How long did it take you to feel at home in the US?

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

At the risk of sounding like an American, I was all set

[Pooky 3,830]

At the risk of sounding like an American, I was all set

I hate you so much right now.

[2ndMessiah 184]

How funny because I always found those fist sized plugs on the end of a hair dryer or curling iron quite annoying, as well as my husbands obsession with turning the outlets off. Why isn't the toaster working? Oh yeah, got to flip on the outlet. (Surely you have 3 hole outlets. All of ours are)

I asked my husband to answer your question and he said it was just gradual. You get used to things and they don't seem odd anymore. Exception: Drive-thru windows. He still hates those because they never understand what he is saying and he has to keep repeating. We bought an Amazon Fire TV box yesterday with the voice remote. It didn't understand him. I think he was just doing it wrong, but it was kinda hilarious when he said, "Great! This doesn't understand me either."

I can tell he is adjusted in many ways like tonight when we were ordering Subway sandwiches. There was already at least fifteen slices of jalapeño peppers on his sandwich and he asked for a handful more. I said that was a lot of peppers for an Englishman. He said, I'm a Texan.

You'll get there Otter but it probably won't hit you in the face like "Today is the day I feel at home."

PS: I don't think "all set" is common here where we live.

Somebody else has problems with drive through windows. I NO LONGER FEEL ALONE.

As a male I have never felt so neutered until I had to deal with American drive through staff.

[2ndMessiah 184]

Been here since last Oct and have definately not settled. I cant get past the guns, the violence, the lunatic health system and the antiquated banking system. I can't stand how so many things are "awesome" they might be good or even very good but awesome, give me a break.

awe·some [aw-suhm] Show IPA

adjective

1.

inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear; causing or inducing awe: anawesome sight.

I agree. It does feel like stepping back in time. You forgot the antiquated electrical system, employment laws or lack of from the 18th century and stubbornness to doing things its own why even when it is wrong.

But this country is also young, vital, not afraid to be different. It is still learning to be all it can be. It has potential to be the world power it thinks it is. You forget it has achieved so much in its short time and will be so, so much more once it has the maturity of its parent nations.

E pluribus unum.. very apt for this place.

[2ndMessiah 184]

I already feel more comfortable than I did when I initially posted this, I've been getting used to how things work here and speaking more slowly so people actually understand me! Next step is trying to make some friends and get a job lol that's the scary part!

Accents. I have decided to try and loose my Ulster Accent or at least try to tame it. Make it less harsh and develop a more American one. Unfortunately I was 41 when I arrived. I have been here fours years and my accent is as still a broad as it was when I arrived. Don't think I will ever loose it.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Interesting thing happened happened tonight at a drive through window. (He was driving, but I have to lean over and talk to the people). So the total was some odd dollars and 45 cents. I got out the exact amount and handed it to him. He paused and stared at it. "Isn't that 45?", I ask. He was puzzling over the coins. So after 5+ years, he still has to think about the coins. Who knew? Dimes confuse him because they are smaller than nickels. Hahaha. So funny to me since he drove with not a minute of hesitation. He can spout off temperature conversion for F to C. And he still has to mentally think about dimes?

[S-C 21]

The dimes are super confusing! I have gone from Australian money to British and then US. And because all of them are of varying sized I still get confused.

PS. F to C conversion - divide by 2 and minus 30. It won't be exact, but it will be close enough to give you an idea.

[2ndMessiah 184]

Interesting thing happened happened tonight at a drive through window. (He was driving, but I have to lean over and talk to the people). So the total was some odd dollars and 45 cents. I got out the exact amount and handed it to him. He paused and stared at it. "Isn't that 45?", I ask. He was puzzling over the coins. So after 5+ years, he still has to think about the coins. Who knew? Dimes confuse him because they are smaller than nickels. Hahaha. So funny to me since he drove with not a minute of hesitation. He can spout off temperature conversion for F to C. And he still has to mentally think about dimes?

Money. Yup, I still have to concentrate to count after 4 years.

And you are describing the drive thru experience in my life exactly...

For driving, well I used to love to drive. Since coming to the US, I tolerate it to get to work and home. I drive myself and the wife a bit more about the place but she generally does most of the family driving.

[nobbie 105]

The dimes are super confusing! I have gone from Australian money to British and then US. And because all of them are of varying sized I still get confused.

PS. F to C conversion - divide by 2 and minus 30. It won't be exact, but it will be close enough to give you an idea.

I think you'll find it's subtract 30 then divide by 2.

[S-C 21]

I think you'll find it's subtract 30 then divide by 2.

Wow. You're right. Clearly I need to go home now. My brain has ceased working.

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

The first vacation I had with my wife when we were just dating we were at some gift shop on Cape Cod and I went to pull some money out for postcards. "How much is a dime I asked"? The woman behind the counter was like "He doesn't know"?! like I was some special kind of idiot. Naturally my wife laughed a lot and won't let me forget it even now!

[2ndMessiah 184]

My first few weeks here, I use to just throw my pocket shrapnel at the clerk and let them count it.

It didn't seem to annoy them. I got the impression it was the norm as a lot of the local around me seemed a little dim and not the brightest bulbs in the box.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Altitude sickness made me a special kind of idiot in Colorado once. We flew to Breckenridge with an elevation around 10,000 feet from our home of around 12 feet elevation, arriving at night. The next morning I went out to get a cappuccino. I laid a pile of dollars and coins on the counter and said "I just can not think how to count this money, so take what you need". It was like looking at foreign money. So weird. He asked when I arrived and where I had come from. Then he said, "No coffee for you. You have altitude sickness and need massive amounts of water to get over it". He took my cappuccino and handed me a water bottle and told me not to go anywhere without it for a few days.

[2ndMessiah 184]

I think you'll find it's subtract 30 then divide by 2.

What ever happened to subtract thirty two, Multiple by five and divide by nine.

[nobbie 105]

Nothing happened, but S-C put it up as an quick conversion. I am old enough to be able to do both, I was brought up with F so had to learn C when we decided to catch up with the rest of the world. Wish the US would do the same with dates, measurements, volumes etc.