One time you felt like an 'outsider' in the UK

For me, it was at a Christmas concert at the Barbican with my fiancee and his parents.  Now, i haven't moved over there yet....and hadn't been planning to at that point...but at the end of the concert (which was lovely) people had flags and were singing all kinds of UK songs (the only one i can remember was Rule Britannia!) and it was so wonderful and hearing my fiancee so proud and singing so happily.....it still makes me tear up thinking he was leaving a country he loved so much for me.  :'(

Well, things have changed and i'm moving there for a few years but I still felt so alone there in that Hall.....and i'll be brushing up on my songs before i move so i don't feel like an idiot not knowing the words....   :-/

can you say: pantomime! holy cow! "he's right behind you!"

the first time i went to one of those i was so very very confused, my MIL and FIL to be took all of the "kids" (all in their 20-30s with no children among us) to see Alladin. i have never been more confused in my life! i thought that i had figured out the demeanor of the family, but i was wrong! there they were, cracker hats, blowing up balloons, singing songs. . . i was sooo lost!

could never imagine my family getting that wacky after being so reserved every other day of the year!

I'm always feeling like an outsider when there are jokes cracked about some z list celeb I've never heard of or something along the same line. And even more so when they have to explain it to me.  

For me it happened in a nail salon of all places.  Prior to that most people were pretty nice.  I had gone in to get the fake nails I had put on for my wedding off so as to not have too much damage.  The girls there acted as if I had interrupted a very private party.  They were polite enough but had a catty undertone and kept asking me to say "american" words.  I left feeling like a leper, but then again the fumes from the salon must have did them in.  

I can tell you one thing.  Many times it is our own insecurites that get to us . . . it's not so much how they see us, but how we feel they see us.  

I can tell you one thing.  Many times it is our own insecurites that get to us . . . it's not so much how they see us, but how we feel they see us.  

That's very true and something that one should definitely keep in mind.  Because I've never had a *bad* experience here I can single out as happening simply because I'm in England - and my husband is convinced it's because I've felt like this was home from the minute I stepped off the plane so I don't *seem* any different to other people (until I open my mouth, obviously!) and so I'm not treated any different.

I've never been to panto (no plans to either [smiley=thumbsup.gif]) but I agree with Ashley about feeling left out when talks/jokes about celebrities take place. Also things involving regional slang.  

Before I made any of my own friends at work to hang out with on a night out, I'd always hang out with the husband and his co-workers. Someone would crack a joke, everyone would laugh hysterically except me until the husband would lean over and whisper who it was they were on about. Most of the time it still meant nothing to me so I felt like a complete dork sat there with a wonky smile hoping no one would notice.  :-/

I still experience this to this day but it doesn't bother me as much now as it did back then because I know that if I don't know who they're on about, it probably doesn't matter anyway.  

The celeb thing gets me too...but I'm bad about knowing American celebs by name as well, so I haven't got a hope there!  

I did feel a bit strange my very first Christmas here, before I  moved here permanently.  I went to a church service on Christmas Eve, and was so looking forward to some lovely carols and singing....but all the songs were different!  Hark the Herald Angels Sing was not the song I had expected when I saw it on the programme....it was a bit upseting, and unsuspected and made me really conscious of the fact that I wasn't in Kansas (or Tennessee!) anymore.

OMG wishstar, this will be my first Christmas away from home in 27 years.   :'(

I'm going to be blasting our Christmas carols until church then!

The first meeting I had with the village newsletter committee. Not only was I extremely uncomfortable and wondered what on earth I volunteered for, I felt they were all wondering the same thing. They knew everything that was going on in this little community and I could contribute nothing.

Eight months on and I feel like I've been hanging with them from the beginning.

I feel out of place when I have to have something explained to me that a young child would know.  Such as what Christmas Crackers were and how they worked.   :-/

Oh yeah.. just thought of another.  Sean's mom offered me a 'ham roll with salad' once.  I took her up on the offer (expecting something like a ham and cheese sandwich and a bowl of salad with dressing) and then felt a bit embarrassed when she brought me a slice of ham on a sort of hot-dog roll type thing with a bit of lettuce on it.  I looked at it and asked what it was.  The expression on her face was sort of, "are you insane? what does it look like"  (The same thing happened with a sausage roll).  I was expecting something very different and she was amazed that I wouldn't know something that 'basic'.  

I feel out of place when I have to have something explained to me that a young child would know.  Such as what Christmas Crackers were and how they worked.   :-/

Don't worry, you are not alone with this one! I explained them to Stu but he still had to go and pull one by himself even after he had seen me and my parents doing them with each other. I know it is mean to laugh but that time I couldn't help it he looked so puzzled! You know we only invented these things to confuse new migrants, Xmas Crackers should be part of the new citizenship test!

It is funny how most people would assume UK and US cultures are so similar, and I suppose in some respects they are, but it isn't til one moves to the other country what you start to notice all these things. It took my father in law about a week to get me to understand what 'breakfast biscuits' are and then I only finally got it cause we went out for a family brunch and then when I saw them I was like "oh SCONES!!!"

oops sorry to hijack the thread, back to the Brit bashing please!

oops sorry to hijack the thread, back to the Brit bashing please!

Awwwww    

Thanks for the understanding though. Christmas Crackers are fun once you get the hang of them.  I was a bit nervous about pulling it the first time.

And the breakfast biscuits.. even though Sean has eaten them tons of times, his face still registers a blank look when I say 'biscuits' and try to describe them.  

I'm using crackers (not christmas pattern) at our wedding as favors!  I love them so much and we're filling with things that are appropriate: paper hat, string of beads (we met in New Orleans), candies and a note from us thanking everyone for coming.

I loved them from the second i tried them in the UK with his family and friends (although i was a little scared of the 'pop')

No brit bashing was meant in this thread....  

lol Aimiloo I'm using Xmas Crackers too!  Did you have any trouble finding a company to mail them?  I'm making my own chocolates and putting a note in thanking each guest for coming to the wedding as well.  Small world eh?  

Ooops sorry I hijacked as well.