"I'm an American living in the UK - the word cheers and the firm beds baffle me"
An American woman living in the UK has revealed what baffles her about British culture - including the word "cheers" and "bicycles".
Helene Sula, 37, had always wanted to live in the UK ever since she visited as a child and moved to Oxford in October 2023 with her husband, Michael, 36.
She was shocked at some of the culture differences since moving here - such as slang words like "cheers" and "cycle".
Helene says British people are "genuine" compared to Southern Americans, who she claims are "a little bit fake".
Helene, who is originally from Dallas, Texas, US, also finds our hard beds and "lumpy pillows" weird.
Helene, a content creator and travel blogger, said: "I had never heard of the word cheers before, now I say it everyday.
“Culturally British people are some of my favourite people.
“The word I would use to describe them is joyful.
“There are genuine kindness here.
“Southerners are a little bit fake.
"The houses are so different to me. They are so different from the US, they are much smaller.
"The architecture can be frustrating here, just in the sense that it is older."
Helene moved to Germany in 2016 and have been travelling for the last five years before deciding to settle in Oxford late last year.
Helene said: "I wanted to live here and I knew it had its challenges.
"Europeans like to go to the US and Americans like to come to the UK. It feels like the grass is always greener, you want to see what you don't have."
Helene used to spend her summer's in the UK as child as her parents taught a study abroad programme.
But since settling in Oxford she has noticed vast culture differences.
Helene says loves the "hearty" food it very different to what is offer in the US.
She is also astonished by the amount of different flavoured crisps and meal deal available in our supermarket - which don't exist in the UK.
She said: "The pies are my favourite dishes. The savoury pies, the steak and the kidney and leek.
"The number of different flavours of crisps is so fascinating - I had never heard of roast chicken flavoured crisps before or champagne and vinegar."
Helene has also been baffled by condensation and had to buy a humidifier- something she never had to deal with in Texas.
She said: "The windows are so beautiful but we get condensation."
Helene was also shocked when hearing new words and phrases.
She said: "We say 'bike' or 'I am going to go biking' and you all say 'cycle'.
"I never used to say the word cheers before, now I say it everyday.
"You say candyfloss, we say cotton candy.
"We never say rubbish, we say garbage."
Helene has also had to get used to the "small" houses and arrangement of the properties.
She said: "Old houses can come with their quirks.
"When you open the windows you have to open it in a certain way.
"You have to flush the toilet really fast, if you don't give it a bit of extra flare it won't flush properly.
"Most of the washing machines are in the kitchen, it is very different.
"If you want to wash your clothes, you won't necessarily host a dinner party.
"Our heater makes a noise, it is like a basilisk in the walls.
"The beds are as hard as rocks this is maybe something Fred Flintstone would prefer."
Helene has also had to get used to smaller roads and the amount of people around.
She said: "In Oxford it feels so dense, yet there are still people everywhere."
"If you drive outside an hour in Dallas, you will see no one for miles."
Helene loves the castles and architecture in the UK - and was a big reason she wanted to move.
Helene has a blog and she has written a book called 'Two O'clock on a Tuesday At Trevi Fountain' about her experiences of moving abroad.
Helene said: "There is so much natural beauty.
"The castles, the history and the beautiful architecture, England really embodies it."
Helene Sula, 37, had always wanted to live in the UK ever since she visited as a child and moved to Oxford in October 2023 with her husband, Michael, 36.
She was shocked at some of the culture differences since moving here - such as slang words like "cheers" and "cycle".
Helene says British people are "genuine" compared to Southern Americans, who she claims are "a little bit fake".
Helene, who is originally from Dallas, Texas, US, also finds our hard beds and "lumpy pillows" weird.
Helene, a content creator and travel blogger, said: "I had never heard of the word cheers before, now I say it everyday.
“Culturally British people are some of my favourite people.
“The word I would use to describe them is joyful.
“There are genuine kindness here.
“Southerners are a little bit fake.
"The houses are so different to me. They are so different from the US, they are much smaller.
"The architecture can be frustrating here, just in the sense that it is older."
Helene moved to Germany in 2016 and have been travelling for the last five years before deciding to settle in Oxford late last year.
Helene said: "I wanted to live here and I knew it had its challenges.
"Europeans like to go to the US and Americans like to come to the UK. It feels like the grass is always greener, you want to see what you don't have."
Helene used to spend her summer's in the UK as child as her parents taught a study abroad programme.
But since settling in Oxford she has noticed vast culture differences.
Helene says loves the "hearty" food it very different to what is offer in the US.
She is also astonished by the amount of different flavoured crisps and meal deal available in our supermarket - which don't exist in the UK.
She said: "The pies are my favourite dishes. The savoury pies, the steak and the kidney and leek.
"The number of different flavours of crisps is so fascinating - I had never heard of roast chicken flavoured crisps before or champagne and vinegar."
Helene has also been baffled by condensation and had to buy a humidifier- something she never had to deal with in Texas.
She said: "The windows are so beautiful but we get condensation."
Helene was also shocked when hearing new words and phrases.
She said: "We say 'bike' or 'I am going to go biking' and you all say 'cycle'.
"I never used to say the word cheers before, now I say it everyday.
"You say candyfloss, we say cotton candy.
"We never say rubbish, we say garbage."
Helene has also had to get used to the "small" houses and arrangement of the properties.
She said: "Old houses can come with their quirks.
"When you open the windows you have to open it in a certain way.
"You have to flush the toilet really fast, if you don't give it a bit of extra flare it won't flush properly.
"Most of the washing machines are in the kitchen, it is very different.
"If you want to wash your clothes, you won't necessarily host a dinner party.
"Our heater makes a noise, it is like a basilisk in the walls.
"The beds are as hard as rocks this is maybe something Fred Flintstone would prefer."
Helene has also had to get used to smaller roads and the amount of people around.
She said: "In Oxford it feels so dense, yet there are still people everywhere."
"If you drive outside an hour in Dallas, you will see no one for miles."
Helene loves the castles and architecture in the UK - and was a big reason she wanted to move.
Helene has a blog and she has written a book called 'Two O'clock on a Tuesday At Trevi Fountain' about her experiences of moving abroad.
Helene said: "There is so much natural beauty.
"The castles, the history and the beautiful architecture, England really embodies it."
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FunTranscript
00:00 Things in British houses that are weird to Americans.
00:02 First, in the bathroom is a double tap.
00:05 One for scalding hot water and the other for icy cold,
00:08 so you just have to theatrically wave your hands back and forth to get the right temperature.
00:12 Also, this is the shower door, which is essentially there as a joke
00:15 because every time we shower, we flood the bathroom.
00:18 Next, you have to switch the plugs on for them to work,
00:20 so make sure you do that because your electronics aren't actually broken.
00:24 Water pressure is super high,
00:26 which I remember every time I wash the dishes and soak my shirt.
00:29 Oh, most houses do not look like this.
00:32 Most of them look more like number four private drive,
00:35 and often they share walls, which means you might just hear your neighbor breathing.
00:39 Things in British houses that are weird to Americans.
00:42 Washing machines are in the kitchen,
00:44 so while you're cooking, you get the scent of spaghetti bolognese as well as wildflower meadow.
00:49 Many homes do not have a dryer.
00:51 They often hang their clothes, so when we purchased one,
00:53 the only place it could reasonably fit was in the living room.
00:57 Lights are on the outside of the bathroom,
00:59 and there are no outlets in the bathroom except for a shaver.
01:03 Sexist.
01:03 And our mirror isn't above the sink, so when my husband shaves, it gets everywhere.
01:08 Oh, and usually there is only one bathroom, no matter how many bedrooms in the house.
01:12 There are no screens on the windows,
01:14 so when you open them, you let in all of the bugs, which apparently is spiders.
01:19 Spiders the size of Aragog just waltz on in.
01:23 Things in British houses that are weird to Americans.
01:26 Beds are as hard as rocks.
01:28 This is maybe something Fred Cornstone would prefer,
01:31 but soft yet supportive does actually exist.
01:34 Beds are usually made without a top sheet, so it goes fitted sheet then duvet.
01:38 Pillows are so lumpy.
01:39 I've tried five.
01:40 I finally brought back pillows from America.
01:43 When I shower, I have to open the windows, or the condensation will cause mold and damp.
01:47 I just hope no one sees my butt when I shower.
01:49 Same goes in the bedroom.
01:50 If we don't open the windows, the condensation comes in.
01:52 It seems counterproductive to let all the energy go out the window.
01:55 Nearly 85% of American homes are detached,
01:58 while only about 20% of UK homes have no shared walls.
02:02 This is because the UK is eight times more densely populated than the US,
02:06 which makes sense for why all of the houses seem jammed together.
02:10 Now, I know people are going to freak out and claim,
02:12 "I live in a shared wall in the USA," or "I have a detached house in the UK,"
02:16 and to that I say, "Great, but it just so happens that there aren't more in the USA."
02:20 Also, US homes are about three times bigger than those in the UK.
02:24 This isn't a bad or good thing.
02:25 I'm just sharing some differences I find interesting, and I hope you do too.