London doesn't equal England!

Ok I'm American and this bugs me to no end! A few of my friends (long lost and current) have been asking me questions about my relationship with my darling bf. When the subject of my daughter and I moving to England comes up everyone that I've told is pretty excited for me.. Most responses always start with "OMG you're moving to London?!?!" Umm wth? lol I said England not London.. I in return will politely say "No not London, I'll be in Nottingham area for a couple of years before I possibly make my way down towards London" I thought that would settle it, turns out I'm wrong haha. I was then again asked when am I moving to London? At this point in my mind I was ready to pull my hair out! How do people not hear when you say England? I understand London is the capital and known to everyone in the US. but I must say when people say that it bugs me and makes me feel like certain people are ignorant. Is it silly that this bugs me? Does this ever happen to you? (UK citizen or not)? Don't get me wrong I enjoy London, but establishing myself is a must before considering moving near or in an area that is highly overpriced!

I've had loads of people ask me how I like living in London. (I'm in Blackburn.) Before I moved over here, a LOAD of people asked me all sorts of questions about how I could leave home and move to London. Over here, when people ask where I am from, they always want to know how close it is to California, New York or Florida (and occasionally to Vegas).

I think the majority of people (US and UK.. and the rest of the world) associate what they know about a country as 'the whole country' in a way. You hear about London, Paris, New York, Tokyo etc.. but you don't really hear about the smaller towns in any country.

Don't get me wrong, it is very frustrating to have to keep explaining over and over that you don't live in London, and have to explain just how far Indiana is from the major cities and states in the US, but I don't think people really do it intentionally. I've gotten to where I just start with Indiana references, such as the 500 and the Colts, to distract people so I don't have to explain that I didn't live next door to Mickey Mouse in New York City.

I've had loads of people ask me how I like living in London. (I'm in Blackburn.)

Lol!  I grew up near Blackburn, and I can safely say that it's quite different to London!

I've had people say similar things to me.  One of my colleagues - who is well-traveled - told me he was going on vacation to Turkey and stopping off in London to visit some of his wife's relatives.  Turns out he didn't go to London, he went to Peterborough 

Conversely, NYC doesn't equal the US.  I've lived in CT, MA, and NJ (a little bit in PA).  When I mention those places to people in the UK, I generally get asked what NYC is like.  (cause aren't all those places right next to New York?  or at least really close?)

As TamaMoo mentioned, I think people (from anywhere) associate the famous hubs of a country with the entire country.  I don't think it's intentional; it's just what they recognize and like to go with what they know.

I always tell people back home that Im about 3½ to 4 hours drive from central London and its really insulting to think its so close. Its like telling someone from Baltimore that they live in Philly or something similar.

I get the same here when I tell people Im from Lower NY and have to explain Long Island to them. I generally tell them where I grew up is in relation to NYC as central London is to Essex, which always gives a look of a disappointment on their faces...

I get that as a Brit, oh you are from London. Or because we fly out from Manchester, DW's dad is always asking me about Manchester United as though I most support them then. i mean we are only 30 miles away, and people 30 miles from Philly follow the Eagles!
Try to explain there are far more teams in a small area, but he doesn;t get that I follow a team in a lower league.....thats like a minor league to him so I must have a "major league" team!

 

Muah ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!

I laugh so hard because it's all soo true!

Most of my friends and family think England and London are the same thing.... I've grown weary of correcting them, lol.

However, my experience on the reverse is this:  I'm from Atlanta, Ga... and so when my UK friends heard about this, they alllll assumed I should have had this extremely southern drawl and live in an outhouse.  So big metropolises are equated with deliverance?  

Having lived in NYC for 99% of my life, I didn't realize how much this would really grind my gears until I lived here.

EVERYONE (including some really 'intelligent' people) asks me how London is.  And then, everything to find that's "good" when I search for something, is in London. I'm getting more and more bitter about London getting everything, LOL. Which is why I'm doing something to change that...but that's another story.

Anywho...I started of answering "I wouldn't know...they are 3 hours away and I live in Sherwood Forest in the middle of the Island."  ... Just goes over there heads.

So now I've started answering back "Oh London is great.  How's (insert state that's no where near where they are)?"  When they respond, confused, I say "Yeah...you know...how is it where you live?"  and when they say "I don't live anywhere near (place)" I respond "I don't live anywhere near London either."

I'm finding this tactic is working.

But I'm still bitter.

Don't be bitter! Just move to London. 

So now I've started answering back "Oh London is great.  How's (insert state that's no where near where they are)?"  When they respond, confused, I say "Yeah...you know...how is it where you live?"  and when they say "I don't live anywhere near (place)" I respond "I don't live anywhere near London either."

Absolutely brilliant :-)  I think I might have to use this....

Don't be bitter! Just move to London. 

ROTFL!!

Never, if I can help it. I love it where I live!

You think that's bad, try living in Scotland. People either ask me how England is (because, naturally, the UK and England are interchangeable) or how Ireland is. 

I understand London is the capital and known to everyone in the US. but I must say when people say that it bugs me and makes me feel like certain people are ignorant.

I had the same thing happen over and over even though I was very clear in telling people that I was moving to Manchester. 

My classic moment?  I told a nurse I worked with that I was moving to England.  Her reply?  Ummm, England, that's in London, right?  Heh.  Things like that make me embarrassed to admit that I'm American. 

I had the same thing happen over and over even though I was very clear in telling people that I was moving to Manchester.  

My classic moment?  I told a nurse I worked with that I was moving to England.  Her reply?  Ummm, England, that's in London, right?  Heh.  Things like that make me embarrassed to admit that I'm American.  

LMAO wow! That's sad! I swear certain people make Americans look uneducated and ignorant to other countries lol. You think most people would retain what they learned in school  

I had the same thing happen over and over even though I was very clear in telling people that I was moving to Manchester. 

My classic moment?  I told a nurse I worked with that I was moving to England.  Her reply?  Ummm, England, that's in London, right?  Heh.  Things like that make me embarrassed to admit that I'm American. 

When I was in Arizona we stopped for some gas and the lady cashier said to my English friend, "I love your accent". He said he liked hers too (it was really broad) and she looked at him in surprise and said "But I haven't got an accent!" (accent had 4 syllables: ay-uhk-se-yent). Then she asked where he was from. "England? is that near New York?"

THis reminded me of some German POWs in World War 2 who I read about. They  escaped from prison camp in Canada and got over the border into the US and headed for Mexico. One of them said he told a friendly girl he met on the way that he was from Germany and she thought that was near New York as well.