Interesting/ annoying things about the UK

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Queen of the Bay said:
It depends on where you live, ie in the cities most people live in apartments and all apartments have peepholes on their front doors. The intercom is usually audiovisual too so most of the time you already know who's there. Am trying to remember if I've seen one in the UK, probably not, I remember there was that opening for the letters on the door that could have served the purpose, but it wasn't at the right height.
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Yeah using the letterbox wouldn’t be very discreet :D but at least you might see if they’ve got a big package for you
 
Queen of the Bay said:
Good one. I never found shutters in any of the homes I stayed in or visited. I couldn't understand why though, cause they are not really meant to be used for the sun. I mean I never have them shut down during the day, but I shut them down for safety when I leave the house, or at night when it's freezing to help to maintain the inner temperature.
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During the summer it's so sunny in my living room that I have to shut them down almost completely, and still have plenty of light, othewise it's too hot. Unless you have one of these (I don't), very popular here, whatever its name is:

toldo-italiano-de-ventana.jpg


And yes, the shutters help to keep the flat warm during the night, I have central heating and it's on from 11 am to 10 pm, which is more than enough even in the coldest days, but the shutters down help a bit more.
 
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Queen of the Bay said:
It depends on where you live, ie in the cities most people live in apartments and all apartments have peepholes on their front doors. The intercom is usually audiovisual too so most of the time you already know who's there. Am trying to remember if I've seen one in the UK, probably not, I remember there was that opening for the letters on the door that could have served the purpose, but it wasn't at the right height.
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I have an intercom where I can see who's there, they changed it a few years ago, most of the new buildings have one, but it's not very common. I don't think it's essential, as I'm not opening the door to anyone I'm not expecting or don't know, and we have another inner door for security, so you can open to the postman and he still has no access to the flats.

Absolutely most of the doors have doorbells, so I don't know where you were that had to knock on the door, that's only common in small villages, in any proper town you have doorbells.
 
Alla said:
During the summer it's so sunny in my living room that I have to shut them down almost completely, and still have plenty of light, othewise it's too hot. Unless you have one of these (I don't), very popular here, whatever its name is:

toldo-italiano-de-ventana.jpg


And yes, the shutters help to keep the flat warm during the night, I have central heating and it's on from 11 am to 10 pm, which is more than enough even in the coldest days, but the sutters down help a bit more.
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We call these the tents!:D They're usually on the balconies. I use mine depending on the weather for either too much sun or too much rain.
The balcony thing is another little peculiarity. It wasn't very common when I was in the UK, and especially where I was living. But I slowly realized that there were some and that they were becoming more and more popular in other cities and places that had dockland kind of neighborhoods.
 
I’m more interested in what foreign people think of the UK than anything here :disco:

Which makes me a little annoyed at myself for not really remembering the differences when people ask me how different Japan is
 
I think a similar public reaction would be expected to any change being proposed in any society. It's in human nature to feel safer in what you already know. As in the introduction of the euro for example. I think in Sweden and in Denmark where people were asked if they want to swap to it or not, the majority voted against it. And here people still moan about how much it made everything more expensive.
 
Another striking difference to me was how many people use a wheelchair in the UK. Which is sth that troubled me a lot. Because the ratio of people needing one couldn't be country dependent. So it basically meant that people with disabilities were enjoying an admirably better and fairer quality of life in the UK whereas here they were probably stuck in their homes depending on relatives and carers because of the unfriendliness of our urban infrastructure. Similarly, ramps for wheelchairs were everywhere in the UK at the time, but it took years to become compulsory in public buildings here.
 
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Queen of the Bay said:
Another striking difference to me was how many people use a wheelchair in the UK. Which is sth that troubled me a lot. Because the ratio of people needing one couldn't be country dependent. So it basically meant that people with disabilities were enjoying an admirably better and fairer quality of life in the UK whereas here they were probably stuck in their homes depending on relatives and carers because of the unfriendliness of our urban infrastructure. Similarly, ramps for wheelchairs were everywhere in the UK at the time, but it took years to become compulsory in public buildings here.
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I can assure care for wheelchair users isn't as comprehensive as you may think. There's a long long way to go.

But yes I suspect visibility is quite high.
 
Another difference was the colour of electricity. While it wasn't noticeable on a day-by-day basis, when you were landing at night in the UK the colour of lights in the cities below you was yellow, while if you were landing over here it was white. No idea how and why, my assumption was that maybe yellow works better in cases of fog but I was probably overthinking this one.
 
Queen of the Bay said:
Another difference was the colour of electricity. While it wasn't noticeable on a day-by-day basis, when you were landing at night in the UK the colour of lights in the cities below you was yellow, while if you were landing over here it was white. No idea how and why, my assumption was that maybe yellow works better in cases of fog but I was probably overthinking this one.
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Not quite the same, but I always thought the same in France where the cars had yellow headlamps.
 
Christian said:
Of all the countries I've lived in, the UK is my least favourite.

It's such a weird place, much weirder than I think its residents realise.
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It always feels so weirdly tense. Maybe not so much in London (which just has the stresses of any major city).
 
lolly said:
The entire country has Stockholm Syndrome

Although perhaps we'd better call it Stockton-on-Tees Syndrome to make it more palatable
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That's it, but conversely, don't British people travel more than any other country in the world? Maybe there's something in the water :(

There's a real lack of ease, and I am not sure where that came from and when.
 
Kratz said:
That's it, but conversely, don't British people travel more than any other country in the world?
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I feel like the British are slightly missing the point of traveling when they're here. It's more as if they are transferring everything that makes them feel at home in a different background. So that the place becomes a decoration, not a destination if this makes sense.
 
Queen of the Bay said:
I feel like the British are slightly missing the point of traveling when they're here. It's more as if they are transferring everything that makes them feel at home in a different background. So that the place becomes a decoration, not a destination if this makes sense.
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Well THOSE sort of "Brits abroad" certainly do exist. I wouldn't say they're entirely the rule.
 
Kratz said:
That's it, but conversely, don't British people travel more than any other country in the world? Maybe there's something in the water :(
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It's quite common for island nations. Before the channel tunnel there was no option to jump in a car and go abroad.

It's also easy to forget that most other countries have common borders. I find the whole thing very strange. Driving down a country lane and passing a rusty WELCOME TO WALES sign is not exactly the same thing.
 
I think one of the most obvious threads to pull if you want to psychoanalyse Britain is the ISLAND factor which I think is brushed aside too quickly because it's not an island in the middle of nowhere with 300 inhabitants but it does get in people's heads in funny ways. Like a NATURAL DISPOSITION to be suspicious of foreign stuff and people because historically you have had to be self-sufficient, which in turn makes people DOUBLE DOWN on customs and traditions as a way of REAFFIRMING THEMSELVES. The FEAR OF INVASION is another one that I think not having a border that has moved and morphed with the times gets into the national psyche.

And on a more personal level, I find the pervasive drinking culture in the UK extremely alien and I know for a fact that not drinking makes me NEVER FULLY BELONG even though I've been here since the Pleistocene now.
 
Peekaboo said:
I think one of the most obvious threads to pull if you want to psychoanalyse Britain is the ISLAND factor which I think is brushed aside too quickly because it's not an island in the middle of nowhere with 300 inhabitants but it does get in people's heads in funny ways. Like a NATURAL DISPOSITION to be suspicious of foreign stuff and people because historically you have had to be self-sufficient, which in turn makes people DOUBLE DOWN on customs and traditions as a way of REAFFIRMING THEMSELVES. The FEAR OF INVASION is another one that I think not having a border that has moved and morphed with the times gets into the national psyche.

And on a more personal level, I find the pervasive drinking culture in the UK extremely alien and I know for a fact that not drinking makes me NEVER FULLY BELONG even though I've been here since the Pleistocene now.
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Oh I entirely agree with all of that, and I think most here would. The little Britoner psyche is entirely rooted in the fear of the forrin man. And its just frankly weird.

And as much as I am entirely part of the drinking culture, I have been enough places to know how relatively rare it is. Its not entirely unique, though.
 
In the interest of BALANCE, there are other things like the UNPREDICTABLE (/shit) WEATHER that shape the country massively, and I think for the better in many cases since you CAN'T REALLY CHANGE THE RAIN. Indoors culture means people tend to READ more while stuck at home, or even if it's something more passive like WATCHING TV, as there are so many people watching it, you end up developing a knowledge around the making of it and an audience refinement that many other countries don't have in the same level.

Also, pub quizzes and parlor games was a pleasant surprise for me when I first moved here as I love to be ENTERTAINED FOR ENTERTAINMENT'S SAKE. If you explained to a non-Brit the concept of a PANEL SHOW, I think initially they'd be a bit like WTF WHAT'S THE POINT OF THAT. I have always wondered why the format hasn't travelled as much as I think it should have.
 
Peekaboo said:
Also, pub quizzes and parlor games was a pleasant surprise for me when I first moved here as I love to be ENTERTAINED FOR ENTERTAINMENT'S SAKE. If you explained to a non-Brit the concept of a PANEL SHOW, I think initially they'd be a bit like WTF WHAT'S THE POINT OF THAT. I have always wondered why the format hasn't travelled as much as I think it should have.
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100% this.
 
Peekaboo said:
And on a more personal level, I find the pervasive drinking culture in the UK extremely alien and I know for a fact that not drinking makes me NEVER FULLY BELONG even though I've been here since the Pleistocene now.
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This is something I can't understand. I thought people were heavy drinkers here, then I visited UK and well :eyes: Aussies are up there too taking the drinking culture to the extreme. I met a few of them and felt really sorry for them at some point. I know I shouldn't but I couldn't help it.
 
Non Brits obsession with our weather always fascinates me. Outside of Scotland and Ireland, it really doesn’t rain that much. London is fucking sweltering in the summer. Having been to many forrin places that suffer from typhoons, cyclones, hurricanes, blizzards, tropical storms, hail the size of golf balls, smog, forest fires, deadly heat waves, drought, floods… and yet Britain has terrible weather because CLOUDS

:D

We have one of the mildest climates in the world and we’re very lucky for it.
 
funky said:
Non Brits obsession with our weather always fascinates me. Outside of Scotland and Ireland, it really doesn’t rain that much. London is fucking sweltering in the summer. Having been to many forrin places that suffer from typhoons, cyclones, hurricanes, blizzards, tropical storms, hail the size of golf balls, smog, forest fires, deadly heat waves, drought, floods… and yet Britain has terrible weather because CLOUDS

:D

We have one of the mildest climates in the world and we’re very lucky for it.
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Totally agree with this - it’s just a temperate climate which strikes me a sensible place to be :D It’s never that cold or that wet (particularly away from the western coasts) and we have quite a pleasant spring and summer.
 
I mean where to start :D perfect example of the ISLAND MENTALITY!

The weather here is GREY 60% of the year. Looking up to the sky and not knowing where the sun is kind of grey. It's MIND-NUMBING and speaking to my GP a constant source of referrals for depression cases from people used to sunnier climates. If you don't think having to PRESCRIBE sun lamps because people aren't getting enough of the most basic SOURCES OF LIFE isn't terrible weather then I don't know what to tell you.

The absolute LACK of PROPER SUMMERS is the killer for me though. You spend October to May covered in a grey blanket but still you're not guaranteed a decent, constant period of warm weather and no clouds. I'm not even asking about HEAT (of which you get A WEEK'S WORTH in a whole year by the way, and hilarious warnings in the tube about CARRYING BOTTLES OF WATER and AVOIDING PEAK TIMES as if it was the Sahara). One of my first observations coming over here was the amount of times parties or gatherings would have to be rescheduled during the summer one or two days before the event because you just couldn't plan ahead since good summer weather isn't a guarantee. Rain and dull days in June, July and August are very common and it's even a TALKING POINT among Brits ("oh Wimbledon is coming? Expect RAIN", Glastonbury mud stories etc).

Also, the UK does get CRAZY WEATHER of the RAIN/SUN/HAIL/CLOUDS/OPEN SKIES/THUNDERSTORM variety within the SAME DAY often. It's highly unpredictable and it changes very fast. We had one of them days in London only two days ago. And flash floods and snow grinding cities to a fault are YEARLY OCCURRENCES so hardly GENTLE WEATHER in my opinion.
 
And it's A BIT RICH saying that foreigners are obsessed with British weather when it is BY FAR the #1 SMALL TALK TOPIC OF CONVERSATION in the country :D
 
Peekaboo said:
And it's A BIT RICH saying that foreigners are obsessed with British weather when it is BY FAR the #1 SMALL TALK TOPIC OF CONVERSATION in the country :D
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It’s the number one topic of conversation, yes, but not because we’re obsessed with it. Talking about the weather is important to Brits for two reasons:
1. We get to complain, and we love that. It’s too cold, too hot, too rainy, not snowing enough, Sun’s too bright and I can’t see the telly properly… unlimited potential
2. It’s a buffer conversation so we have something to say for politeness sake. Without it, we might have to actually listen to the person we’re speaking to and they might turn out to be a nutcase who says something more detailed than ‘not bad, thanks’ when you ask how they are. Ain’t nobody wants that.
 
I mean isn’t every type of weather you’re not used to sort of difficult?

I mean I totally agree that British weather can be depressing (exaggerations about other things notwithstanding), that’s just the problem with British weather.

I don’t get that in Japan but we still get rainy season for basically all of June, 30c+ very humid weather from basically July-October day and night, and typhoons every other week in that extended summer.

It’s like choose your poison, I actively loathe summer here, but I mean at least it’s not Singapore or like this all year. But at least in the UK you might get a rainy BBQ but you’re much less likely to get a flying fence post through the chest
 
Sorry I’m going off topic but they always go ON and ON in Japan that they have 4 seasons in Japan like they’re the only one, the UK definitely does too.

Some seasons might be shit but they break up the year
 
We are still in a very long and particarly grey winter. It is the unpredictable nature that makes it an obsession. But such is life's RICH TAPESTRY!

I share a birthday with a cynical and frankly rather depressing woman at work. She complained that it always rained on our August birthday. By contrast I said I've had many BBQs on my birthday and often had very luxurious heat. Perspective is key!
 
Peekaboo said:
Right now outside my house. Is it 9am? Noon? 5pm? It's IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL because FUCK KNOWS WHERE THE SUN IS!

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Move to DERBYSHIRE love!
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But yeah, the UK weather is SO BORING. I just want a guarantee of a hot summer, cold/snowy winter (but not where everything grinds to a halt) and a bit of variety in spring/autumn. You can have interesting weather without it being dangerous.

One thing I DO like here is the length of day/night. I like the FESTIVE feeling as you roll into December and it gets darker (although it’s a right slog after that) and the long summer days, particularly that period in mid-June when it never gets properly dark up here.
 
Obviously the southern European climate is the ideal, but I'll still take ours over somewhere with regular HURRICANES and shit. Which WAS part of @funky's point!
 
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