It’s gonna be more than a year now since I moved to the UK.
The biggest shock at first was people - how they look, how they talk, how they act.
Imagine this outfit:
with this handbag:
It was extremely outrageous for me to see people walking around with expensive/shiny handbags and trainers+sweatpants. Every third women looks this way. (Eventually I learned to do the same :D).
>Clarification: Neither the clothes nor the bag are ugly. My point was to show that they normally don’t go with each other, but ladies here don’t mind it. They are diverse, they follow their own fashion rules and this is in a way admirable.
It still amazes me to see guys with T-shirts while I’m with my coat (it’s sunny outside but still 15 degrees). Yes, I know it is summer and you are excited to put on your summer outfits. But it’s FREAKING COLD!
>Clarification: People comment that wearing a T-shirt during a cold day is totally normal for them. Fine. This is my answer and this is my shock. I still feel cold, and there’s nothing to do about it. I’m coming from a relatively warm country and I have a hard time getting used to the Glaswegian weather. Eventually I would start wearing a T-shirt too!
I like the fact that there is huge appearance diversity, that people usually do not mind being served by a blue haired waiter (something totally unacceptable in my country). BUT you could always spot a Brit. I was shocked that EVERY Brit looked THE SAME. THE SAME facial expression, THE SAME style.. I mean, I’ve seen many movies, pics, etc. but never thought that the stereotype is so accurate.
>Clarification: C’mon people, don’t take it THAT serious. I mean, Britain is not that culturally diverse, apart from London of course. Obviously British people are not clones of each other, but they are very similar. And this goes for every country - if you don’t look into minor details such as nose length, teeth degree of whiteness, etc, strangers would simply look alike. And there is just something very specific in general for the native British population (not talking about immigrants), that just makes them stand out. I repeat - this is not racist. You can’t be mad at me, just because I express my opinion. MY OPINION.
The last thing - saying sorry. All. The. Time.
>Clarification: Again, I’m not rude or something, this is just a thing I’m not used to. I’m very happy that you are so polite and I’m trying to learn such manners. In fact, when I go back in my country it shocks me how impolite people are.
Shocks go both way, don’t be that frustrated about something a stranger said on the Internet. Cheers.