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Imgur user Chimichanga007 is from the United States. They've lived in California, Chicago, NYC, have driven across the country 5 or 6 times, and have also stayed in Jersey and Connecticut... But they liked the UK most of all!

Recently, the Imgurian had the opportunity to spend some time in London, between Kilburn and Queens Park stations, and they absolutely loved it. In fact, Chimichanga007 even made a post on the platform when they got back, comparing the two countries. In their opinion, the US doesn't even come close.

#1

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day Went to the ER and i got emotional because they treated me like a human being and i wouldn't go into debt. (Getting emotional makes them embarrassed tho so don't recommend)

Feeling that's hard to explain but imagine you know that everyone you know, your neighbours, random strangers, kids, moms, grannys, everyone you see everyday is covered and can go free to a doctor or ER, taking care of each other.

Chimichanga007 , JC Gellidon Report

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Lis Daglish
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I actually feel very proud that some of my taxes go to pay for the NHS (National Health Service), they provide a fantastic service, and I remember to be grateful and thankful every time I need to use them.

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Sophia Mitrokostas, who grew up in the United States but eventually moved to the United Kingdom where she now lives with her husband, thinks that a lot of things that are common in the US aren't so common in the UK, such as celebrating Halloween, going on trips to enjoy the fall foliage, and tipping bartenders. You can see the cultural differences in everyday life too.

"The first time my husband and I ate together at an American restaurant, he was alarmed when the server took his credit card away to swipe it after the meal," Mitrokostas wrote on INSIDER. "He was also totally perplexed by the need to sign a receipt, which apparently isn't the norm in the UK."

In UK restaurants, the server typically brings the entire card machine to your table, and with their supervision, you insert your card and follow on-screen prompts before grabbing your receipt and leaving.

#2

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day Cops that seem like servants not lunatic power trippers (most can't "accidentally" kill you cuz not packing)

Chimichanga007 , King's Church International Report

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Roxy Eastland
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

British police don't want to carry guns (I have family that have been in the force). They know full well how much less likely they are to get shot this way, for a start.

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"My husband [also] finds it strange to tip bartenders and buy your own drinks at a bar," Mitrokostas continued. "The UK is famed for its pub culture, or the socializing and social drinking that happens in its many cozy bars and pubs. Although buying a round of drinks is an optional act of generosity in the US, it's standard practice in the UK. Members of a group will rotate who is responsible for each round, and skipping your turn is seen as rude."

#3

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day Tons of paid holiday at every job.

Chimichanga007 , Jonathan Borba Report

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Nianudd
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had 7 and a half weeks last year. I'm a supervisor in a supermarket. My sister, who lives in America and has a much higher status/paying job than me, got 2 weeks

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#4

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day Less expensive and better quality fresh veg and meat

Chimichanga007 , Alexandr Podvalny Report

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lenka
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What's frightening about this, is Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia all have better quality fruit and vegetables at lower prices than the UK. It's hard to imagine just how bad the US must actually be?

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Lyndsey Reid, who moved from the UK to the US, also experienced a cultural shock after crossing the Atlantic. "The UK and the US may share a common language, but the cultural differences can make the two places feel as if they're worlds apart," Reid explained on Business Insider.

"The biggest culture shock came when I entered the workforce. It's well-documented that the American office culture is pretty different from the way we work in the UK, in part fueled by the notion of the American dream, that unwavering belief that anyone can be successful if they're determined and willing to work hard. And it seems that an all-work-and-no-play mentality has bred a workplace underpinned by a sense of fear that you're never quite working hard enough."

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#5

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day Modern and plentiful public transit

Chimichanga007 , Jed Dela Cruz Report

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Perfumista Perfumista
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in NY. Public transit here is actually pretty good, but people who have't tried it in other states still complain.

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Mewton’s Third Paw
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel you but that’s one city. America should be entirely linked up. We have nothing. Just shîtty local subways / metros.

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Rose Civitts
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I live in Tennessee and we don't have really any form of public transport aside from maybe one or two busses in each major city. It's also not anywhere near a walkable place to live because of hills, safety, distance, etc. I'd give my left kidney to live in a walkable city after graduation.

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Emmaline Yuzu
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOL..that stock photo is the Toronto subway system, Spadina station!

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Kendra Miller
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's "easier" to build a public transport system in an area that is densely populated. In the "New World" (Canada and the US) We have the space and so we have sprawled.

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Honu
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes. I don't know what the sentiment is like in Canadian cities, but here in the US, there's a lot of resistance to increasing the density of our cities. I live in a sprawling metro of 8 million people and most of our neighborhoods are zoned for detached single family homes only. The traffic is terrible. Housing shortages have been driving up prices for decades. We need better public transport and higher density housing helps make that work, but there are a lot of people who can't stand the thought of their neighborhoods changing.

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bill black
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Since when is Toronto in the UK? That's Spadina station, "mate".

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Karl Baxter
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Outside London, public transport is pretty dire, unreliable and expensive. PT should be subsidised on a national level - if people can travel cheaply it greases the wheels of industry and reduces pressure on the roads. Train travel is increasingly the preserve of the better off.

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Shalini Pabreja
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Look up Hasan Minhaj’s episode on public transportation in the US. Something to do with the Koch brothers and the automobile lobby.

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Suzanne Haigh
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Conductors who act like dictators? Over pricing? Over crowding? Allowing the old and infirm to stand for hours when youngsters under 8 have nice comfy seats to sleep in? Station Staff who think it is a joke to cause an old women to hyperventilate? Will not take trains now, I had years of this. Except Scotland, every journey comfortable although trains not as modern but clean and comfy.

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Coco
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

not everywhere in the UK, mind. And the trains are a disaster compared with continental europe.

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InfectedVoice
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not always modern and not always plentiful, we have a lot of issues with our trains, is does the job but hard to say it is really that great.

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sylvantic
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in my city we have busses and some trains, but we have like no train stations. the metro never goes where you want it to go, and busses are a pain bc they are slow and not where you want them to be. i envy cities like San Francisco and New York. the BART and subway are so nice!

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Nikki Sevven
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To be fair, the US is HUGE with a lot of open (unpopulated) space. Our population density is only 36 people per square kilometer, while the UK's is 432 people per square kilometer. Public transit, therefore, is generally confined to cities where the population density is high. It wouldn't be cost-effective in sparsely populated areas.

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Tiny Dynamine
Community Member
3 years ago (edited)

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Not to mention extremely overpriced and usually late.

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H Edwards
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are huge discrepancies between the quality of public transport depending on where you live in the UK. It's true that our trains are the most expensive and some of the least reliable in Europe, and that rural communities are often barely served.

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#6

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day Public right of way walking paths all over the place.

Chimichanga007 , Gina Santangelo Report

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Hugh Cookson
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And an extensive, countrywide, footpath system with historic rights of way (look up UK Ramblers Association, you'll be amazed !!)

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Reid said that nowhere was this quite as obvious — to her at least — as Americans' attitudes toward vacation days. "In the UK, almost all full-time workers are legally entitled to at least 28 days of paid vacation a year. Most employers will include the eight bank and public holidays into that figure, leaving the average British worker with about 20 days of vacation," Reid explained. "At my previous job, I had 25 days of vacation, eight paid bank holidays, a day off for my birthday, and the opportunity to buy an additional five days off. We worked hard. But we were given adequate time away from the office to rest, reset, and rejuvenate."

#7

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day Free ATMs everywhere. Banks aren't making loot preying on the poors with fees like USA

Chimichanga007 , Timeo Buehrer Report

#8

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day 10 dollar prescription drugs.

Chimichanga007 , Sharon McCutcheon Report

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Robert T
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not sure what is charged to non-residents, but all prescription medicine has a flat charge of £10. Some things can be bought over the counter, so it is not worth getting a prescription for say paracetemol or ibuprofen. If you need more than about a dozen prescriptions a year, then it is cheaper to buy a pre-payment certificate - this costs just over £100 and covers as many prescriptions as you need - and can be obtained free for some medical conditions or for people on low income. Prescription charges are free for over 60's. One important one that Americans will hardly believe is that diabetics get free prescriptions - yes, all insulin, needles, pens, test kits, everything is free. Only a few things like modern blood glucose sensors are not free, but even that is changing for people with diabetes that is not well controlled.

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So you can imagine Reid's horror when she was offered her first job in the States and found out her paid time off was an accrued total of 10 days — "a measly two weeks, including vacation and sick days." The worst part, she said, was that the employer seemed to think that was generous, prefacing the section about PTO with: "We know how hard you work and recognize the importance of providing you with time for rest and relaxation."

As for Chimichanga007, they said the immigration process was quite difficult, and they went through a lot to get to the UK, but they plan to return when everything with the world goes back to normal.

#9

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day Workers take their breaks religiously (Tea time:D)

Chimichanga007 , Loverna Journey Report

#10

American Who Has Lived In The UK Shares 10 Differences That Make Them Look Like Night And Day OTC drugs way cheaper.

Chimichanga007 , Myriam Zilles Report

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James016
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pennies for a packet of paracetamol. We do get the same drug branded and marketed numerous ways and prices differently, they all have the same product licence number so do the same thing.

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