A woman from California who moved to London has shared some of the biggest culture shocks she experienced about life in the UK, including what people actually mean when they say certain phrases
The UK is home to people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and it also attracts expats. Moving to a new country is likely to bring some culture shocks that might take time to get used to, from the food to the social norms to the customs.
Andrea Celeste is an American woman who now lives in London and uses her TikTok page to share differences she has noticed and personally experienced herself between the US and the UK. Although the US and UK are known to have a “special relationship”, there are some major ways that the two countries differ.
In a recent TikTok video, Andrea shared her biggest culture shocks as someone from California living in England – including what people really mean when they say ‘quite good’. So here’s what she had to say…
1. ‘British understatement’
Andrea said one adjustment when she moved to the UK was learning to interpret what she calls ‘British understatement.’
She explained: “If something is described as ‘quite good’ it usually means it’s amazing. If someone says they’re ‘a bit concerned’, they may actually be panicking.”
In contrast, the Californian thinks people in the US are more direct and will simply just say what they mean unless they’re being sarcastic.
2. Friendships are formed in different ways
Andrea stated: “One of the biggest culture shocks I experienced as a Californian living in England was the difference in how friendships are built.
“In California people are incredibly kind and open-hearted so friendships often form quickly and feel instantly warm but sometimes they end up staying a bit surface level.”
However, she has noticed that people in England can keep to themselves a bit more at first so it ends up being “a bit more of a slow burn to a deep and meaningful friendship”.
3. Differences in talking about your achievements
The expat shared that it isn’t uncommon for Americans to be openly proud about their achievements, which is shown by the “American dream mindset” or celebrating graduations with graduation photos and having your degree framed.
On the flip side, Andrea has observed that people in England “can be very talented but don’t really promote it”. What’s more, being open about your accomplishments isn’t as common in the UK as in the US.
She remarked: “I sometimes find it refreshing but I think there is probably a happy medium.”
In the caption of her TikTok video, Andrea joked she was “learning to decode the British language (even though it’s also English).”
The post has amassed dozens of comments and several viewers agreed with Andrea’s points. One said: “I really appreciate how great your insight is!”
Another added: “Agree 10000% with all of this!!! As a kiwi living in the US! Exactly how I felt.” A third user simply commented: “You nailed this.”
However, there was also a bit of disagreement as a British viewer chimed in: “I’m not sure that it’s understatement, I think we’re just a lot less dramatic than the average American.”