Adjusting to life in the states.

[Cody and Daisy 373]

Lol he does the same thing and with butter as well. There is no T there.

Almost sounds like butt ah but the ts are silent?

Amazing ?

I can deal with aluminium okay. But the one British word (pronunciation) that makes me crazy is vitamins.

Hearing VIT-amins is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. I banned the word. LOL

I swear no one knows what I'm saying when I say vitamins.. ?

[ZA_35 48]

Don't ask for "chips" if you want "crisps" lol

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

haha that's awesome. My daughter and my fiance go back and forth about the word innit. He says innit , she says isn't it. lol It's like their little joke. It's funny as well because aluminum was the very first word we compared when we first met back in the day as friends. How funny!

[MacUK 983]

Strangest words/phrases for me to get used to/get funny looks.

Going to stick some petrol in the car

Has anyone seen me trainers?

Aluminium

Chips/fries/crisps

Various different British words for the toilet.

Vitamins

Something - maybe it's just my accent I kept getting grief for it sounding more like summink

Herbs - not 'erbs, as in the words of the great Eddie Izzard "It's got a ****ing 'H' in it!"

[Cody and Daisy 373]

Strangest words/phrases for me to get used to/get funny looks.

Going to stick some petrol in the car

Has anyone seen me trainers?

Aluminium

Chips/fries/crisps

Various different British words for the toilet.

Vitamins

Something - maybe it's just my accent I kept getting grief for it sounding more like summink

Herbs - not 'erbs, as in the words of the great Eddie Izzard "It's got a ****ing 'H' in it!"

Oh my I love Eddies bilingual comedy.

I really need to watch his new one...

My husbands taking a liking to saying "you what mate?"

Now all his friends say it!

[CoTL 2]

I am quite happy to find this thread!

I've lived in the US since 2007, and I found it surprisingly hard to transition. I put on 20lbs quickly, the food and lack of walking just killed me. Lack of places to walk is in my top three things that I get homesick for. I live in Louisiana, and the closest park is nearly 40 miles away. I miss being able to go for a walk. Public transport is pretty much none existent. I used to be able to walk from the end of my street, to a bus stop, where I could get the bus to Manchester. I was only a 20 minute walk from the train station. It would take me 5 hours to walk to the closest Wal-Mart here.

I have three American born children, and I cringe when my 6 year old says "ya'll". I keep saying we need to ship her off to the UK for 3 months over the summer to fix her accent. I still spell my words "right", I just can't bring myself to use color instead of colour, unless it's a proper email/correspondence.

Edited March 17, 2015 by CoTL

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

I am quite happy to find this thread!

I've lived in the US since 2007, and I found it surprisingly hard to transition. I put on 20lbs quickly, the food and lack of walking just killed me. Lack of places to walk is in my top three things that I get homesick for. I live in Louisiana, and the closest park is nearly 40 miles away. I miss being able to go for a walk. Public transport is pretty much none existent. I used to be able to walk from the end of my street, to a bus stop, where I could get the bus to Manchester. I was only a 20 minute walk from the train station. It would take me 5 hours to walk to the closest Wal-Mart here.

I have three American born children, and I cringe when my 6 year old says "ya'll". I keep saying we need to ship her off to the UK for 3 months over the summer to fix her accent. I still spell my words "right", I just can't bring myself to use color instead of colour, unless it's a proper email/correspondence.

haha yes that's how he is. He is just a tram ride away from Manchester so he walks a lot to the bus or tram and the store etc..etc... but I live in TN so when he has been here to visit before we always talk about the fact that it takes ages to get anywhere in a car much less if you ever tried to walk it. So it'll be the same and I think that's the funniest thing he thinks I say is ya'll and plum (you know, I plum ran over that thing) or if I say I killed something. (we play video games together lol) he says that I pronounce it and hill or anything else spelled similarly as keeled haha he just chuckles. But it is hard to go from a city like that , even though that's a small town to you guys , to where i live which is a proper small town and has significantly less people and place than where he is from. And I'm about 30 mins drive from downtown or the nearest city area. So it'll be a change I'm sure. I love all the input from everyone to compare. It's awesome. Thanks

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I have three American born children, and I cringe when my 6 year old says "ya'll". I keep saying we need to ship her off to the UK for 3 months over the summer to fix her accent. I still spell my words "right", I just can't bring myself to use color instead of colour, unless it's a proper email/correspondence.

I bet you're the poshest one down on the bayou.

[Twinkles 10]

I have been here four years. Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow.

I'm a Geordie, according to the man who..... still is my Husband, I talk like Golem -.^

He has pointed out on many occasion, that I refer to myself in sentences, as more than one person.

Here in Northern Virginia, where a lot of the original Brits settled, i often joke with my friends that the Empire is back

My experience here is they love all things British. I could talk utter tripe and they will still be awe struck. It does make me laugh.

We tend to find i'm Americanizing my talking, due to necessity of needing to be understood.

It's a whole new experience visiting the Doc here. had two kidney specialists rolling on the floor laughing when i referred to a past water infection.

My Husband, bless him is a very patient man, with a wonderful sense of humor.

At time's, he seems to take pride in being my translator, although for me, i feel like brave heart and want to lift my kilt and say freeeeeeeeedom.

We blame the fact that i was born next to the Scots border for me thinking that way.

However, it appears my Hubby is turning into a Geordie, with his "aw aye's" I enjoy it when he does try to talk Geordie to me.

It's a home comfort.

I think four years on, i'm an unusual mix of Brit and American. I don't think i will ever give up my British ways completely. Last night for tea we had British dumplings! so i'm still a bit of a rebel. All things considered, i have no regrets and absolutely love it here.

[CheekyMonkeys154 27]

Haha that's awesome. And we have agreed to always call dinner tea Haha but that post cracked me up. That's how I actually feel as an America. I feel like some days I'm a UK us hybrid cause I say a little of both just out of habit. Y'all crack me up.

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

I have three American born children, and I cringe when my 6 year old says "ya'll". I keep saying we need to ship her off to the UK for 3 months over the summer to fix her accent.

It is better than the alternative - one, just one, of my brothers has this weird Yorkshire-American accent mix that sounds neither American nor British. Honestly, he sounds like he's got a speech impediment. It is no good.

Anyway, better one or the other.

[CoTL 2]

haha yes that's how he is. He is just a tram ride away from Manchester so he walks a lot to the bus or tram and the store etc..etc... but I live in TN so when he has been here to visit before we always talk about the fact that it takes ages to get anywhere in a car much less if you ever tried to walk it. So it'll be the same and I think that's the funniest thing he thinks I say is ya'll and plum (you know, I plum ran over that thing) or if I say I killed something. (we play video games together lol) he says that I pronounce it and hill or anything else spelled similarly as keeled haha he just chuckles. But it is hard to go from a city like that , even though that's a small town to you guys , to where i live which is a proper small town and has significantly less people and place than where he is from. And I'm about 30 mins drive from downtown or the nearest city area. So it'll be a change I'm sure. I love all the input from everyone to compare. It's awesome. Thanks

It's hard going from a well connected transport area to somewhere more rural. Also, I wish I would've ate more Indian and Chinese food before I left. The nearest Indian restaurant is 100 miles away and it isn't even that great! Makes me miss Curry Mile! I'm hoping to go back next summer and I have a list of foods I just need to eat. Indian. FIsh and chips. Black pudding. Lol.

I bet you're the poshest one down on the bayou.

You wouldn't believe the amount of comments I have had "you sound like you're right out of Downton Abbey!" Ha! A servant maybe. I lived between Manchester and Sheffield, and went to a nicer college so I sound like a well spoken farmer.

It is better than the alternative - one, just one, of my brothers has this weird Yorkshire-American accent mix that sounds neither American nor British. Honestly, he sounds like he's got a speech impediment. It is no good.

Anyway, better one or the other.

My kids sound very American to my family, and English to Americans. I get unnecessarily mad when my 6 year old calls me "mom". It's not her fault, but it sounds sooo wrong.

Schools are so different too. My oldest is in first grade, and started in Kindergarten with 2 pieces of homework every night. Now it is 3. She has 3 tests a week, which I think is insane at her age. Our rural location doesn't help with school quality really. Then I get mad about all the awful food additives that are allowed in food here, that is banned in the UK. Sometimes I really think I want to move back home.

[-PiLoT- 11]

I have been here four years. Our wedding anniversary is tomorrow.

I'm a Geordie, according to the man who..... still is my Husband, I talk like Golem -.^

He has pointed out on many occasion, that I refer to myself in sentences, as more than one person.

Here in Northern Virginia, where a lot of the original Brits settled, i often joke with my friends that the Empire is back

My experience here is they love all things British. I could talk utter tripe and they will still be awe struck. It does make me laugh.

We tend to find i'm Americanizing my talking, due to necessity of needing to be understood.

It's a whole new experience visiting the Doc here. had two kidney specialists rolling on the floor laughing when i referred to a past water infection.

My Husband, bless him is a very patient man, with a wonderful sense of humor.

At time's, he seems to take pride in being my translator, although for me, i feel like brave heart and want to lift my kilt and say freeeeeeeeedom.

We blame the fact that i was born next to the Scots border for me thinking that way.

However, it appears my Hubby is turning into a Geordie, with his "aw aye's" I enjoy it when he does try to talk Geordie to me.

It's a home comfort.

I think four years on, i'm an unusual mix of Brit and American. I don't think i will ever give up my British ways completely. Last night for tea we had British dumplings! so i'm still a bit of a rebel. All things considered, i have no regrets and absolutely love it here.

Just Divvint ask for a canny bag a tuda, the winnit nar way ya an aboot

[LauraDP 10]

I have not had time to properly read all the replies, just skim and scan, so forgive me if I am repeating the same stuff others have written.

I think there is a difference between becoming settled here and assimilating here. I have been in America for 17 months now and would say I am pretty settled here but I still stick out like a sore thumb in pretty much every way. I had to just throw myself into everything, immerse myself in American life. I actually had no choice as my husband was working out of state within days of the kids and I arriving in the US so I had to be able to drive us all around, go shopping, know how to do things. Getting thrown in at the deep end was probably the best thing to do in retrospect. I would have learned more slowly had I been coddled. So that's my first tip: just dive in and get on with it.

It helps that there is no language barrier here generally but I still have the odd problem because I am Scottish. Not everyone can deal with my accent. That is especially true on the phone. Phone conversations can be painful. I have made a conscious effort to slow my speech down and that helps. My vocabulary, however, has not adjusted at all. I am just too hard-wired to the British-English words to be able to reach for the American word right away. For the most part it is fine as most Americans have watched enough British TV to know what I am on about when I ask where trousers are in the store and that sort of thing. My kids have adapted their vocabulary right away so I use them as a crutch when I am doing something more specialist. They keep me right. And I just laugh off the blank stares and "what the heck did you say?" when I get them. It's fine. Diversity is good. I have the added problem of sometimes even having to reach for the English-English word because I think of the Scots words first.

I was panicked about the whole driving thing but I passed my theory test first thing without having studied for it (I thought I was just getting the paperwork for taking the test and they made me take the test on the spot!) and the practical test was laughably easy so I passed that first time too and with no difficulty. As it was just me and a bunch of 16 year olds, that was just as well as it could have been quite embarrassing to fail after decades of experience driving.

We bought a house last summer and that process is very different from in the UK but the real estate agent led us through it and I have generally found that people have been very happy to help and are understanding even more than tolerant that things don't click into place right away. There's a lot of assumed knowledge here but you just have to speak up and explain that you don't understand something and people happily explain. I deal with that a lot with the school system. I am always firing off emails or chatting to the secretary to figure things out. Oh and the medical and tax systems here take a whole lot of wrapping your head around if you have grown up and lived your adult life in the UK. I still have not sussed the whole healthcare thing.

So, in a nutshell, I advise just getting stuck in and immersed in everyday life with as little hand-holding as possible and be prepared to ask questions or ask for guidance.

Best wishes

Laura

[Ketsuban 1,034]

I've found that complete strangers have no trouble understanding me, but my husband's family do. It might be because they are old, or otherwise I have no idea. It's come to the point where whenever we visit (which is often), I just don't speak, which sucks because there will be at least 5 to 10 of us in a room conversing, eating dinner etc and I'll just be sitting there silently like a mug for 6 hours waiting to go home! I have tried speaking louder and slowing down, but it just doesn't work. I come from Surrey so I'm not sure what's up there... maybe they just don't want to talk to me

I learned to drive for over a year having 2 hour long lessons each week in the UK and was nowhere near ready to take my test. I have been looking for local jobs but so far not been successful, so I am hoping my husband will help me pay for taking lessons again and possibly buying a car. To be honest though, I'm so terrified of driving that I am in a cold sweat the whole time I'm behind the wheel, so I'm not sure it will work out! But I will have to try.

The most difficult thing has been finances. My husband files federal and state online with H&R Block, but had no idea he had to pay city taxes. The city he moved to 2 years ago never invoiced him, H&R Block never informed him and he had apparently never encountered such a thing before. Luckily, when we went to the town hall to 'fess up and pay up, they waived the penalty because we came forward of our own volition.

We were also led to believe we were eligible for subsidies (Marketplace phone rep and website said we were, based on our circumstances), but I discovered soon after that since we rejected my husband's employer's policy, we were therefore not eligible. Getting the subsidy off the plan was a headache (Marketplace phone reps still insisting we were eligible when we're not!), and now I'm pretty sure we will owe a few hundred $$$ next tax year I miss the NHS.