Differences

As I told you all in my last post, I am going to describe some of the main differences I've noticed between life in the USA and here. Nothing too terribly huge, but enough to make this American girl wish we had our own version of Ryanair.

1. The education system is very different. Once students here reach what we consider to be sophomores in high school they are given the option to graduate and go into a trade job, attend college (equivalent to community college), or continue on in high school and graduate into a trade job or go to University. Oh, and they receive 5 years of free tuition upon graduating high school.

2. When they think of America, they think of Texas, NYC, and California. Partially because these are locations where many movies and shows are set, and also because they are easy to locate on a map.

3. College fashion is anything but casual. No one here wears joggers or leggings and an oversized sweatshirt to class. Everyone almost always dresses in at least jeans and a sweater, but often times it's borderline business casual.

4. Having reliable public transportation has been such a blessing. Knowing that if it's snowing or raining I can catch a bus to class and it'll be on time is the biggest culture shock (yes, that is me complaining about how terrible the Appalcart was and that public transit in a lot of American cities doesn't even exist). I can take the tram to and from the airport, hop on a bus to wherever I need to go nearby, and take a train all the way to London if I want to! There's even a ferry to most of the Isles!

5. The Scots think that the American accent is over-exaggerated and that we pronounce words strangely (like "tomato"). Also, they refer to the trunk of a car as the "boot," "pants" are underwear, "trousers" are pants, and a "jumper" is a sweater. Cookies are "biscuits," chips are "crisps," fries are "chips," and zucchini is referred to as a "courgette."

6. The drinking age is 18, so 16 year olds have fake IDs.

7. Everything here is old and has a story. There are buildings in this city older than the United States, and almost every long-lasting pub has some crazy story it has survived.

8. The food is generally high-quality and there's no such thing as a bad restaurant here. As a tour guide once told me, "a bad restaurant is a closed restaurant."

9. Dogs are very well behaved and welcomed almost everywhere. Even in some pubs!

10. The universal greeting, thanks, and you're welcome is "cheers." (Pronounced cheeahz)

11. There are no guns, and it's not a problem.

12. Everyone is VERY proud to be from here.

13. Budget airlines are incredible. I'm flying roundtrip to Sweden/Denmark in a few weeks for less than $100 roundtrip. Ryanair doesn't have the best customer service and has a weird visa check policy, easyJet sometimes worries me about just how easy it is to fly with them, and Jet2, well Jet2 is actually pretty good. They sell food for decent prices and were very friendly.

14. Because travel is so much easier here, people in Europe go on holiday (vacation) to other countries. They experience other cultures on a regular basis. Every country/region has its distinct culture. Germans make bad jokes, but have good beer. The Dutch are some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet. The English are very proper, but very kind and polite. The Spanish make delicious food and welcome you like you're family.

Because of this, everyone I've met so far from Europe has been overall globally-minded. They understand that their actions today impact their neighbors in other countries tomorrow. They know the importance of recycling and composting, don't litter, and take public transit or bike or walk most places unless they absolutely must drive. They give when and where they can and several people volunteer their time to charities and causes in their community.

Americans aren't quite as fortunate in that regard as many U.S. citizens will never leave the country. We tend to vacation to other states instead of other countries. International travel is out of the question for some people because of financial reasons. Heck, even domestic travel is out of the question for some because of finances. A roundtrip flight from NC to Nevada will run you a minimum of about $350, and that's just for one person to fly. Don't get me wrong, the USA is beautiful, and I understand just how massive it is (North Carolina and Ireland are approximately the same size for reference), but it is hard for me to look at my own country and see how little we consider our impacts on others sometimes. There's a whole world out there, and as much as I wish everyone could see it all I know that isn't possible. I just hope that going forward, we as a country become more educated on and considerate of other cultures throughout the world, all while still embracing the diversity present in our own nation.