Many people from the United States move to live in the U.K., whether for work relocation, studying, family, or other reasons.
Going from the U.S. to the U.K. can shock those who have made the change due to the significant differences between the two countries.
Three American women now residing in the U.K. have been documenting their experiences adapting to their new home. Andrea Celeste, Helene Sula and Aurora Lofton have expressed their personal opinions through posts on their TikTok accounts.
One significant aspect that shocked Californian-born Celeste was the smaller scale of cars, highways and houses in the U.K. compared to her hometown, as she was only familiar with seeing bigger vehicles and 10-lane freeways in California.
Another shock Celeste had was regarding the various accents which British people can have. She explained this on her TikTok account: “I think in the U.S., you grow up watching films placed in England, and 99 per cent of the time, they’re London or more neutral accents.”
The Californian also noticed the difference in how people dress in the U.K. compared to her birthplace. She found that people put on different footwear due to the higher predictability of rain in her new home.
She stated: “Wearing thin fabric shoes like Vans and Converse isn’t as common due to the unpredictable rain, which I learned the first day at university when I wore Toms, and they got soaked in the first 15 minutes of being outside.”
Travel blogger Sula moved from Dallas, Texas, to Oxford last October and noticed plenty of differences, particularly with houses. She was shocked to find that U.K. homes have a double tap in the bathroom, whereas, in the U.S., there is one tap for both hot and cold water.
Also, Sula noticed that plug switches in the U.K. must be turned on to charge a device and that the water pressure is higher than in the U.S. Another observation the Dallas native found was that English homes have vastly different structures, notably that houses are attached.
@heleneinbetween It’s our first week in England and it’s been incredible! So far we’ve taken two tours of Oxford and are getting set up in our home (and watching out for spiders). I’m updating daily on stories! Oxford University is fascinating!! There is so much history here as the oldest University int he English speaking world! The bathrooms are weird. But the no outlets is taking some getting used to! I adore the right to roam law. Yes, it’s more land in Scotland. Across England and Wales there are over 140,000 miles of rights of way. These are paths on which everyone has the right to walk. Most rights of way run across private land, but they are open to the public at all times! Follow @heleneinbetween for more! #ohyeahoxford #helenelovesengland #lifeabraod #expat #americaninengland #americanintheuk #expattok
After moving from Virginia two years ago, Lofton works as a management consultant in London. The main thing she has picked up on since relocating across the Atlantic is the stark difference in corporate attire.
She found that workers in London’s financial district wear darker or more neutral colours such as black, grey, white and dark navy blue. In the U.S., she was used to corporate employees displaying much brighter and more vibrant colours in their work outfits.
Lofton is a fan of the choice as the dress code is simple and does not look too overbearing. One TikTok user pointed out that this colour palette could be drawn from British people having to wear school uniforms from a young age.
Another user mentioned that it is widespread for business people to wear a white shirt and blue suit, whilst another claimed they only wear black coats.
