Treatment from the locals; your experiences

[BermyCat 1]

On Christmas Day, I told my father-in-law that if the Americans hadn't been so silly he wouldn't have to go to work tomorrow. I would have accepted some joking on July 4th because I give as good as I get.

~ Catherine

[Krikit 1,165]

On Christmas Day, I told my father-in-law that if the Americans hadn't been so silly he wouldn't have to go to work tomorrow. I would have accepted some joking on July 4th because I give as good as I get.

~ Catherine

Haha. Yes, I miss my Boxing Days.

[TBoneTX 45,900]

I seem to get this every 4th July - "this is when we kicked your ####!" I have been jokingly called a "Limey" a few times (I used to work in a large law firm with a real locker-room mentality!)

Take advantage of the system here in the Colonies and "sue the bastards," si man, eh, verily, jolly good, wot.

[letty 1]

To begin with I really hated the "excuse me's" in the grocery store and constantly came home pissed of since I took it as a bit snyde but these days I hardly notice it any more just say "Oh I am sorry" and move on.

Ooohh yes! That stupid "excuse me" in the grocery store, and than they just run you over with their card anyways!! I'm still not used to it, but try not to get to fired up.

Overal I have been treated pretty well, people are different and have a different look at things, but overall there are a lot of similarities.

What I still can's stand is when people hear me talk they ask right away: "are you from Germany?" No there are more countries in Europe! Then usual they like to know where I'm from in the Netherlands so I get all excited to tell them where I lived to find out that they don't even know where the Netherlands is in Europe.....

Letty

[champi 13]

Usually, grown-up people are pretty great... I've been here for 14 years and my early years were terrible for combination of several reasons: (1) I was a growing up teenage and as it is, teenage years are hard (2) I had to deal with American teenagers in school which was a big culture shock. Everything was about being famous, fancy clothes, etc. (3) It was hard enuf to learn the language/culture and pass the classes, it took quite a lot to get grades good enuf to go to college.. I was too consumed to be a good student and didn't get enough time to learn how to fit-in. However, during those same time, I had part time job where I was dealing with grown-up American people and they were most friendly and helpful.

There was only one obvious offense I had to deal ever since I have been here. I was going camping with couple of friends and we stopped by at the last gas station before we go into camping grounds. As we were entering the gas station to pick up food and pay for gas, this guy (who was on his way out of gas station), for no reason, tells us "you have to know English to live here". I was ready to punch that guy... My friends rescued me, or I should say him

In conclusion, this country has given me great opportunities and having friendly/helpful people definitely helped along the way..

Edited July 8, 2009 by champi

[Gemmie 142]

What I still can's stand is when people hear me talk they ask right away: "are you from Germany?" No there are more countries in Europe! Then usual they like to know where I'm from in the Netherlands so I get all excited to tell them where I lived to find out that they don't even know where the Netherlands is in Europe.....

I understand. People have asked me where I'm from in England too, so I assume they know a little about the country, but it turns out, if you don't answer with "London", they don't.

The other day, someone saw me with a European passport and asked where I was from. I said England and they proceeded to tell me about a girl they know from Australia. Followed by asking if we celebrated 4th of July last week, and how they don't like the tourists in the city...

Edited July 8, 2009 by Gemmie

[TBoneTX 45,900]

I assume they know a little about the country, but it turns out, if you don't answer with "London", they don't.

Would it irreparably shock or stun this thread's Brits to learn that the residents of a Britishly-named suburb of Syracuse, New York, do NOT call themselves "Liverpudlians"? It's true, si man!

[trillium13 84]

To begin with I really hated the "excuse me's" in the grocery store and constantly came home pissed of since I took it as a bit snyde but these days I hardly notice it any more just say "Oh I am sorry" and move on.

Ooohh yes! That stupid "excuse me" in the grocery store, and than they just run you over with their card anyways!! I'm still not used to it, but try not to get to fired up.

Please don't be offended, k? But I want to ask why this bothers you. Yes, I'm American. If someone has their cart blocking the aisle, or is standing in front of something I want to put in my cart, I say "excuse me". I get what I need, or I pass by, and we both move on. I guess I just don't understand what the alternatives would be? Either: a. rudely push my way through(which would obviously be inconsiderate and nasty) or b. wait until the person moves on their own?

I'm not trying to be mean here, just want to understand under what circumstances a person saying "excuse me" is bad?

Would it irreparably shock or stun this thread's Brits to learn that the residents of a Britishly-named suburb of Syracuse, New York, do NOT call themselves "Liverpudlians"? It's true, si man!

I see what you did there.

Edited July 9, 2009 by trillium13

[TBoneTX 45,900]

Regarding the grocery carTs, go Brooklyn on them and say "Hey! Getcho' foot off my lip so's I can spit in yo' face!" Alternatively, as in the Mexican supermarket that my wife & I frequent, you can simply give them a "chicharron." Perhaps best of all, give them a hard glare and shout, in livid fashion, "CANANDAIGUA!" They will certainly capitulate, much like the lobsterbacks who faced the Colonists during the Evolutionary War, si man.

I see what you did there.

Can't slip ANYTHING by YOU, no man!

[Krikit 1,165]

To begin with I really hated the "excuse me's" in the grocery store and constantly came home pissed of since I took it as a bit snyde but these days I hardly notice it any more just say "Oh I am sorry" and move on.

Ooohh yes! That stupid "excuse me" in the grocery store, and than they just run you over with their card anyways!! I'm still not used to it, but try not to get to fired up.

Please don't be offended, k? But I want to ask why this bothers you. Yes, I'm American. If someone has their cart blocking the aisle, or is standing in front of something I want to put in my cart, I say "excuse me". I get what I need, or I pass by, and we both move on. I guess I just don't understand what the alternatives would be? Either: a. rudely push my way through(which would obviously be inconsiderate and nasty) or b. wait until the person moves on their own?

I'm not trying to be mean here, just want to understand under what circumstances a person saying "excuse me" is bad?

I was a bit confused by that also. So then I thought.... maybe they're talking about when people do it in a rude way instead of a polite way. I've had that happen to me quite a few times and I don't understand it. For example, someone will be blocking the entire aisle and you'll politely say "excuse me" while you squeeze by. Then they turn around and in a really rude way will say "EXCUSE me" and give you a nasty look. I'm stunned by that.

[Talyss 0]

When I first got here I thought i had suddenly lost my ability to navigate a shopping trolley around a supermarket as people were constantly saying excuse me. I then realised that a lot of them were saying excuse me when you could get a bus through the other side of the aisle. I just assumed that some people have a habit of saying excuse me everytime they pass somebody and are not necessarily asking you to move out of the way.

[milesinfront 2]

I don't get this "excuse me" debate. It's common, perhaps more common in the UK. If you need to get past someone in a supermarket, what else do you say or do? Do you simply push past, or ask them to move out of your way? What would be common procedure in other countries?

[Krikit 1,165]

I don't get this "excuse me" debate. It's common, perhaps more common in the UK. If you need to get past someone in a supermarket, what else do you say or do? Do you simply push past, or ask them to move out of your way? What would be common procedure in other countries?

I'm pretty confused about it too. It's definitely common in the UK and Canada. I very rarely hear it in the US, though, unless it's spoken in a rude way. But there are some people who say it politely. We need those members to come back and explain!

[letty 1]

I don't get this "excuse me" debate. It's common, perhaps more common in the UK. If you need to get past someone in a supermarket, what else do you say or do? Do you simply push past, or ask them to move out of your way? What would be common procedure in other countries?

The problem I have with it is:

1. people say excuse me while they are almost at the other end of the store or while there is plenty of space to pass

2. if you are in their way, they say excuse me and don't you really give you time to get out of their way and run you over

[missmissy 38]

I lived in Sweden a few years ago, and in Copenhagen. I had a lot of trouble at the grocery store there.....people blocking the aisles, kids running around like crazy jumping all over the place and it would sometimes be impossible to get to anything. The grocery stores where were lived were much smaller than they are here. I would do the usual thing that I did here....pardon me, excuse me....and it was met with a lot of anger and hositlity. I finally asked Lars about it and he said that they are used to just pushing their way through and that most Danes or Swedes would not think about making excuses or talking to others in the store about moving out of the way, they just go around or through. I never got used to it, ever. So, I just learned to shut up and maneuver around whatever was in the way and to choose my grocery times carefully!

Here, Lars was shocked at how "friendly" people are. He said it felt "aggressive" to him at first. It took him a while to get used to people driving down the street and waving at him if he was outside, or saying hi while walking around Walmart and of course, all of the "excuse me's" were very tiring to him at first. He got used to it eventually and misses it now that he's back in Copenhagen. I think that as American's - we just talk more, are more outgoing and are, for the most part, a pretty friendly group of people and in parts of Europe, people are a little more solitary and quiet, not introverted but maybe a little more private. Not bad, just different than what we are all used to.

And, finally - when Lars is here, everyone in my family and all of our friends and neighbors and the local people go out of their way to make him feel welcome, wanted and happy. They want him to want to be here. He is aware but says that is can be very overwhelming.