New to UK from Cleveland

Hi! My partner and I just moved here this week from Cleveland.  I am doing a PhD at Kings and she works in cancer research.  We are living in Shepards Bush on the border of Holland Park. We didn't expect to have culture shock... But who knew! It's been a rough transition.  Today I am off to figure out how to pay council taxes.  We would love to get to know others in London! Cheers!

Heh. The amount of culture shock is startling, isn't it? You think, "aw, I grew up watching The Avengers...how hard can it be?"

Actually, out here in the boonies, it really is a lot like The Avengers.

Welcome to the forum. Not in London any more, though.

Hi, I'm currently in London. I applied to the grad program at King's many moons ago and my husband went to King's as an undergrad even more moons ago! Would love to meet you both!

Hello and welcome from a fellow Ohioan! I'm from Akron and now live a bit north of London, in Hertfordshire. I work on the Strand though, so am in central London every day. I hope the transition goes a bit more smoothly for you soon - the first few weeks can be a bit rough, but we've all been there so do ask if you need anything!

Hi & welcome to UKY from a native Clevelander (West Park area)!

If you ever get lost with the transition, just ask on here or check on direct.gov.uk.   

Hi, and welcome!  When I first arrived, I really missed huge American refrigerators (can't fit one in our tiny kitchen), large clothes closets, ovens that don't make you get on your knees in order to place food in them (and same for clothes in the washing machine), and, believe it or not, regular sink faucets!  Our faucets have a metal separator up inside to separate the cold and hot water even though they both run out of the same opening. So I burnt my hands a LOT since the two temps were not mixed together!  Slightly move your hand to the left and you get the burning hot water, to the right is the cold. Crazy. Then there's the hard water dilemma which dries out your skin.  With the high cost of electricity, we can't even run our clothes dryer, so I have rough, harsh bath towels from them drying on a clotheshorse in the living room. I feel like I'm living in pioneer days. lol   Okay, it's not THAT bad.  

Hi and Welcome!

I just moved to the UK this past summer too. I totally understand the culture shock bit. It doesn't seem like it should be THAT different but it really. I kinda like finding all these new things though that I didn't even realize would be something would have to think about. Hope you're able to figure out everything soon and that you settle in quickly.

Welcome!

We moved to Norwich from Cleveland (Fairview Park/Westlake) last summer. It was a bit of a culture shock for the better part of the first year, but we've settled in well so far.

Good luck to you both!