[Question] London, England

Try the HP sauce. You'll love it.

I don't have anything productive to say but this belongs here...

I've never been, but if you have a solid exit strategy, I'd say do it. You don't mention anything to you're you down, so I'll assume there's nothing pressing to keep you, and if nothing else it would be a good adventure.

HP sauce is delicious.

If you have the opportunity (and as Poe suggests, have an exit strategy) then why the hell not? A good friend of mine from high school moved there with her husband and she's been there for almost a decade now and absolutely loves it.

Charlie Don't Surf said:

likely be living a less comfortable life there than here.

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If you are open to changing your idea of "comfort" and fun, then try to see how they live, what they do, and allow yourself to be absorbed into their culture. You may find it rather freeing to not only understand but experience a different mindset as to what constitutes happiness and comfort.

If you go there as an american, and expect to live like and american, then you'll find yourself trying to fit a round peg into a square hole - and with enough force you can make it fit, but it will always feel off.

But if you figure out how to live more outside your flat, vacation (lots and lots of places to go within a day or two of travel), and focus less on living with everything you want inside your home, I suspect you can be very happy with the situation. And this is still a rough generalization - just go with an open mind and a willingness to change how you amuse yourself.

stienman said:

If you go there as an american, and expect to live like and american, then you'll find yourself trying to fit a round peg into a square hole

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He's right, you might meet Simon Pegg!

I get what you are saying it's pretty pricy over there. I have only gone as a tourist and it was super expensive. If you think you'll be able to do a lot of fun things it would be best to get a realistic idea of how much extra income you will have. It's kind of the same if I moved to a city. So much to do but wouldn't be able to afford to do any of it.

So you will be there for the Olympics?

My brother was stationed there in the airforce and hated it. He was much happier when he was reassigned back to a US base. I'm not sure what exactly he hated about it but I'm sure much of it was work-related.

Also, apparently something to do with UK food being the worst thing ever.

edit edit: And because of UK taxes on screen windows and air conditioning, his on-base housing decided not to deal with it and banned those things outright. You probably won't have these problems, assuming this job isn't a military one.

I moved from Maryland to London when I was 15.

I remember people asking me what was the biggest thing I had to adjust to, and I said I couldn't think of a single biggest thing. Rather, it was a whole bunch of little everyday things that are different. Light switches in the UK are reversed from their American counterparts, so what seems to be "on" is actually "off." Wall sockets are differently shaped and use a higher voltage, so you need transformers for any electrical appliances you bring. Cars drive on the other side of the road. People talk with weird accents (for a single city on a small island, there's a huge variety of accents in London) and use different words for things. The roads are a confusing labyrinth. The school and university system is completely different from the American system.

I think one of the biggest pieces of culture shock, though, was the simmering prejudice against Americans. It's often considered socially acceptable to call Americans fat and stupid and obnoxious. You probably won't encounter outright racism or exclusion due to your nationality, but be prepared to hear a few derogatory comments out of nowhere. You can either ignore them or engage them in debate, but I used to argue with them and never got anywhere.

On the whole, though, while there was a definite adjustment period, I settled in after about 6 to 12 months. It helps to meet good friends, who can remind you that not all is lost. So yeah, I'd say go for it.

London, like any large modern city, is a multicultural metropolis. If you could live in New York then you can live in London. Any differences in culture are not neccessarily bad or good, just different. No matter where you go, if you look for a down side then you will find it, but it will be mostly of your own making. There are about 8,000,000 people in London, many of them American, so I say try it, you might even enjoy yourself!



A tax on screen windows and air conditioning? There is little need for them here, so they most likely have to be imported fom the States at great cost, which is probably why they were not installed.

Dave said:

NEVER pass up an opportunity to travel abroad. Ever.

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Having spent some time in certain Eastern European countries I can tell you this advice is not true. There's overseas experiences that are hard but awesome and you grow as a person and then theres visiting Bulgaria.

Also

Charlie Don't Surf said:

I have a job opportunity/promotion on the horizon to go over there for maybe just 6-12 months, or maybe permanently.

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Are you by change going to be selling Thunder Muscle?

I quite like London, but seeing as I don't have any reference from living in America (except movies and tv and stuff), I don't know how relevant you'll find it. I've lived there for 6 months as well and I enjoyed it a lot, it's a big and compact city at the same time: lots of things to do yet everything is relatively close by.

As far as stereotyping is concerned: just ignore it and steer clear of such people. You'll always have dumbass people with prejudices against Americans, just as you'll always have dumbass people with prejudices against blacks, hispanics, asians, jews, etc. etc. I've met both really cool Americans and just plain ignorant Americans that fit just about every stereotype: the way people treat you depends on the way you come across. Don't be a dick and you'll be just fine. (actually pretty good advice for everything in life)

Rent the movie Hostel. Give you a pretty good idea what your stepping in to. As long as you dad is awesome like Liam Neeson then you have nothing to worry about when you are abducted and placed in the sex trade.

I agree with Dave, any opportunity you get to travel take it. What makes this opportunity so good is it being tied a job. You will be part of a group and will have something in common with them without having to go out and meet people. Your coworkers will be able to help you accumulate to the environment. This is an opportunity that you will remember and speak of fondly for the rest of your life.

And it'd give us Halforum members a place to stay when we travel to London.

I almost got hit by a double decker in London. LOOK RIGHT FIRST BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET!

Don't speak to anyone on the underground. or make eye contact. unless either party is drunk, in which case all bets are off.
when travelling during rush hour, have your oyster card ready *before* you reach the barriers.
Also when travelling on the underground during rush hour, expect to lose all compassion and regard for your fellow man.

make sure you try the following:
marmite
irn bru
branston pickle

I'm pretty terrible at cultural hotspots, though there is the Prince Charles cinema. its one of the few independent cinemas left in london, and shows different films depending on the day. also, it has the kevin smith memorial toilet cubicle.

Do not try marmite. Well, no, try it, I guess, so you'll know first hand... but, fuck. That's not food.

English food is bland and uninspiring. Thankfully they have a huge ethnic population that knows how to use spices so you'll never hurt for donairs or falafels or curry. I mean, seriously, peas are NOT a pub food.

Oh, and their sausages are TERRIBLE.

the only places i ate in london were our hotel and harrods both had delicious food.

i never thought of having mushrooms for breakfast but it was great.

The only native English food worth eating is at chip shops. OM NOM NOM.

I had fish and chips in stratford. I couldn't eat it because it was too greasy. I mean my god.

makare said:

I had fish and chips in stratford. I couldn't eat it because it was too greasy. I mean my god.

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Was it wrapped in newsprint? That should have sucked some of the grease away.

yeah it was. the whole experience was gross. greasy stuff wrapped in newspaper.. gah

Don't come to Newfoundland. We love greasy wish and chips.

...I think I may indulge tonight.

Here's some words of wisdom I can give from a semester I spent there in late 2008:

• Along with fish and chips, I'd say Cornish Pasties are also worth eating, and you can find those everywhere. And be sure to try Digestives from the local supermarket -- the name is pretty stupid for something that's essentially a friggin' awesome cookie.

• I have never had a desire for American bacon again after having British bacon.

• If you like tea, get some Yorkshire Gold. Unless you ever want to enjoy American tea again.

• On that subject, "biscuit" means "cookie" there, so be prepared for weird looks if you ever talk about biscuits and gravy.

• England in general is home to really good Indian food.

• McDonalds is always a good place to go for free Wi-Fi, and it's not a bad place to eat since they sell deli sandwiches.

• It's easy to lose track of how much money you're spending, especially if you're always converting money from USD to GBP -- by the end of my time there, the money in my bank account was worth 25% more than it was when the semester began.

• Check out all the public museums. They're free. Free. You get to walk in and see some of the greatest museums in the entire world for Free.

• Here's a fun game to play when in England: talk Amercian politics with a fellow American on the underground. Watch as everyone around hangs on your every word while pretending not to listen.

• Be prepared to fake a British accent to help people understand what you're saying. It's usually not an issue, but I couldn't get anyone to tell me where I could buy a watch, until I pronounced it "wotch." I also had a hell of a time telling someone what a car's license plate number was after witnessing a minor hit-and-run. In the heat of the moment, getting myself to pronounce the letter "R" without using the "R" sound was a bit brain-bending.

• If you ask someone to fake an American accent, nine times out of ten they'll sound either like a Texan or a gangsta.

• You can buy a watch from Argos, in case you were wondering. You won't find one in any of the places you'd expect to find a watch in America.

• You buy stuff from Argos by looking in the catalogue, finding the item number, and then ordering it by typing it into one of the electronic keypads. They'll bring the item up to you.

• The cheapest watch Argos sells will break on you within a month.

• An arcade is a mall. A circus is just an area that goes in a circle. I just saved you a world of sign-reading-related disappointment.

• Traveling around the entire country is made extremely easy by rail.

• Mind the gap.

• That sign on Oxford Street is for the French Connection UK. It's not cussing you out.

• The bus system is a little more difficult to figure out than the underground. Make sure you understand how it works before you rely on it for a day's transportation.

• There seems to be a lot of resentment towards panhandlers and charities that ask for donations, since many people think their taxes should already pay for all that.

ermmmm, wrong country juice. It's the criminals form england who eat vegemite.

Adammon said:

The only native English food worth eating is at chip shops. OM NOM NOM.

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Yorkshire pudding with rib roast is maybe the most delicious food ever invented. English food gets an undeserved bad rap.