Impressions of the Expat American about the Brits

chary, you seem like you are in a really bad mood today. I hope you feel better soon!

chary, you seem like you are in a really bad mood today. I hope you feel better soon!

No, I'm in a great mood. But thanks for your concern.

No worries mate!!!! 

I'll bite! So at my old job everyone assumed I was "wrong" because I am American.

So I was proofreading something and someone wrote visa versa and I corrected it to vice versa.  And I was told, somewhat snottily, that vice versa might be the way they do it in America, but not in the UK.

I let it go.  I hope everyone at the conference thought she was a moron.

But that was a jerky place with lots of jerky people.  My other UK jobs have been fine.

bookgrl - Very funny story! 

I'm generalising, big time, but I find that people comment that many Americans 'Speak their mind' (myself included) and many people claim that English people sort of talk 'around' an issue - they say they are often less direct.

Sometimes, supposedly, both nationalities think the other nationality does 'it' too often.

Supposedly, English people sometimes think Americans could do with a bit of toning down, and some Americans wish the English would just come out with it.

But, that said, I know people on both sides of the pond who do not fit that bill.

My English mother in law is very (comically) direct, and my American cousin, from NYC, will talk for ten minutes, and hint at what she is saying, but never actually say it.

All Americans are not alike, and all English people are not alike, and anyone with a brain can clearly see that.

A couple of good things to read on this general topic are: Watching the English, by Kate Fox, and Small Island, by Bill Bryson.

Very helpful post.Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I'll bite! So at my old job everyone assumed I was "wrong" because I am American.

So I was proofreading something and someone wrote visa versa and I corrected it to vice versa.  And I was told, somewhat snottily, that vice versa might be the way they do it in America, but not in the UK.

I let it go.  I hope everyone at the conference thought she was a moron.

But that was a jerky place with lots of jerky people.  My other UK jobs have been fine.

Bookgirl

Thanks for sharing your story from work. I enter this potential move with a open mind and a high level of awareness that moving to a different culture requires a certain amount of reasonable expectation. Adjustment is the word that come to mind and also learning to go with the flow. Btw, that person at yourjob appeared to be a complete jerk.

Overheadsmash, I understand you wanting to ask these questions before a life-changing move.  The unknown is always scary.  My advice would be to ask away before you leave, but please don't arrive with a ready-formed opinion based on what a few strangers on the Internet have told you about their experiences!

Just like the US, some areas of the UK are more cosmopolitan than others.  Just like the US, there are people who have funny ideas about foreigners (from any corner of the world).  Most importanly, just like the US, every person is an individual who has watched different movies, travelled different amounts and read different newspapers in their lifetime.

Be open and ready to have some of your ideas reinforced and some challenged.  Unless you spend your entire life in the place where you grew up, this will happen anywhere, anyway!

Well said rbbarch!

Overheadsmash, I understand you wanting to ask these questions before a life-changing move.  The unknown is always scary.  My advice would be to ask away before you leave, but please don't arrive with a ready-formed opinion based on what a few strangers on the Internet have told you about their experiences!

Just like the US, some areas of the UK are more cosmopolitan than others.  Just like the US, there are people who have funny ideas about foreigners (from any corner of the world).  Most importanly, just like the US, every person is an individual who has watched different movies, travelled different amounts and read different newspapers in their lifetime.

Be open and ready to have some of your ideas reinforced and some challenged.  Unless you spend your entire life in the place where you grew up, this will happen anywhere, anyway!

What a very helpfull and thoughtful post. There is a part of me that's nervous about this move (doubt if that is a secret)and asking these questions is just another way of saying....."tell me good things about the UK". I'm not real big on major change but at the same time I feel change is constructive and neccessary. I like to think of myself as this modern thinking guy but the truth probably is that I'm just a middle aged fart trying to find my way with these new life choices.

I will keep asking questions and thanks to many people on this site I'm sure to gain helpful insight into what its like to live outside America. There are things like housing which I must start thinking about. She wants me to experience the typical british life style and is doing everything possible to get the ball rolling. We are in the process of selecting the type of house. Picking between something with low maintenance such as a townhouse or something very British like a Thatch Roof house. She wants a historic home.I'm good as long as there is room for an outdoor barbeque. This move is starting to feel very real and trust me I will arrive with a very open mind. What we men do to be with our women