American Living in London for 12 Years: AMA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm also an American living in the UK. I've only been here 8mos though. Right now, the UK is an odd hybrid of EU systems combined with 10 years of neglect of public institutions by right wing governments.

I live in the commuter belt about 50 miles outside London. There are amazing fast trains between cities, but getting around our small city is tough, as the bus system is unreliable.

My home is a three bedroom house with the same square footage as my 2BR condo back in DC. The main problem is the condition of the housing. It tends to be run down, with flimsy construction. Homes don't tend to have clothes dryers or dishwashers. I have never seen a garbage disposal here. Landlords are poorly regulated. I had several people refuse to rent to me because I have a child (!). Most homes come with gardens, though.

The state schools are more academically challenging here. (Yay!). Getting your child into a school, whether public or private, is a nightmare.

How do people do their laundry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bloody hell OP, 6 pages and still ghosting this thread?! Total bollocks.

What does bollocks mean?

Literally means testicles, but just a general term meaning bs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm also an American living in the UK. I've only been here 8mos though. Right now, the UK is an odd hybrid of EU systems combined with 10 years of neglect of public institutions by right wing governments.

I live in the commuter belt about 50 miles outside London. There are amazing fast trains between cities, but getting around our small city is tough, as the bus system is unreliable.

My home is a three bedroom house with the same square footage as my 2BR condo back in DC. The main problem is the condition of the housing. It tends to be run down, with flimsy construction. Homes don't tend to have clothes dryers or dishwashers. I have never seen a garbage disposal here. Landlords are poorly regulated. I had several people refuse to rent to me because I have a child (!). Most homes come with gardens, though.

The state schools are more academically challenging here. (Yay!). Getting your child into a school, whether public or private, is a nightmare.

How do people do their laundry?

The post you’re responding to is nonsense regarding laundry and dishwasher.

[Anonymous]

Ever met or seen a Royal in person?

[Anonymous]

Hoping OP returns. I'm British and have lived in the US 20+ years.

What food from the US can't you get? What workarounds do you have to use to make beloved recipes? I have plenty of things that I've adapted or figured out, but have always wondered what that's like from the other end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm also an American living in the UK. I've only been here 8mos though. Right now, the UK is an odd hybrid of EU systems combined with 10 years of neglect of public institutions by right wing governments.

I live in the commuter belt about 50 miles outside London. There are amazing fast trains between cities, but getting around our small city is tough, as the bus system is unreliable.

My home is a three bedroom house with the same square footage as my 2BR condo back in DC. The main problem is the condition of the housing. It tends to be run down, with flimsy construction. Homes don't tend to have clothes dryers or dishwashers. I have never seen a garbage disposal here. Landlords are poorly regulated. I had several people refuse to rent to me because I have a child (!). Most homes come with gardens, though.

The state schools are more academically challenging here. (Yay!). Getting your child into a school, whether public or private, is a nightmare.

Another Brit here. I’m surprised that you think we don’t have clothes dryers or dishwashers! My family there is middle class, and everyone has a dryer and dishwasher. All my friends do too. Maybe you mean some rental properties? You’re right about the garbage disposal though. I’d never seen one until I moved to the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm also an American living in the UK. I've only been here 8mos though. Right now, the UK is an odd hybrid of EU systems combined with 10 years of neglect of public institutions by right wing governments.

I live in the commuter belt about 50 miles outside London. There are amazing fast trains between cities, but getting around our small city is tough, as the bus system is unreliable.

My home is a three bedroom house with the same square footage as my 2BR condo back in DC. The main problem is the condition of the housing. It tends to be run down, with flimsy construction. Homes don't tend to have clothes dryers or dishwashers. I have never seen a garbage disposal here. Landlords are poorly regulated. I had several people refuse to rent to me because I have a child (!). Most homes come with gardens, though.

The state schools are more academically challenging here. (Yay!). Getting your child into a school, whether public or private, is a nightmare.

Another Brit here. I’m surprised that you think we don’t have clothes dryers or dishwashers! My family there is middle class, and everyone has a dryer and dishwasher. All my friends do too. Maybe you mean some rental properties? You’re right about the garbage disposal though. I’d never seen one until I moved to the US.

Wait, I’m another American who lived in London and the dryer thing is totally true. Everyone had these terrible combined washer dryers than don’t dry anything properly. No idea on the dishwasher front though, everyone had those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm also an American living in the UK. I've only been here 8mos though. Right now, the UK is an odd hybrid of EU systems combined with 10 years of neglect of public institutions by right wing governments.

I live in the commuter belt about 50 miles outside London. There are amazing fast trains between cities, but getting around our small city is tough, as the bus system is unreliable.

My home is a three bedroom house with the same square footage as my 2BR condo back in DC. The main problem is the condition of the housing. It tends to be run down, with flimsy construction. Homes don't tend to have clothes dryers or dishwashers. I have never seen a garbage disposal here. Landlords are poorly regulated. I had several people refuse to rent to me because I have a child (!). Most homes come with gardens, though.

The state schools are more academically challenging here. (Yay!). Getting your child into a school, whether public or private, is a nightmare.

Another Brit here. I’m surprised that you think we don’t have clothes dryers or dishwashers! My family there is middle class, and everyone has a dryer and dishwasher. All my friends do too. Maybe you mean some rental properties? You’re right about the garbage disposal though. I’d never seen one until I moved to the US.

Wait, I’m another American who lived in London and the dryer thing is totally true. Everyone had these terrible combined washer dryers than don’t dry anything properly. No idea on the dishwasher front though, everyone had those.

Well I’ve probably been in more houses there than you have, seeing as I lived there till I was 36.

[Anonymous]

Another Brit here. Yes, we all had washers, dryers, dishwashers and my house even had garbage disposal - though it is called waste disposal. It’s England, not Middle Earth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another Brit here. Yes, we all had washers, dryers, dishwashers and my house even had garbage disposal - though it is called waste disposal. It’s England, not Middle Earth.

Brit here, we had a dryer but did you use it! My sister just bought a million dollar house in London, but still hangs the washing out in the garden! No American would ever do that, but no one thinks anything of it, it's considered normal and folks like fresh laundry from a breeze!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Brit here. Yes, we all had washers, dryers, dishwashers and my house even had garbage disposal - though it is called waste disposal. It’s England, not Middle Earth.

Brit here, we had a dryer but did you use it! My sister just bought a million dollar house in London, but still hangs the washing out in the garden! No American would ever do that, but no one thinks anything of it, it's considered normal and folks like fresh laundry from a breeze!

Yes we used it! But not for everything - we also had this brilliant airing cupboard where we would hang lots of things that don’t do well in the dryer. I don’t have one of those here but I hang the washing that I don’t think should go in the dryer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm also an American living in the UK. I've only been here 8mos though. Right now, the UK is an odd hybrid of EU systems combined with 10 years of neglect of public institutions by right wing governments.

I live in the commuter belt about 50 miles outside London. There are amazing fast trains between cities, but getting around our small city is tough, as the bus system is unreliable.

My home is a three bedroom house with the same square footage as my 2BR condo back in DC. The main problem is the condition of the housing. It tends to be run down, with flimsy construction. Homes don't tend to have clothes dryers or dishwashers. I have never seen a garbage disposal here. Landlords are poorly regulated. I had several people refuse to rent to me because I have a child (!). Most homes come with gardens, though.

The state schools are more academically challenging here. (Yay!). Getting your child into a school, whether public or private, is a nightmare.

How do people do their laundry?

The post you’re responding to is nonsense regarding laundry and dishwasher.

I wrote this post. As I said, I live in a small city in the commuter belt. Most of the places I looked at in London or here did not have dryers, with the exception of one building that had a communal dryer that cost 6 pounds per load. The nationwide figures I have seen quoted are about 62 percent for homes with dryers inthe UK, and 41 percent for dishwashers. There is some discussion here.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/274778/9_Domestic_appliances__cooking_and_cooling_equipment.pdf

It may just be that rentals in the UK don't have dryers. Alot of older homes have no vents. In the US, you couldn't rent out a place with no dryer. I use an electric drying rack here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm also an American living in the UK. I've only been here 8mos though. Right now, the UK is an odd hybrid of EU systems combined with 10 years of neglect of public institutions by right wing governments.

I live in the commuter belt about 50 miles outside London. There are amazing fast trains between cities, but getting around our small city is tough, as the bus system is unreliable.

My home is a three bedroom house with the same square footage as my 2BR condo back in DC. The main problem is the condition of the housing. It tends to be run down, with flimsy construction. Homes don't tend to have clothes dryers or dishwashers. I have never seen a garbage disposal here. Landlords are poorly regulated. I had several people refuse to rent to me because I have a child (!). Most homes come with gardens, though.

The state schools are more academically challenging here. (Yay!). Getting your child into a school, whether public or private, is a nightmare.

How do people do their laundry?

The post you’re responding to is nonsense regarding laundry and dishwasher.

No its not. Im from England and live here in the US now. My MUm still doesnt have a dryer or a dishwasher and she lives in a normal house in a normal town. To the PP that asked about laundry, most of it is dried on a clothes line in the back garden.

[Anonymous]

I think the confusion over dryers is because most UK houses have a combo washer/dryer that's installed under a kitchen counter much like a dishwasher would be. The US-style separate standalone washer and dryers, especially in a garage or laundry room, is a very American thing; I'm sure some exist in the UK but I've never seen them before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Brit here. Yes, we all had washers, dryers, dishwashers and my house even had garbage disposal - though it is called waste disposal. It’s England, not Middle Earth.

Brit here, we had a dryer but did you use it! My sister just bought a million dollar house in London, but still hangs the washing out in the garden! No American would ever do that, but no one thinks anything of it, it's considered normal and folks like fresh laundry from a breeze!

Such an interesting cultural difference. Here in the States, I think many people iwould consider hanging laundry outside a very low class and unsightly thing. I would be surprised to see it anywhere other than perhaps a rural farm. My grandparents (frugal Depression era people) were the only people I've ever known in my life who dried clothes outside by choice. When they built their house, they intentionally designed their home with a detached garage to create a central courtyard where they could hang laundry because visible laundry was prohibited by the HOA. Never before or never since have I known anyone who hangs their laundry outside by choice in the States. They had a dryer in their laundry room but only used it when it was raining outside.