Cultural Differences

Funny thing, people that is, since living in the US I've noticed many cultural differences between the Americans and the British, but mostly the in the language, we both speak English,  sometimes it's hard to believe its the same language.  

When I first moved to America from England, I lived in Tennessee, now there's one huge cultural difference for you, you have your "good ole boys" running around in their trucks with the dog in the back and the rifle on the front seat, I couldn't understand a word they said, it may as well have been Chinese.  

I couldn't believe you could walk into a supermarket and buy a gun.  The first time I was shopping with my Mum (yes I said Mum, not Mom) in Tennessee, we were pushing our carts (trolley's in English) down the isles, when we came to the gun section right next to the soft toys!!! I remember us looking wide eyed in horror at each other and saying "OMG, where have we moved, what kind of place is this?"

As it turned out Tennessee was the most friendly place on the planet, the people were so warm and genuine, no one locks their cars, or their houses, the crime rate in the town we lived in was practically zero, well actually there was some crime, but it was 99% driving offences.  This was the other shocking thing for us as new Brits in America, children are allowed to drive at 15, this blew my mind, particularly when I had to take the driving test, which consisted of simply driving around the block, driving licenses are handed out willy nilly.  I don't think I ever drove anywhere without seeing an accident, it was truly scary.

To get a drivers license in England is not easy, you have to be 18, you have to know your highway code inside out and back to front, and you have to complete a difficult driving test that lasts about an hour, demonstrating your ability to safely control a vehicle, before you are given a license and allowed to drive alone, many people have to take the test several times before they pass and are issued a licence.

We were also baffled by the drinking rule, you have to be 21 before you can have a beer, and yet you can join the armed forces, fight in wars, and fire a gun at 16.  This makes no sense to me at all.  We found there were far more drink related problems in American than there are in Europe, and I think it's because of the stigma attached to drinking, it's such a big thing to kids here,  they all drink in secret, then get blind drunk, too drunk to walk so they would drive home!!!  

In Europe, because alcohol is allowed at 18, its no big deal, there is no need to sneak around, and smuggle beer, and kids in general seem much more responsible with it.

Another mind blowing experience for us Brits was the discovery of "moonshine" a very big thing in the back hills and mountain forests of Tennessee.  One has to be very careful driving through those places, at times I thought I had stumbled onto the set of "The Dukes of Hazard", OH boy, will that stuff ever make your hair curl, "rocket fuel" is the description my husband gave it.  We had the opportunity to try it once, but never again, I love my liver too much.

One of the other major differences between the Brits and the Americans I've noticed over the years is that, Americans never say goodbye, why is that?  I'm constantly trying to extract a farewell greeting from people here, but without any success. Maybe this is just something I should simply not say anymore!

In England we're big on saying goodbye, and we have many, strange and different ways of saying it. For example:  cheerio, Te rah, Tatah, toodooloo,  ciao (Italian I know but we still use it) byeeeeee, good-day, see ya, to name just a few, but here in America its just not used, the closest I have come to finding Americans who will say goodbye, was in Tennessee where, without exception they all say on parting "ya'all come back ya hear."