American Living in London for 12 Years: AMA

[Anonymous]

OP, if you're still around, I'm curious how you are adjusting to dry, sarcastic British humor as an American. Do you find it a cultural barrier or have you adjusted?

Also, how are the class distinctions to you? When I was in England I was amazed at how class so distinctly divides people in terms of attitude, accent, behaviors, etc. Here in the States we have class divides but I don't think they are as pronounced or separatist as they are in the UK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you're still around, I'm curious how you are adjusting to dry, sarcastic British humor as an American. Do you find it a cultural barrier or have you adjusted?

Also, how are the class distinctions to you? When I was in England I was amazed at how class so distinctly divides people in terms of attitude, accent, behaviors, etc. Here in the States we have class divides but I don't think they are as pronounced or separatist as they are in the UK.

yet another idiotic question. not every Brit has dry sarcastic humor. Some are bawdy, others are dumb - just like in every other country in the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It is nonsense. I'm also from England and lived in a lot of different places there and here (in the US). If you lived in a council house maybe you wouldn't have a dryer. Or a small flat. But "most homes" no, complete nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you're still around, I'm curious how you are adjusting to dry, sarcastic British humor as an American. Do you find it a cultural barrier or have you adjusted?

Also, how are the class distinctions to you? When I was in England I was amazed at how class so distinctly divides people in terms of attitude, accent, behaviors, etc. Here in the States we have class divides but I don't think they are as pronounced or separatist as they are in the UK.

yet another idiotic question. not every Brit has dry sarcastic humor. Some are bawdy, others are dumb - just like in every other country in the world.

Sarcasm is a well-documented cornerstone of British humour. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_humour

[Anonymous]

My home in London does not have a dryer, just one of those combo washer/dryers which are a bit useless. I can confirm many homes do not have dryers.

The dry British sense of humor definitely is a thing. It’s one of the things I most miss here.

As a general comment, I find people much more ‘uptight’ here and likely to get worked up about the small stuff. Is that a DC thing though?

[Anonymous]

So many silly questions. Washer/dryers, Royals, air conditioning etc...Is this really what Americans want to know about London?!

OP has disappeared. Rubbish AMA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you're still around, I'm curious how you are adjusting to dry, sarcastic British humor as an American. Do you find it a cultural barrier or have you adjusted?

Also, how are the class distinctions to you? When I was in England I was amazed at how class so distinctly divides people in terms of attitude, accent, behaviors, etc. Here in the States we have class divides but I don't think they are as pronounced or separatist as they are in the UK.

yet another idiotic question. not every Brit has dry sarcastic humor. Some are bawdy, others are dumb - just like in every other country in the world.

Sarcasm is a well-documented cornerstone of British humour. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_humour

I think having lived in the UK most of my life being a Brit I know more than that wiki page but thanks for the laugh

[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?

A lot of times an apartment or house will have a washer but not a dryer. And then you can line dry the clothes. I actually discovered while living in London and that was much better for my clothing. I often still line dry my clothes even in the states now. Get a drying rack. Or a clothesline that you hang up in one part of your house or kitchen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:British houses are smaller than their American counterparts. Quite often much smaller. Take this upmarket new build in an affluent London suburb: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-68201313.html you can see from the floorplan how small the house really is. And because of the cooler and damper climate, houses were rarely built with large open rooms but rather multiple small closed rooms, which were easier to heat. It's only been recently that you started seeing the open kitchen-family room great room combination in newer properties.

On the other hand, there's also plenty of very large houses in Britain. Leagues of gorgeous old rectories, Victorian villas and Georgian houses all over Britain. But most British people do live in much smaller quarters than Americans do. Generally speaking you get more space the further away from London.

Housing quality varies, especially for new builds. Lots of cheaply built flats and terraced houses, but also amazingly well built bigger houses at the same time with solid masonry and slate, unlike in the US.

It seems like most UK kitchens have those high gloss cabinets? I've never been a fan. Also, is central air/heat not a thing there? It's funny to me as an American to see those old-school radiators in each room.

The high gloss cabinet is a personal preference. Plenty don't and have lovely wood cabinets. This house is a certain style and wouldn't appeal to everyone. Here's several other listings in the same village:

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-87821129.html

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-68928168.html

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-68207733.html

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67445643.html

Having said that, the wood "farmhouse kitchen" is definitely a bit of a dated look these days, just like in America, with the younger generation favoring the Scandinavian modern look.

Central air is very rare. Only maybe the most expensive properties especially renovated townhouses in London would have them. It rarely gets that hot to require a central air (although that may change with global warming). The old school radiators is steam heat fueled by a water boiler, which is much more energy efficient than electric heat and remains quite popular.

When I visited London several years ago, the Beckhams were building a new house, I think in London, and were having all kinds of problems because the neighbors were appalled that they were putting multizone central air in their home. The neighbors were certain the outside units were going to drive them nuts and they painted this as something outrageous. As an American, I can't wrap my head around this to this day.

[Anonymous]

Brit reading this. So do you (Americans) put ALL of your clothes in the dryer? I do have a dryer, and I had one all my life growing up in the UK - not a combo but a separate dryer - and I would still never put lots of things in it. e.g. bras, knitwear, dresses, skirts. I pretty much use it for sheets and towels, underpants, socks, and casual tshirts, etc. Everything else I put on a drying rack in my laundry room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Yes and those don’t work very well as your clothes often come out damp. So by American standards, you don’t really have a dryer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Brit reading this. So do you (Americans) put ALL of your clothes in the dryer? I do have a dryer, and I had one all my life growing up in the UK - not a combo but a separate dryer - and I would still never put lots of things in it. e.g. bras, knitwear, dresses, skirts. I pretty much use it for sheets and towels, underpants, socks, and casual tshirts, etc. Everything else I put on a drying rack in my laundry room.

American who lived in London here. After living in London without a dryer, I now still line dry a lot of my clothes because I’ve discovered that they last longer that way and don’t shrink. But yes most Americans put properly everything in the dryer except for very delicate clothes.

[Anonymous]

*practically not properly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Brit reading this. So do you (Americans) put ALL of your clothes in the dryer? I do have a dryer, and I had one all my life growing up in the UK - not a combo but a separate dryer - and I would still never put lots of things in it. e.g. bras, knitwear, dresses, skirts. I pretty much use it for sheets and towels, underpants, socks, and casual tshirts, etc. Everything else I put on a drying rack in my laundry room.

American who lived in London here. After living in London without a dryer, I now still line dry a lot of my clothes because I’ve discovered that they last longer that way and don’t shrink. But yes most Americans put properly everything in the dryer except for very delicate clothes.

Fascinating! Similarly, although I always had homes with dishwashers, these are not in every home. But I don't put everything in the dishwasher - I only use it for crockery (flatware), cutlery and glasses, but not wine glasses. I'd never put pots or pans in there. Would you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if you're still around, I'm curious how you are adjusting to dry, sarcastic British humor as an American. Do you find it a cultural barrier or have you adjusted?

Also, how are the class distinctions to you? When I was in England I was amazed at how class so distinctly divides people in terms of attitude, accent, behaviors, etc. Here in the States we have class divides but I don't think they are as pronounced or separatist as they are in the UK.

yet another idiotic question. not every Brit has dry sarcastic humor. Some are bawdy, others are dumb - just like in every other country in the world.

Sarcasm is a well-documented cornerstone of British humour. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_humour

I think having lived in the UK most of my life being a Brit I know more than that wiki page but thanks for the laugh

No need to get so shirty. Clearly more a Benny Hill than a Yes Minister fan.