Differences Between Living in the US vs. the UK
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- Charlotte Stivenson
- Blog
- 1816
So I grew up in New York and I went to university down in Virginia [and] there's quite a few differences between living in the u.s. And living in the uk Specifically London first of all the language can be very different [they're] just saying here that were two [nations] divided by a common language which kind of describes How it is so living here for over three [years] now? I've gotten pretty good with knowing all of the language differences, but when I meet people from Northern England [there] are some things that they say I just have no [idea] what they're talking about I'm gonna do a video on language differences. Make sure you subscribe to my channel So you don't miss that probably the most interesting example of what I went through when I first moved here Is that the English call underwear pants? So I kept saying pants when I meant Trousers and people thought I meant underwear and I was talking [about] my underwear and it was a little uncomfortable if you've been to England before You might have noticed that sometimes the English can be so polite That it's like to a fault [I'm] from New York [while] I wouldn't say I'm rude [I] definitely think that quite a few new Yorkers are or at least they're very straightforward The English are often so polite that they don't ask for what they actually want for example when we go to a restaurant Instead of saying that something's gone wrong with their order or with the meal They just won't say anything and as a new yorker who likes [a] [good] service. I'm not like that.
That's another topic We can get into service quite often the service here is not anything what we're used to back in the us And I'm not gonna Lie. I do get a little worked up over it sometimes I totally get that things are different here And I try to be as patient as I possibly can especially as I don't want to embarrass my husband But things can take so long here sometimes the wait staff aren't attentive and when things do go wrong Like really long like really long really really wrong You have to actually ask for them to take something off the bill or give you something for it one of the things that I? Love about living in the uk over the u.s. Is that we have a much better work/life balance here like much better for example by law? Employees in the uk have to be given 20 days of holiday a year It's the law they have to give it to them in the u.s. The last time I checked there is no minimum for how many days a company has to give an employee for holiday Vacation days all of my British friends here cannot believe that its standard for employees to get only 10 days of vacation Days back in the u.s.
Here you're also expected to take that holiday some companies won't let it roll over to the next year Or won't give you the money for it because they want people to actually take those days off and rest whereas in the us I saw a statistic the other day.
It's like something like [70%] of people in the u.s. Don't even take all of their holiday time that's insane a really big difference that we have here in the uk over the u.s. Is health care, so the uk runs on the public health system called the nhS. It's paid for by taxes, which just makes it incredibly Complicated because it's even more of a facet of politics then it is in the u.s.
There are pros [and] [cons] of each system for me I have to pay for it because I'm an Immigrant literally called the Immigrant [Healthcare] Surcharge Which [you] have to pay when I get my new visas, but in the end I do prefer it here because I [never] would be able to go freelance Especially if I were single if we didn't have the nhs something that I love about the uk is that people generally are Healthier here from my experience people walk way more here than they do in the u.s. They eat more fruits and vegetables and they eat smaller portions. I'm someone who likes to eat healthy and also take care [of] myself I Really love that and every time I go back to the [states].
I find it harder and harder to [find] [healthier] choices on menus at restaurants and in fast food places I like can't find anything that I actually wouldn't mind eating and the portions I can barely even eat half of them anymore it's like I've shrunk my stomach since I've been here things tend to be smaller here so cars houses people It's more of a less is more attitude here than it [is] in the us where I think America is all about bigger and better and more as someone who prefers to live a more minimalistic lifestyle The uk is a really good fit for me. We're all so much better at Recycling than the u.s. Is I like way better my husband every time [I] go to the [us] cannot believe how badly? Everyone recycles there which I think is not Americans fault. [I] think it's something that needs to come from the government Which is why it's so big here because you actually get in trouble if you don't Recycle here, I know much of europe.
It's like that So those are the main big differences between living in the uk and the us so in the comments I want you guys to ask me questions about other Differences that I've found or if you've ever lived in the uk and the u.s. What are some differences that you notice when you're living here, and I will see you in next week's video