Culture Shock in the UK: My First Impressions as an American

If you're planning on visiting or moving to the UK - watch this video on CULTURE SHOCK in the UK! I am living abroad in the UK as an American and you'd be surprised at how many culture shocks and cultural differences there are between these two English-speaking countries! Let me help prepare you for your time in the UK with these cultural differences.

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0:00 Intro
0:31 Language
1:08 Grocery shopping
1:51 Bill prices
2:50 Small talk
3:40 Building floors
4:07 Plugs/outlets
4:36 Public transport
5:29 Cars
6:23 Apartments
7:00 Driving
7:48 Tipping culture
8:17 Measuring units
9:22 Logistics: temperature, date format
9:57 Outro

[backgroundknowledgeisevery]

Welcome to the UK, I hope that you are enjoying your time here.

[simonkirk]

The "council tax" is actually based on the value of the property you live in...NOT how many people live there. The "switch" on a socket is there for safety purposes.

[Chillmax]

A really important thing to remember, especially as you're saying 'Everything' is like this, is that you're experiencing Britain in a particular price bracket, ie, lower. 'The kitchens are all tiny with no counter space' because of the price bracket you're in or seeing, go to higher value properties and you'll see everything you're used to, even dishwashers!!

[CapTally]

English people speak English in England? Who would have thought?

[tonyrantnrave]

Council tax does not go to pay for the NHS that's National Insurance (NI) it is taken out of wages either weekly or monthly
before you receive your pay simply

[colsand]

As someone once said: "There is no such thing as American English". There is English and there are mistakes. Couldn't agree more!

[ianbailey]

The switch is for safety. You can’t get a shock if there’s no power going through to the plug. It’s also very useful to switch off plugged in appliances at night (tv for example) without having to pull the plug from the wall.

[adrianwaygood]

The socket switch is there so you don't need to unplug the device. Simple!

[light]

good video, only thing I'd say is when you were talking about housing sizes. this is just a London/ big city thing I think. Similar to somewhere like New York where square footage is important. Out in the country side there are a lot of bigger houses for cheap with large kitchen, etc like in the US.

[Jericho-Bees]

There's simple reason the UK plug and sockets are designed as such because they are the safest by design. You will notice the top pin (earth) is slightly longer. This to prevent you from getting electrocuted because it provides a ground before opening the access points for neutral and live. The safety feature is particularly useful to prevent little fingers playing poking in and getting an electric shock. Most of the rest of the world aren't as safe. As long as an item is plugged in it will use a tiny amount on electric whatever country you are in. That's science for you. By having switches you can cut the circuit rather than having to physically unplug it. This stops any trickle of electricity but also makes things safer. Not all sockets have them built in. You will find more modern ones also have a USB charging socket so that you don't need to have separate power supplies for modern devices with you. As for shopping most people do it weekly at supermarket and if you live in a market town fresher produce is on the market. If you want to experience a proper market town go to one like Bury near Manchester. Mention the weather to try and break the ice, it's the 'British disease', we can have four seasons in one day and people are more likely to talk. Ask a British how they are then they will say they are alright even if they are really ill. Not all roads are narrow and you will find many defined by size and priority as A and B roads. A lot comes from historically they were designed for a horse and cart. Celcius just makes more sense in UK weather forecasts because 0C is the freezing point of water (rain)... And if you are making a brew it's the boiling point of water is 100C. Starting at an arbitary figure like 32 just isn't logical. You'd be surprised to know English people speak English😊

[leewatson]

A switch on the mains socket, it's for safety obviously.

[mrzacc]

You have been to the UK a few times and have a British dad, but you have never heard of Wales (Cymru)

[adriangoodrich]

The British domestic electrical system is far safer than the US one - or indeed pretty well anywhere else that does not use the British system. Some will tell you it reflects the UK "ring main" system, used for power circuits although not lights or large appliances which are radial as in the US, but this is not the reason for most of the differences other than the integral fuses. Some will tell you it reflects the higher and therefore more dangerous voltage of 230V compared with 110V in the US, which is true to a point but most of Europe and Australasia etc use similar plugs to the US and they have 230-340V. The real reason is safety. There are loads of videos which explain all about this, but just to list a few of the safety features: the earth (ground) pin is longer and enters the socket first, so the ground connection is made before any live connection (I think three-pin US plugs do similar?); the earth pin opens two shutters, which otherwise cover and protect the live and neutral connections, so unlike the US you cannot insert anything into a UK plug and get a shock; each plug has its own integral and replaceable fuse; each socket can be switched off (as you can see) - NOT to save power (although it does, when you switch off electronic appliances that are always drawing some power) but as an additional safety (an d convenience) feature to disconnect an appliance whilst leaving it plugged in (no having to go round pulling out all the plugs before going off on vacation!); the cable leaves the plug at the bottom, so you cannot pull the plug out by pulling the cord; Indeed, it takes some effort to pull the plug out at all, although the plug is shaped to allow a firm grip to help this; the live and neutral pins are insulated for the first part of their length, so once you have pushed the plug part way into the socket and the earth pin has opened the shutters, there is no bare metal you can touch; most UK plugs can be rewired, rather than just being moulded on like in the us, making thinks much easier if the cable is damaged; the three wires inside the plug are all different lengths, deliberately, so if the cable is tugged out (which is very hard, since another feature is a cable grip in the plug) the live wire disconnects first, then neutral and only at the end the earth; and it is impossible to insert a UK plug into a socket "the wrong way", mixing up live and neutral (unless you use a cheap, foreign, uncertified extension lead that is not wide enough). There IS one huge downside to the UK plug, though - it hurts like hell if you accidentally stand on an upturned one when wandering around in the night! Think standing on lego, and move on up several orders of magnitude!

[elizabethhamon]

Hmm, as an American that has been in England for the last four months, albeit in the countryside, I have found people quite chatty. People are very friendly and regularly engage in small talk with me when I am on a walk or shopping etc. I think it might depend on where you are.

[Loki]

Wait....what? The English speak English? That can't be right surely!
We also have the nerve to pronounce English words the English way!

[fizzyridertoo]

$80 per month was a pretty reasonable electricity bill. Most people that I know are paying more like $200, especially during the summer. While Brits pay council tax, you forgot to mention that homeowners in America have to pay property tax. In Austin I'm paying around $4K per year for a 1500 sq ft home.

[nevillemason]

Two corrections when you're talking at 2:30 about Council Tax. The amount of tax payable is based on the value of the property sorted into bands i.e. £200-£300, 000. It's got nothing to do with how many people occupy the property. Also It's nothing to do with paying towards the National Health Service. That's paid for out of general taxation (income tax, etc.) and National Insurance (deducted from your pay). The largest amount of Council Tax goes towards education (up to age 18).

[richt]

Hi.Just got recommended your video.
There are a few misconceptions you have.
Council tax is per property not per person. It's based on house values decades ago as to the band of your property and the amount you pay.
Garbage disposals are illegal in many areas as they clog the drain pipes. Dishwashers are normal in most larger homes.
You don't need a TV license to watch tv. You need a TV license to watch any live tv broadcasts and/or iplayer.
The UK used imperial measurements like the US but when the UK joined the EU in the 70's the UK had to move to metric. There was a backlash so now you have both in some cases.

[seancampbell]

The date is written shortest to longest, i.e day, month, year, makes sense!

[Brian]

Public transport works well to travel between towns and cities. However reaching rural areas is difficult, not enough passengers to run buses and make a profit.