I'm living abroad in the UK and I hate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people are rude, the service is bad, the food is bad, you pay more for everything. I am a friendly and polite, respectful person (not a "loud, annoying American). And all anyone ever cares about is how much money they can get out of me. It's exhausting. And the road are not maintained. I had an accident when tripping in a cracked sidewalk. I was visibly hurt and no one would even move over a little bit so I could walk past on the sidewalk (beside them). I had to walk in the road while they walked on the sidewalk. That is a frequently occurrence - people not moving over so you can both have room on the sidewalk.

That was my experience in the U.K. as well. Except for Indian food. It's fantastic. Surprisingly I found the French to be nicer overall.

Oh, I do love the Indian food here! And they'll even deliver it to your doorstep (hard to find in some US cities). The first thing I did here when I got back was order some takeaway chicken tikka masala.

What part of the UK were you in? And what were some of your experiences?

Bath and London mostly. I don't want to get into too much, but the hi-light had to be getting hit by a car and having the driver yell at me for scaring his passenger. It was my fault (looked wrong way when entering crosswalk) but damn, yelling at someone on the ground after you hit them with a car seems excessive.

And then he started yelling at me that I would need to pay for his broken windshield. It was a bit surreal.

That is DESPICABLE!!!! He hit you hard enough to crack your windshield and then yelled at you? OMG!!!! I cannot ever imagine that happening in the US and if it did some passerby would have stopped to help you and be telling him off. That is just... wow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The U.K. Is awful unless you are earning a ton.

They have to even pay more salary for footballers to compensate for how crappy it is compared to Spain.

People dump on Spain but if you have a great job/economically secure, Spain is miles better.

A friend of mine took a paycut to live in Italy compared to the offer he received from a premier league club. He said the same think op said - people are mean and the culture is awful.

The premier league is the wealthiest football league , they pay players more because they can afford to . Speaking of Spain , how those economic reforms that Merkel asked them to implement coming along ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people are rude, the service is bad, the food is bad, you pay more for everything. I am a friendly and polite, respectful person (not a "loud, annoying American). And all anyone ever cares about is how much money they can get out of me. It's exhausting. And the road are not maintained. I had an accident when tripping in a cracked sidewalk. I was visibly hurt and no one would even move over a little bit so I could walk past on the sidewalk (beside them). I had to walk in the road while they walked on the sidewalk. That is a frequently occurrence - people not moving over so you can both have room on the sidewalk.

That was my experience in the U.K. as well. Except for Indian food. It's fantastic. Surprisingly I found the French to be nicer overall.

Oh, I do love the Indian food here! And they'll even deliver it to your doorstep (hard to find in some US cities). The first thing I did here when I got back was order some takeaway chicken tikka masala.

What part of the UK were you in? And what were some of your experiences?

Bath and London mostly. I don't want to get into too much, but the hi-light had to be getting hit by a car and having the driver yell at me for scaring his passenger. It was my fault (looked wrong way when entering crosswalk) but damn, yelling at someone on the ground after you hit them with a car seems excessive.

And then he started yelling at me that I would need to pay for his broken windshield. It was a bit surreal.

That is DESPICABLE!!!! He hit you hard enough to crack your windshield and then yelled at you? OMG!!!! I cannot ever imagine that happening in the US and if it did some passerby would have stopped to help you and be telling him off. That is just... wow.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people are rude, the service is bad, the food is bad, you pay more for everything. I am a friendly and polite, respectful person (not a "loud, annoying American). And all anyone ever cares about is how much money they can get out of me. It's exhausting. And the road are not maintained. I had an accident when tripping in a cracked sidewalk. I was visibly hurt and no one would even move over a little bit so I could walk past on the sidewalk (beside them). I had to walk in the road while they walked on the sidewalk. That is a frequently occurrence - people not moving over so you can both have room on the sidewalk.

That was my experience in the U.K. as well. Except for Indian food. It's fantastic. Surprisingly I found the French to be nicer overall.

Oh, I do love the Indian food here! And they'll even deliver it to your doorstep (hard to find in some US cities). The first thing I did here when I got back was order some takeaway chicken tikka masala.

What part of the UK were you in? And what were some of your experiences?

Bath and London mostly. I don't want to get into too much, but the hi-light had to be getting hit by a car and having the driver yell at me for scaring his passenger. It was my fault (looked wrong way when entering crosswalk) but damn, yelling at someone on the ground after you hit them with a car seems excessive.

And then he started yelling at me that I would need to pay for his broken windshield. It was a bit surreal.

It is very rude in most cultures to not apologize profusely for causing an accident. I was shocked after my first accident in the US when the driver at fault didn't apologize, just nonchalantly asked to exchange insurance information.

In the US, you are taught not to apologize after collisions and just exchange insurance information. For most people, it is very difficult to not apologize, but it is drilled into you by the insurance company (and parents.) You don't want it to be interpreted as an admission of guilt by the other party, insurance co, court, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It truly amazes me how many people who have NEVER lived in a place feel qualified to weigh in and claim there are absolutely NO cultural differences and blame it all on the OP. That's a dead giveaway for someone who has really not stepped out of their comfort zone much in life. Or who is extremely socially dense and unaware

Exactly. When I first started traveling and living abroad, I was sooo open to the experience. All the differences were fascinating and beautiful. Now, I just want my American-sized large coffee at an American price. I want air conditioning (and I want Europe to stop pretending it doesn't get hot in the summer. IT HAPPENS EVERY SUMMER.) I want appliances that aren't built for a single person. I want people to shower every day. Now that I'm indisputably well traveled, I am more American than I've ever been.

I want people to stop pretending that Europe does not have air conditioners and big appliances. I live in West London and I have an American size fridge-freezer, an AC and no one has ever called me a c****. People really do shower here every day believe it or not. I have been here for eight years. Although I do hate American-sized large tasteless coffee, so you can keep that.

Most of the things you've listed are stereotypes often perpetrated by people who never lived in a country/region. Like people who never lived in Russia think Russians drink vodka for breakfast and there are bears walking down the streets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, it sounds as if you are both meek and passive aggressive.

+1

And a whiner. Don't be an annoying milquetoast.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It truly amazes me how many people who have NEVER lived in a place feel qualified to weigh in and claim there are absolutely NO cultural differences and blame it all on the OP. That's a dead giveaway for someone who has really not stepped out of their comfort zone much in life. Or who is extremely socially dense and unaware

Exactly. When I first started traveling and living abroad, I was sooo open to the experience. All the differences were fascinating and beautiful. Now, I just want my American-sized large coffee at an American price. I want air conditioning (and I want Europe to stop pretending it doesn't get hot in the summer. IT HAPPENS EVERY SUMMER.) I want appliances that aren't built for a single person. I want people to shower every day. Now that I'm indisputably well traveled, I am more American than I've ever been.

I want people to stop pretending that Europe does not have air conditioners and big appliances. I live in West London and I have an American size fridge-freezer, an AC and no one has ever called me a c****. People really do shower here every day believe it or not. I have been here for eight years. Although I do hate American-sized large tasteless coffee, so you can keep that.

Most of the things you've listed are stereotypes often perpetrated by people who never lived in a country/region. Like people who never lived in Russia think Russians drink vodka for breakfast and there are bears walking down the streets.

Your A/C is not the norm. The British Museum doesn't even have a/c! My (tiny) N1 row house doesn't nor does the kids' school. The tube definitely doesn't. West London has more Americans though, so that would explain the your finding more American style digs. Do you also have a stand alone dryer? That was one thing that we never saw when we were searching. They were all the w/d combo units in the kitchen. (Which we assumed was what the place we selected had..turns out it was just a washer...that's been a habit shift!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It truly amazes me how many people who have NEVER lived in a place feel qualified to weigh in and claim there are absolutely NO cultural differences and blame it all on the OP. That's a dead giveaway for someone who has really not stepped out of their comfort zone much in life. Or who is extremely socially dense and unaware

Exactly. When I first started traveling and living abroad, I was sooo open to the experience. All the differences were fascinating and beautiful. Now, I just want my American-sized large coffee at an American price. I want air conditioning (and I want Europe to stop pretending it doesn't get hot in the summer. IT HAPPENS EVERY SUMMER.) I want appliances that aren't built for a single person. I want people to shower every day. Now that I'm indisputably well traveled, I am more American than I've ever been.

I want people to stop pretending that Europe does not have air conditioners and big appliances. I live in West London and I have an American size fridge-freezer, an AC and no one has ever called me a c****. People really do shower here every day believe it or not. I have been here for eight years. Although I do hate American-sized large tasteless coffee, so you can keep that.

Most of the things you've listed are stereotypes often perpetrated by people who never lived in a country/region. Like people who never lived in Russia think Russians drink vodka for breakfast and there are bears walking down the streets.

Your A/C is not the norm. The British Museum doesn't even have a/c! My (tiny) N1 row house doesn't nor does the kids' school. The tube definitely doesn't. West London has more Americans though, so that would explain the your finding more American style digs. Do you also have a stand alone dryer? That was one thing that we never saw when we were searching. They were all the w/d combo units in the kitchen. (Which we assumed was what the place we selected had..turns out it was just a washer...that's been a habit shift!)

Yes, I do have a stand alone dryer - I couldn't imagine living without one as I have two kids. As for A/C - most of the British families in my kids' school have one in their lofts at the very least as that room gets really hot in summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It truly amazes me how many people who have NEVER lived in a place feel qualified to weigh in and claim there are absolutely NO cultural differences and blame it all on the OP. That's a dead giveaway for someone who has really not stepped out of their comfort zone much in life. Or who is extremely socially dense and unaware

Exactly. When I first started traveling and living abroad, I was sooo open to the experience. All the differences were fascinating and beautiful. Now, I just want my American-sized large coffee at an American price. I want air conditioning (and I want Europe to stop pretending it doesn't get hot in the summer. IT HAPPENS EVERY SUMMER.) I want appliances that aren't built for a single person. I want people to shower every day. Now that I'm indisputably well traveled, I am more American than I've ever been.

I want people to stop pretending that Europe does not have air conditioners and big appliances. I live in West London and I have an American size fridge-freezer, an AC and no one has ever called me a c****. People really do shower here every day believe it or not. I have been here for eight years. Although I do hate American-sized large tasteless coffee, so you can keep that.

Most of the things you've listed are stereotypes often perpetrated by people who never lived in a country/region. Like people who never lived in Russia think Russians drink vodka for breakfast and there are bears walking down the streets.

Your A/C is not the norm. The British Museum doesn't even have a/c! My (tiny) N1 row house doesn't nor does the kids' school. The tube definitely doesn't. West London has more Americans though, so that would explain the your finding more American style digs. Do you also have a stand alone dryer? That was one thing that we never saw when we were searching. They were all the w/d combo units in the kitchen. (Which we assumed was what the place we selected had..turns out it was just a washer...that's been a habit shift!)

Yes, I do have a stand alone dryer - I couldn't imagine living without one as I have two kids. As for A/C - most of the British families in my kids' school have one in their lofts at the very least as that room gets really hot in summer.

I have 2 kids too! One is potty training so lots of laundry. It's not been nearly as bad as I thought. And we may get a small dryer eventually...just have to figure out where to put it. Its all in what you become used too I suppose.

[Anonymous]

OP, I'm sorry you're having a hard time. My mom has lived in Ireland for about 14 years now, and it was hard for her until she found a social outlet. For her, it was the American Women's Club. She made friends who helped her navigate her new home and she got busy doing volunteer work. There are American Women's Clubs in many cities, and also some international women's groups. See what you can find close to you - it's hard to feel at home without a bit of a social support system.

[Anonymous]

Most Brits do shower every day. Most British kitchens are well equipped, just on a smaller scale but everyone has most of the regular appliances. Fridges are usually 2/3 the size of US fridges but some do have the big ones.

[Anonymous]

^^ The poster claiming that most people have AC in their attics in West London is completely lying and I think probably has never even been to London. I have lived in London over 20 years in Chelsea, Notting Hill, Holland Park, Brixton, Richmond and the surrounds.

There is practically no AC in London. You will find it in a movie theatre but not in restaurants. You might find it in a large bookstore but not in schools. And you just DON'T find it in houses.

[Anonymous]

In my North London house we do not have A/C (we have ceiling fans in the bedrooms, and for about 2 weeks a year it is unbearably hot and we wish we had A/C - but the rest of time I genuinely do not miss it or need it), we have a large fridge which is not American width but it is tall and deep so fits just as much in it. We have a separate washer and dryer, a dishwasher, and we all shower every single day. I hate American coffee and am delighted to drink my espressos and flat whites in the mostly Australian/NZ coffee shops around here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It truly amazes me how many people who have NEVER lived in a place feel qualified to weigh in and claim there are absolutely NO cultural differences and blame it all on the OP. That's a dead giveaway for someone who has really not stepped out of their comfort zone much in life. Or who is extremely socially dense and unaware

Exactly. When I first started traveling and living abroad, I was sooo open to the experience. All the differences were fascinating and beautiful. Now, I just want my American-sized large coffee at an American price. I want air conditioning (and I want Europe to stop pretending it doesn't get hot in the summer. IT HAPPENS EVERY SUMMER.) I want appliances that aren't built for a single person. I want people to shower every day. Now that I'm indisputably well traveled, I am more American than I've ever been.

I want people to stop pretending that Europe does not have air conditioners and big appliances. I live in West London and I have an American size fridge-freezer, an AC and no one has ever called me a c****. People really do shower here every day believe it or not. I have been here for eight years. Although I do hate American-sized large tasteless coffee, so you can keep that.

Most of the things you've listed are stereotypes often perpetrated by people who never lived in a country/region. Like people who never lived in Russia think Russians drink vodka for breakfast and there are bears walking down the streets.

Your A/C is not the norm. The British Museum doesn't even have a/c! My (tiny) N1 row house doesn't nor does the kids' school. The tube definitely doesn't. West London has more Americans though, so that would explain the your finding more American style digs. Do you also have a stand alone dryer? That was one thing that we never saw when we were searching. They were all the w/d combo units in the kitchen. (Which we assumed was what the place we selected had..turns out it was just a washer...that's been a habit shift!)

Yes, I do have a stand alone dryer - I couldn't imagine living without one as I have two kids. As for A/C - most of the British families in my kids' school have one in their lofts at the very least as that room gets really hot in summer.

I have 2 kids too! One is potty training so lots of laundry. It's not been nearly as bad as I thought. And we may get a small dryer eventually...just have to figure out where to put it. Its all in what you become used too I suppose.

I'm the PP above in North London. If you don't have a dryer I highly recommend this air dryer from Lakeland http://www.lakeland.co.uk/21736/Dry%3ASoon-Standard-3-Tier-Heated-Tower-Airer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people are rude, the service is bad, the food is bad, you pay more for everything. I am a friendly and polite, respectful person (not a "loud, annoying American). And all anyone ever cares about is how much money they can get out of me. It's exhausting. And the road are not maintained. I had an accident when tripping in a cracked sidewalk. I was visibly hurt and no one would even move over a little bit so I could walk past on the sidewalk (beside them). I had to walk in the road while they walked on the sidewalk. That is a frequently occurrence - people not moving over so you can both have room on the sidewalk.

That was my experience in the U.K. as well. Except for Indian food. It's fantastic. Surprisingly I found the French to be nicer overall.

Oh, I do love the Indian food here! And they'll even deliver it to your doorstep (hard to find in some US cities). The first thing I did here when I got back was order some takeaway chicken tikka masala.

What part of the UK were you in? And what were some of your experiences?

Bath and London mostly. I don't want to get into too much, but the hi-light had to be getting hit by a car and having the driver yell at me for scaring his passenger. It was my fault (looked wrong way when entering crosswalk) but damn, yelling at someone on the ground after you hit them with a car seems excessive.

And then he started yelling at me that I would need to pay for his broken windshield. It was a bit surreal.

It is very rude in most cultures to not apologize profusely for causing an accident. I was shocked after my first accident in the US when the driver at fault didn't apologize, just nonchalantly asked to exchange insurance information.

In the US, you are taught not to apologize after collisions and just exchange insurance information. For most people, it is very difficult to not apologize, but it is drilled into you by the insurance company (and parents.) You don't want it to be interpreted as an admission of guilt by the other party, insurance co, court, etc.

I know that now.
My point was that the driver in PP's case must have been furious that she didn't apologize. No wonder he reacted like that.