First Trip Across the Pond - Any Advice? 3

[kat6787]

Hello Everybody,

Sorry if this is a re-post, I did a search but what I found was mainly about how to find jobs overseas. The job part I already have worked out, it’s the actual moving overseas that I am trying to figure out now. I will be leaving in about 6 weeks to work in my companies Aberdeen office for about a year (I’m currently in the Houston office), and I just wanted to see if anybody had in tips, tricks, hints, must-dos, must-haves (more in terms of clothing than anything else), favorite restaurants, etc. It will be my first trip overseas and more than anything I just don’t want to look like a complete idiot when I get there. Any advice is very much appreciated.

Cheers,
Kat

 

[HgTX]

"the unwritten rule in the US is to keep right if you are slower"

Actually it's often a written rule. So is the rule to use your turn signals. Doesn't mean anyone pays attention to it. I see people tootling along in the left lane just below the speed limit, driving merrily past the "left lane for passing only" signs, while everyone else passes them on the right. And the governing mentality for turn signals seems to be that if you use your turn signal you are giving your strategy away to the enemy.

Regarding point #1, yes, Americans respect lines when they see them, but there are plenty of situations where they won't actually form a line but will just kind of cluster around and vaguely keep track of who was there first. A lunch or ice cream truck, logistically similar to a fish & chips stand, is a good example of this. Sometimes I see people in a line, but often they'll just form a little semicircle around the service window, and the circle will get a couple layers deep.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[schnipp]

1. In the UK they will always form a line for anything (including fish and chips).

Been watching too much hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy?

except its called queue'ing.

 

[GregLocock]

Actually, not much queuing in pubs. If you meekly wait your turn to get served you will have a dry throat.

oh, one other thing you'll learn to live with is a complete absence of (pretended) personal interest by the checkout chicks and other service employees.



Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[KENAT]

They may not queue in line at a bar but a lot of the time people are pretty courteous, unless it's really busy. This is more true of real pubs than trendy bars or clubs, there it is each for his own all the time from what I recall.

oh, one other thing you'll learn to live with is a complete absence of (pretended) personal interest by the checkout chicks and other service employees.

So true, the odd exception but fairly rare. You also won't have everyone wishing you 'have a nice day'. I've come to realize a lot of people this side of the pond actually mean it but as a brit when you first hear it it normally sounds pretty fake/insincere. And I don't ever recall hearing someone say 'happy holidays' either.


KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[csd72]

schnipp,

I lived in the UK for a number of years, and yes I do speak the Queens English also (albeit with an Australian Accent) but the majority of americans will not be familiar with the word queue so I thought it better to put it in terms everyone understands (this is something you learn to do when you live overseas).

It may be an exaggeration, but the brits do queue up a lot more than most western countries.

csd

 

[SomptingGuy]

Yeah, a "line" is one of those things those stockbrokers do as part of a night out. We are the masters of queueing, let us give it it's rightful name!

 

[GSTeng]

My advice:

Don't mistake a Scotsman for and Englishman.

They hate that. The Scots are not big fans of the English, mostly stemming from hundreds of years of war. You would think that things were not like that anymore but there is still a deep hatred in some people. And Scotland is it's own county and most Scots see it that way.

Read my post under "Keeping my mouth shut" and you will see what not to do.

This will vary all over the county but this would be a general rule of thumb to keep in mind, especially in a bar.

Everyone else seems to have filled you in on everything else.

Enjoy Aberdeen and the rest of Scotland it is a beautiful place.

 

[KENAT]

Scots are Scots.

Welsh are Welsh.

Irish are Irish, unless they're unionists in which case they may prefer British.

English are British.

Is it clear now?

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[csd72]

Just to make it confusing they all live in the British Isles.

And the Prince of Wales is actally an Englishman!

 

[KENAT]

No he's not he's German (kind of).

Beware of locals only pubs. There were pubs in my own town I wouldn't have gone to because they had a reputation for being a bit rough and a locals only kind of place (local as in that neighborhood). If you go into one of these you're asking for trouble, kind of like biker bars etc over hear in the US.

I think when you hear stories of US citizens getting in trouble in bars etc, a lot of its because they went to this kind of place which has many unwritten rules.

In small town/countryside shouldn't be much of an issue but in larger towns and cities be careful.

That said don't avoid pubs, they're pretty much an esential part of the British experience.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[Pud]

Kat,

You still thinking of coming??????????


Cheers


Harry

 

[flamby]

And learn that French are only worthy of playing a role in the jokes.

Ciao.

 

[kat6787]

Harry,

No worries, I'm still making the trip.


All,

Thanks for the great advice. It's good to know both the good and the bad before being thrown into the mix.

Cheers,
Kat