You Have To Live Here to Notice

There are many differences between the United States and the United Kingdom that are obvious and well known. Americans drive on the right, Europe on the left. The American subway is the English tube or underground. The United States has a president and the United Kingdom has a prime minister and a queen.

However, many of the differences are much more subtle and you probably would not notice many of them on just a short trip. You only notice these things when you live within the culture, like during study abroad. The following are some of the small differences I have discovered in the last few months.

• Regular white printing paper does not measure 8.5" x 11". Instead, the UK and most of Europe use A4 paper which measures 8.3" x 11.7"

• Sinks often have two faucets, one for hot water and one for cold. There is no way to combine the two to simply get warm water

• Power outlets have switches to turn them off and on.

• Pedestrians do not have the right of way in the UK. If you are crossing the street without a walk signal, cars will not slow down to let you cross.

• Instead of a solid or a gel, UK deodorant comes in either liquid roll-on or spray form.

• Blackcurrant, gooseberry, and rhubarb at quite common flavors in things like candy and yogurt.

• Students rarely use their computers to take notes in class. Notebooks, especially legal pads, are much more common.

• "You're mind is like a sewer" UK = "You're mind is in the gutter" US

• Many toilets have a button on top that you press to flush instead of a handle

• In the UK, cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fruit. The equivalent of American apple cider is cloudy apple juice.

• In the UK, a subway is a walkway underground. It often leads from the stairs from street level to the Tube (US equivalent of the subway).