Basically,even if you have visited the USA onnumerous occasions, seen numerous US moviesand documentaries and read up on your American history, there is nothing quitelike living in the US. Yes, they speak English in the USA and thereare big similarities with the UK in someareas, but don’t kid yourself that there aren’t also some significantdifferences.
Thereare differences in the way that people interact and relate to each other, forinstance, and there are major philosophical differences in the way thatAmericans generally perceive their lives and the world around them. The social set up and politics of the countryare also radically different. Somethings, such as religion, generally form a far bigger role in American lifethan they do in the UK,especially if you live in the Midwest or in thesouthern states.
Inevitably,I think that most British expats will at one time or another find themselveswondering “what have I done” after they’ve moved, (that is certainly the case withthe expats that I have contact with), and to a large extent I think it ispretty normal to feel like that. I amnot exaggerating when I say that some elements of American culture can at timesbe so alien as to be virtually incomprehensible to a British person. In some ways, probably the best attitude totake when moving to the USA, I wouldsay, is to see yourself as embarking on an adventure in a strange land, ratherthan just nipping across the Atlantic to a placethat is very similar. (I am not tryingto put anyone off moving to the US, justpointing out that it is reasonable to expect to experience both emotional, aswell as practical difficulties at times.)
Americansare generally more open and warm and less reserved than British people when itcomes to strangers. They will commonlygreet, chat, and help out people they don’t know. The friendliness can be almost overwhelmingat times. However, it doesn’t mean quitethe same thing in American culture, as it does in the UK and someexpats say that they find American friendliness more “surfacy”. It can still be difficult for expats to makeclose friends.
Making friends can be especially tough for expats who are middle-aged orolder. Your circle of friends tends tobe large when you are in your twenties, many of them purely socialacquaintances, but friends nonetheless. As you get older, you maybe have a family, get used to doing things incertain ways, and the friendship circle tends to shrink to a hard core of oldfriends. It can be hard for expats tomeet and make new friends and it can take years to forge the strong friendshipsthat expats have left back home.
Another aspect of USculture that is very different is humour. It has virtually become a cliché to say that Americans don’t ‘get’irony, but the fact is that if you use a lot of irony and satire in the USA,you are liable to be misunderstood in many instances. Thisis especially true in the workplace and when dealing with officialdom, such asthe police and customs people. Even insocial situations, irony and satire are generally more rarely used and can get you into trouble.
Although the daily pattern of life is similar in many respects, the workculture is generally more intense in America. The USAis definitely more of a ‘live to work’, than a ‘work to live’ culture, withlonger working hours, less holidays, and fewer workers’ rights. American life also tends to be more familyorientated than it is for their British counterparts. When not working, those Americans withfamilies spend more of their time attending events organised by their kids’ schoolsetc.
Most Americans have never really travelled much outside of the USA. Their knowledge, interest, and direct experienceof Britain, Europe,and indeed the rest of the world can sometimes seem limited and you won’t findmuch mention of foreign places on the TV news or in the media. Americans don’t get much holiday time andwhat little they get, they usually spend within the USA. The USAis massive, of course, with almost every type of terrain and climateimaginable, plus there are variations in culture within the different parts ofthe US. It is still a surprisingly insular andinward-looking place generally, however, in comparison to the UK.
There are many other things that differ – one could easily write severalbooks on the topic and still not cover everything. Generally, outside of the big cities,American values tend to be very traditional – this is especially true in the Midwestand the Deep South. The politics are very different too, with a different politicalstructure, beliefs and history. Therewill be times as a British expat that you will feel almost fully settled in theUSA, followed by periods where you feel pretty alienated and detached, if theexperience of myself and other expats that I’m in contact with is anything togo by.
If you want to read more about my own personal experiences, musings,opinions of the USfrom a British viewpoint, then feel free to read my personal and informal blogabout moving from the North of England to the US,which is called From Sheep to Alligators.
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