are no drunken teenagers around here, and I've only heard of one rapist making the news

I miss:

Not having commercials every 4 minutes

The British accent (along with the humour as others have said... I can't even explain why it's different, I just know that there are different reactions between the two countries to certain things)

Indian take-aways everywhere

Being able to walk to everything needed and wanted

Not having religion mentioned so often; as well as hearing about gay rights, women rights, etc. (that might just be because the news covers the whole country though)

Having food and drink without enormous amounts of sugar

My family and friends

I'm pretty much the same as Gemmie....the religion thing still freaks me out a bit

[HikerMark 5]

I live in Phoenix.

Likes

1. Eating outside. Since my arrival in November we have only eaten our evening meal inside on a handful of occasions.

2. Shops being open later than in the UK.

3. Amazing scenery in Arizona.

4. Very friendly people.

5. Wide open roads for driving both inside and outside the city.

6. Cheap fruit and veg.

Miss

1. Green fields of Devon.

2. UK television, although there is BBC America for good news etc.

3. Family and friends.

4. Hiking on Dartmoor.

mamaSue, we discovered Golden Corrall on a road trip to Utah in January. Amazing value for money.

[Ellie-and-David 38]

I just moved to Tampa in Florida and I love:

Likes

1. The weather! We have but a handful of grey days and hot weather all the time. I love the thunderstorms which are explosive and powerful.

2. My apartment community - Friendly, well kept, swimming pool and gym on site (pretty standard amenities in Florida coms)

3. The food - Fresh expertly cooked fish. BOOOOOOTIFUL

4. The apparent lack of watershed tv times - No waiting till 9 to watch adult content movies and TV!

5. Friendly laid back atmosphere of Floridians

6. Incredible beaches within half an hour.

7. Late opening stores.

Dislikes

1. Ads on TV. SO annoying. Every 4 mins GRRR

2. British Humour.

3. Being asked all the time where I am from and people immitating my accent

4. Hills. It is so flat here. I find the never ending horizon intimidating

5. Being sweaty all the time. Down side of humid heat!

6. Missing Galaxy chocolate

The thing I love about Florida - My husband :-)

[FutureAmerican 2]

I agree with much of what's been said before...but here's my list:

Likes:

- Lower Taxes

- So many different places to live/travel to within the US

- Friendlier people and better customer service in general

- Better opportunities for careers in Law Enforcement/Space Industry (the two areas I'm trying to get into)

- More flexibility with College courses (can't wait to go back when I can afford it!)

- Opening hours for stores

- Less drunks and idiotic chavs

- Bigger roads!! (Seriously helpful if you drive an SUV in the mountains like I do!)

- Weapon laws...won't get too political about it, but I'm thankful I now live somewhere that I'm trusted to own certain weapons which are illegal in the UK.

- I've found people to be overall more positive and encouraging out here - when I discuss ambitions and career objectives out here I get useful advice and encouragement, back in the UK I mostly got put down and told just to accept my current status.

Things I miss/dislike:

- Tough to find good Indian food

- My family and friends

- Lack of public transport outside of Major Metro Areas

- Historical sites that are really, really old

One thing I will say, is that I LOVE the fact that my accent has come in handy so many times over here! In my current work (Hospital Security), I've been able to successfully calm down violent patients just because they get curious about where I came from, how it is in the UK etc etc. Some employers even seemed to like having a "Token Limey" on board! Unfortunately, that wasn't the case back in the UK - somehow my accent was classed as "posh" by "working class" folk, and "upper class" folk were convinced I was foreign...no idea how that one came about!!

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I'm in California and:

Likes

The weather, of course! Even if I am complaining because it's so hot all of the time.

Some aspects of the scenery and wildlife. I love the redwoods, and we have a pair of vultures nesting near us which I find very cool.

Better job opportunities, at least here in the Bay Area, and higher salaries.

Comments on my accent, of course.

Shops being open late at night - I'll second this one.

Chocolate - salted chocolate appears to be more popular here, and it is the best chocolate I have tasted.

Dislikes

Not being able to walk to work, the local pub, shops...there aren't even sidewalks where I live.

There are many beautiful parks around here, but they all close at sunset and none of them allow dogs. I'd love to get a dog but there's literally nowhere to walk one. I can't recall living anywhere in the UK where you couldn't drive for ten minutes and come across open countryside where a dog could be let off the leash.

I'll third, fourth? good Indian food. Actually, half the people at my workplace are from India and we eat Indian for lunch every Friday, so I can't complain too much, but the food is from a different area of India and so I miss my usual favourites.

Holiday entitlement - oh yes! I have three friends and my mother visiting this year, and I can't take enough time off to see them all!

The NHS - I'm really lucky to have decent medical insurance, dental care and vision care with my job, but it was scary being without it for a while and I'm terrified of losing it again. I've met a few people who've been virtually bankrupted through illness or just by having kids.

Overall, despite the lengths of my lists, the positives far, far outweigh the negatives. I really love California.

[Hannah+Vito 0]

Loves my husband, the cali, weather, some of the food, my new friends, a bright future ahead of us(kids etc.), the fact i live in a city and i have a better chance of doing something with my degree here than in a small town in uk.

dislikes, when food looks like its the same thing but then you eat it and it is so not (chicken korma without even a hint of cocconunt, chicken pot pies and that wired pastry made me feel sick.) the fact that a one bed appartment in los angeles in a reletiveily nice area costs around $1400 or more a month. and you dont seem to get so much space for your money in Los Angeles (life over here isn't always cheaper )

something that has bermused me and dunno if i am alone here but at home food had best before on it but then once opened consume within.....days or only keep in freezer for month.....

most of the time here it has a best before date ut i dont think i have found dfood once that had once opened eat within.... and the how long you can freeze for i havent seen that yet either am i missing it? i have opened taramasalata in the fridge and i am not sure to chuck it or not but to tell truth it does smell bit vinigary already. i miss labels telling me what to do.