Adjusting to life in the states.

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

So here is a question for all the England people out there that have already made the move. My fiance asked how hard it was to adjust to life over here. Not so much the food and stuff. But like obviously you guys use different words than us for some things. Did you guys adjust that and start using our words for those things to make the transition easier especially at work? What about spelling of words? Since several words we spell different than you guys? Did you adjust that here and try to spell as we do? He was just wondering as that is the only thing concerning him , especially in regards to being able to find a job. Well that and the driving! LOL! Any advice?

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

I think it is a natural transition to pick up on the way the people around you talk because that's what you hear all day. The longer here, the more you pick up. My husband talks and spells very American and even let's out the occasional Texas ya'll, yet still has a Btitish accent. Meanwhile I hear myself come out with British phrases, not because I am trying but because I hear them over and over.

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Oh yes I do that too! Just because I hear it so much. And yes I didn't figure he would lose his accent nor do I want him too. Haha ? but I wanted some input on the other. Thank you!

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Sometimes the need to communicate makes you switch when what you said didn't get the response you wanted. Here's a story on my husband.

We had met up with a VJ couple in Boston and went whale watching and then dinner. They had parked at a train station and commuted in. We had a car, so offered to take them to their car since it was in the town where our hotel was.

It was dark and we couldn't find the station and drove round and round for quite some time. It became comical really because three of us got the sillies as my husband, the driver, got tenser and tenser. Then he pulled into a Lowe's home improvement store because he couldn't wait another minute to use the restroom. We waited in the car. The American of the couple said, "I hope he doesn't go in and ask where the toilets are". Yep, he did, and was directed to the plumbing fixture aisle, completely on the opposite side of the store from the restrooms. We laughed so hard we were crying just imagining him using one of the displays in desperation.

[lost_at_sea 995]

I work in an office with a bunch of Americans. They basically think I'm the "quirky English woman" and pretty really enjoy that I say words differently or use entirely different words for some things. They think it's cute. I also regularly have to go "I'm sorry, ####### is a *one of those*" for random words and things, and they laugh and explain. It's actually more fun than it is annoying or a weird transition. Americans love Brits. It makes it all super easy.

For personal communication, like on chats or sms or whatever, I use British spellings. For official documents that are going outside the office to someone important (I work with govs, so...) I use American spellings so they don't think I'm an imbecile.

I would say that when he's applying for a job, he should probably just run a US-dictionary spell check over his applications. He'll be fine!

Edit: OMG, VJ #s out the acronym What The Feck. So PC.

Edited March 13, 2015 by lost_at_sea

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Alright awesome, thank you for all of your input. It makes him feel less anxious about the days ahead. Thank you all!

[MacUK 983]

I think the ease or difficulty with transition is down to the individual.

Personally I found it quite difficult to get my head round some things. Maybe because the US is a supposedly English speaking country it made it more strange to hear the few little differences.

Or the funny looks I'd get if I ask if someone's seen my train or if I use any quaint little British phrases.

It probably made it a bit stranger that we lived only about an hours drive away from a major destination for British tourists so I'd feel quite at home there but the town we lived in was relatively rural so my 'Britishness' stood out a tad more.

On the other hand, when I moved back to old Blighty I found that I'd picked up quite a few Americanisms in my speech so I still stood out a bit back home!

Even now 12 years later I still find myself using the occasional American phrase now and then.

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Yeah I can understand that. Everyone does notice it with him because like you I love in a very small rural Tennessee town so not a tourist town. But he's also been to America a lot so on visits it doesn't bother him. Except when he doesn't know that something is then it does make him feel awkward.

[Cody and Daisy 373]

Maybe it's because I lived in my neighboring state when I was younger but I never really understood the problem some people have, especially the English, adjusting to the states.

Apart from obviously some food is different, everything has a drive through, you drive on the wrong side of the road and signs are confusing as hell, I never had a problem and still don't.

The different sayings and accents don't bother me, and that's proberly because I've lived in different parts of England and my family is from Scotland and I'm used to strong accents.

I find it funny when Americans can't understand me, I obviously think I'm speaking very clear because my family is from Cheshire and we have that odd polite Manchester accent, but For instance we went to the cinema once and I asked for a bottle of water... The lady made me repeat myself three times until my husband asked for me!

I didn't think the way I talked was that difficult! Maybe it's because I talk pretty fast.

What I guess I'm trying to say is, you never know how you'll adjust or what you'll find different until you are actually living it and not just having a holiday. Holiday situations never bother you because you know it's only a few days and then you're going home, but when it's your new life you start to see all the differences.

It can be pretty fun.

Ps- the biggest issue for me was moving from London where it's always busy and fast and you can get anywhere at any time to nothing basically.. No public transport, nothing local, no big city, no where nice to take walks.. That was a big change.

[Devonian 20]

... I asked for a bottle of water... The lady made me repeat myself three times until my husband asked for me!

I

With my lazy Devonian accent, asking for 'war-der' is no problem - trying to get a 'tomato' in your sub though, that's a whole different ball game.

[-Shana- 152]

With my northern accent I sometimes replace t sounds with some strange back of the throat punctuation. Water would become "War-ur" so I'm sure Americans will have a field day if I let that one slip. I do, however, adjust to new accents and make an effort to pronounce my t's quite well having taught English in Japan. I was told from day 1 to tone down my accent as much as possible.

I did once ask someone if they had a bin so I could throw something away and she replied "...do I have a pen?" and then I completely blanked before realising I needed to ask for a trash can.

I think the biggest challenge I'll face is working in America, having to deal with different work ethics than I'm used to.

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

So everyone seems to have a lot different experiences. He is from Manchester so sometimes he mumbles a bit on some words and it's like what? lol But he doesn't really slow down either when talking to me. He tends to talk slower to other American people though to give them a chance to understand him. But I think sometimes people make you guys repeat yourselves for certain words just because they like to hear it. At least in my experience it was like that for some ladies when he says certain things. So funny to see everyone's experiences are different. Which obviously you guys are no different from us in the fact that depending on what part of the country your from makes all of your accents slightly different. Same for us. Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[Cody and Daisy 373]

With my lazy Devonian accent, asking for 'war-der' is no problem - trying to get a 'tomato' in your sub though, that's a whole different ball game.

Written down I say water- wha-ah.

In my head I'm saying water but my mouth is saying wah-ah emphasizing on the first a.

Hard to explain ?

It's almost as bad as asking my husband to buy some aluminium foil...

Edited March 16, 2015 by Cody and Daisy

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Lol he does the same thing and with butter as well. There is no T there.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

I can deal with aluminium okay. But the one British word (pronunciation) that makes me crazy is vitamins.

Hearing VIT-amins is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. I banned the word. LOL