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.
Anonymous wrote:Wait you aren't married (and have been waiting around for a ring for 5 years) and you also don't have a job, or kids? You make bad life choices. Get it together girl
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.
Yes, you are going through perfectly normal culture shock. Honeymoon period is over and everything is irritating! When I lived in France, a friend and I hit this stage and we made a long, ridiculous list of everything we hated. It was very therapeutic! We had a total American experience where we just cranked about the expense, the smell, the rude people, the tiny coffee, the fish on pizza (?? what France!?), it went on and on. But we also could make even longer lists of everything we loved and the people were actually all very lovely. We just had that cranky period of pure hate
I'm sure expats living in the US get it too. I would love to see their lists of what they hate about us!
I think this happens to people who move abroad with the America sucks , Europe isi a utopia attitude.
It's shocking when you learn they are also human and won't instantly dall in love with you because you are an open-minded American.
That's exactly what it is. I actually find the "I'm a special American that hates other Americans so the British will love me" attitude to be the most condescending at all.
And when I lived in France in college, I was the only one in our group that truly became good friends with a bunch of French people. They liked me because I always defended America and I didn't do the "Oh, I know, America is so awful" routine (which is actually fairly smug and superior). They said I "wasn't like most Americans" and I think that's because so many Americans who live abroad try to suck up to the locals by bashing their home country and it's pathetic and irritating and funnily does the exact opposite of what they're so desperate for.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:London is a mega city full of people who aren't from London. It's outrageously expensive and everyone is pissed.
Fine to visit, but not to live.
I always feel the same way about NYC.
I'm sure I'd like the countryside more if I had to live there.
DC is a city full of transplants. It's similarly expensive and filled with cranky, miserable people.
+1
I'm a DC native, and the people others complain about here are more often than not, transplants. The people who have lived here for generations are not like that.
Anonymous wrote:This thread is so interesting. I don't find Brits rude at all. Yes, they're frank and they don't hide behind the PC veil. However, they are more honest than Americans. I find Americans to be rude, fake, pretentious, overbearing, and quite annoying. I'm a minority and I actually prefer living in the UK than living here in the states. I could just be myself while I'm in the UK. I'm happier and more free there. In the United States I'm forced into this little narrow box that Americans place minorities in. The strangest thing about living in America is that if you don't assimilate white Americans will dislike you. However, if you do assimilate into the culture here, then minorities despise you. I feel like you can't win here. Americans also have weird obsessions with race and religion that permeates the culture here. It's quite suffocating to live here. I have traveled and lived in different countries. If given the choice, then I will choose the UK over any other place.
Maybe the OP and I can trade places.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:London is a mega city full of people who aren't from London. It's outrageously expensive and everyone is pissed.
Fine to visit, but not to live.
I always feel the same way about NYC.
I'm sure I'd like the countryside more if I had to live there.
DC is a city full of transplants. It's similarly expensive and filled with cranky, miserable people.
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
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.
You have a shitty attitude. Your expectations that living abroad is to be compared to living in the US is simple-minded at best.
You will be miserable. Period.
Isn't it odd that the vast majority of expats (like me) love the varied experience and the fact that it isn't like living in the US and then there are people like you who bitch and moan. Just be glad you're in a country where English is the default language.
Go back to Peoria. Make everybody happier.
I'm venting and saying what I really think. I don't go around acting rude. I feel this way after people have treated ME rudely here for no apparent reason. The British love to bash Americans and call me an idiot because they assume I voted for that buffoon. You have no idea what you're talking about. A British person would call you a c*** without batting an eyelash.
Well, so do many Americans. Just take a look over at the political subforum. Your point is?
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.
You have a shitty attitude. Your expectations that living abroad is to be compared to living in the US is simple-minded at best.
You will be miserable. Period.
Isn't it odd that the vast majority of expats (like me) love the varied experience and the fact that it isn't like living in the US and then there are people like you who bitch and moan. Just be glad you're in a country where English is the default language.
Go back to Peoria. Make everybody happier.
Anonymous wrote:The Ugly American
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.
Yes, you are going through perfectly normal culture shock. Honeymoon period is over and everything is irritating! When I lived in France, a friend and I hit this stage and we made a long, ridiculous list of everything we hated. It was very therapeutic! We had a total American experience where we just cranked about the expense, the smell, the rude people, the tiny coffee, the fish on pizza (?? what France!?), it went on and on. But we also could make even longer lists of everything we loved and the people were actually all very lovely. We just had that cranky period of pure hate
I'm sure expats living in the US get it too. I would love to see their lists of what they hate about us!
I think this happens to people who move abroad with the America sucks , Europe isi a utopia attitude.
It's shocking when you learn they are also human and won't instantly dall in love with you because you are an open-minded American.