Reverse Culture Shock: Back To America
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- After traveling for half of the year all over Europe and the Balkans, we experienced a little bit of reverse culture shock upon returning home to the US. There are a lot of videos like this on UA-cam, but ours goes a bit deeper than surface level differences. This video might actually piss you off! If it does, please rant in the comments below!!
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Don't comment about how Dominos and Pizza Hut etc have cheesy crust and different types of pizzas in Europe. As we said in the video, they are still made differently and they do not taste the same at all!! For example - in the US, Dominos pizza has a soft, garlicky, buttery, thick crust. The UK's Dominos crusts are harder, thinner and plain. We have tried a lot of different pizza places around the world and even US chains abroad. You think you have superior pizza knowledge over ME?? Think again, fools!!!!! I AM THE PIZZA MASTER!
We prefer to pay for the tasty bits of the pizza. Dough is boring ;)
Your not used to the natural taste. You stick with artificial flavourings and colours even in pizzas in the USA.
@@MessyMeep Dough is boring unless it's garlic bread and not plain!
@@chrisg449 You're not wrong!
Funny reading UK and US comments about pizza - an Italian food. We'll both be accused of cultural appropriation if we continue! Probably best not to mention the German Frankfurter and Hamburger, Italian ice cream, etc, etc for similar reasons.
people are not 'dressing up' or 'putting on a front' in Europe, they are dressing in what they see as normal wear. Going to a wedding or special occasion is dressing up.
yeah but in europe we overdo it. lasses will walk almost naked in the midst of winter to look good in a dress. people will refuse to wear proper warm clothes for 'style'...
@@im_so_bored3896 I saw that in England, but in France, trust me, we wear warm clothes when it's cold, good looking but warm ^^
I think part of it is how walkable Europe is, when you go out your going to be seen by a lot of people. In USA most of your time out is driving your car there, and when we eat its just to eat and leave unlike Europe where its much more of leisure time.
That's actually a great point! It's like, why dress up to go to the drive thru lol
@@clairemontgroux7480British Girls are carzy!!!!
Healthcare is not political... it’s about life or death.
The first duty of a state it’s to protect the people. That’s why you’re paying taxes.
Healthcare definately doesn't belong in the free market. The basis of free market is choice, and when the choice is restricted to exorbitant prices or death, it's not much of a choice ...
@nargileh1 Word! The same is true for pensions - no choice there as well, everybody is going to get old.
I hate to echo former UK PM Margret Thatcher but in a US TV interview, she stated the actual, if uncomfortable facts, that in the US, anyone entering any hospital ER will be treated. If later they are unable to pay, the debt will be absorbed by the local county government. Perhaps not a PC answer, but it's true.
@@jamesweaver2139 that means you have to either wait until your condition becomes so bad that requires a visit to the ER or you abuse the ER and block it for patients who really need it.
American citizens/government are happy for sick people to die in the streets
I came to Germany 50 years ago to teach for a year at a German University. I likes it so much, that I decided to remain in Germany another year. I went back to the USA after being gone for two years, felt very stränge in the USA and decided to return to Germany right away. Over the following years I went back to the USA for holidays but I experienced the lifestyle in the USA very similiar to what you described, so in the long run I have decided to remain in Germany. I have even become a German citizen. You did not mention it, but I have found Europe to be far more tolerant in almost all matters, except perhaps for wearing your pj when shopping. Also the ecological attitudes here impressed me even 50 years ago. The medical care, the retirement pensions,
the low cost high quality education (even for foreigners), the lower amounts of racism, the good public transportation, the respect for women...these are important political issues here. Whereas Europe tore down walls 30 years ago, it seems most important in the USA today to build new walls. I am certain, if more Americans spent time in Europe, the political attitudes in the USA would change rapidly. It is good, that you are reporting on your experiences, as you may convince other young people to evaluate their lives in the USA and demand better politics, in order that the lifestyle for ALL Americans, not just the super-rich, will find a positive turn.
Well said, I completely agree with you, especially about what you said about the walls. Europe, and Germany specifically is much more open minded and forward thinking. I absolutely love Germany and think about returning all of the time, it's my favorite place in Europe. Maybe one day I will return for good like you did!
@@anerandros22 More stores are clamping down on it now though, implementing dress codes. But yeah, some of what comes into stores, you think, 'dear god, make a little effort to dress properly if your going to go shopping'.
Then try to go to asia and your point of view will be different.
@@GeorgiesGirlFPV germany has no prime minister
@@Bora_Bay Its not called Propaganda - its called "Fox News" ;-)
How do you spot an American tourist? Running shoes with jeans, sweatpants, or their university hoodie. Baggy clothing.
I wouldn’t say Europeans “dress up” we don’t consider it as dressing up. It’s just normal.
Sergio Díaz Nila hopefully there not wearing socks with those sandals
Universitiy Hoody - You know they have got to be Americans.
@@gruunt4064 ;-)
You forgot, white socks with long trousers
I legit go out in my spilled coffee covered PJs, if americans think thats dressing up I guess I am more fashionable than I thought
On fashion topic: It’s not about dressing up or wearing expensive things. It’s about looking like you take care of yourself and respect yourself and respect others that have to interact with you.
I get that. And I know some people love that. However for me I want to be comfortable and warm and all that. I don’t spend the day looking in the mirror so if I was to dress up it’s for other people cause they are the ones looking at me. My comfort is more important to me than others opinions of me. I dress up for events of course
The fashion thing. In Europe it is not 'putting on a front' we dress well because it makes us feel good... simples.
It surprised me when we went to the USA that the majority of people want to go around dressed as window cleaners. My wife wore a nice dress to a restaurant in Texas and people stared and turned around because she wasn't as scruffy looking as them.
I find many American men just don’t care about how they dress, men in their 40s dress in back to front baseball caps, basketball shorts & those Nike Air Jordan’s they live & die in.
Darth Wheezius They dress like that so the rest of us can see them coming and take avoiding action.
I’m American and you guys sound ignorant. Some Americans dress well and some don’t care. A business man in a large city is gonna dress well. A morbidly obese Walmart shopper in Alabama is comfortable in overalls and nothing underneath. You guys are lumping us all in one group. I’ve always thought if I was a foreigner I would be freaked out by the US because the way we are portrayed in the media (foreign and domestic) makes us seem like a violent shit show were everyone is awful. That isn’t the reality though. We have more good than bad I think. Just remember you guys have to deal with Americans visiting your country because they are beautiful, full of culture, and you guys went a little crazy in 1939-1945 and we had to step in, so you guys belong to us now lol.
@@CallduhAmberLamp Another American who thinks they won the second world war.
I can tell you're back in America by the constant disclaimers. In Europe you generally don't have to constantly apologize for stating your opinion
Kidan Tisan Actually I disagree, we have videos in London that have hundreds of negative comments because of things like we called Big Ben Big Ben when apparently it’s really called the Elizabeth Tower. Literally we have sooo many angry comments about that from English people and other nit picks like that, and even on this video we have a lot of angry European commenters. I feel like we have to disclaim stuff for the general internet populous or we will get bombarded with hate.
@@MoreTravelPlease That really surprises me, lived in the UK for 8 years (I'm German) but never had that experience. On the other hand, most Brits are so polite in public maybe they go a bit crazy when clouded by the anonymity of the internet. Either way, don't let trolls and troublemakers dissuade you :) I loved your video (as an ardent traveller myself) and most people who enjoy things actually just don't comment at all.
I think, at least in this case, it is not so much a USA - Europe problem but more likely an internet problem (the whole world is involved). If you are actively swimming in the social media ocean, you kind of have to apologize for things before the video has even been puplished because people will always take offense. Be it reasonably or not or just for the lolz.
Moreganplease no matter what you do, you will offend someone!
@@MoreTravelPlease Sure on youtube comment section, but would you in real life have to deal with the same thing?
Pizza is Italian. The deep pan thing you eat in the US is your invention, like it or not, it is not pizza. And in Europe we learn geography and history at school and being well read and cultivated gives status. Unfortunately, things are changing for the worse.
I love unholy American pizza!!
@@MoreTravelPlease In Estonia Supermarkets make Amercan kind of pizzas. Extra calories, lots of cheese, meat etc and they are about 1 kg. In restorants are Italian style, fresh, simple, wealthy.
@@rapator9270 That's interesting! To the Estonian supermarkets I go xD
@Sergio Díaz Nila I don't like deep dish anymore after having one not cooked enough one time. Blehhh
@@MoreTravelPlease so don't call it pizza, perhaps a salty cheese cake? :-D
Re your healthcare experience: now you have an idea how ridiculous it is in the eyes of us Europeans that Bernie's M4A plan is seen as "radical" in the US.
I think its radical, only because it's an American society. Europe can afford to have universal healthcare because it's actually difficult to live an unhealthy life there. You don't need to spend a lot on treating obesity if you just idk, prevent it?
@@latenightthinker4737 we have several obesity cases here as well, but I don't think that's the point
@@latenightthinker4737 Ehhh... The EU has extremely strict rules and laws when it comes to food. Sugarlevels, artificial foodcoloring etc etc is all tightly regulated. Next to that, the government invests a lot of money in public sport facility's to keep the Europeans healthy.
Dressing smart isn't putting on a front... it's about self respect
yeah I don't think they get it.
It's like any manners. It's about displaying consideration and respect for others as well as yourself.
I tried your American cat call with my cat and he looked at me like I’d murdered his family.
I will stick to “pishwishwishwish”.
lmao ....brilliant lol
We're just saying puss,puss, puss really quickly.
Omg hahaha he didn't understand the American cat accent
@@MoreTravelPlease I call my British cat like you do . It's what she responds to . I tried ' pish wish wish ' . She was not impressed . Maybe my wish got in the way of my pish .
@@jamesguitar7384 You must not get them mixed up!
You mean that America makes something they call pizza, but it's not a real pizza. just like the pasta dishes don't hear any resemblance to any pasta dishes in Italy either
Gillian Rimmer you’re not wrong!
Pizza is everywhere and its nearly always garbage, go to Napoli and eat the real thing (it's always thin crust and if you want more you get 2 but you will get fat)
@@paulm2467 I had pizza from Napoli and while super delicious, it definitely wasn't my fav! My brother also lives in Naples and always eats 2 whole pizzas hahaha but he is like 6'5'' and doesn't get fat
The Italians didn't invent pizza lol
Also i'm willing to bet that your experience with italian food in america is either completely nonexistent or limited to some shitty chain like olive garden
No, in America, we took other country's dishes, Americanized it and made it better!
we don't dress up, we dress like normal humans who respect themselves. This is the reason why we have affordable healthcare system and food control. We take care of ourselves in every aspects.
A lot of us do that too in the U.S. too
As a european your video confirmed me that traveling is so important for our development. You have to experience other cultures to reflect on your own and to improve.
Don't sit there and live your boring life (sorry, no offense) go traveling and enjoy other countries. Then come back and apply what you've learned.
Europe and the Balkans? The Balkans ARE Europe too! Lol
AND does not imply that the two propositions are mutually exclusive
raphaelamor yeah. Many people still just think *industrialized western nation states* when thinking *europe*
Nope, I had to ran away from there. Sawages
Yes, we are Europ's asshole, everybody is fucking us.
@@tryrshaughroad551 No, but it implies that Balkans IS NOT Europe, otherwise why would you need 'and'?
Charging someone in need of medical attention is like charging someone who's on fire for the use of the firedepartment
@@adiuntesserande6893 What in the world
Or charging for use of roads, public parks, police, army.
@@Bi0m3ga To be fair you are charged to use the roads in Europe, or at least the UK. If you own a road-using vehicle you must pay road tax which goes towards the upkeep of roads, highways and traffic lights
I ve never heard it put better...
Replying to Peter Siedel
Pizza is supposed to have a thin crust!
If breaking the rules is so wrong, then why does it taste so right??
@@MoreTravelPlease Each to his own :)
Here in the Netherlands you could find different types of crust somewhere but.....it really should be thin and baked in a wooden stove.
@@Saarloos1960 You can also find thick "pizza" at Hungarian street vendors, too, but anyone who ate the thin-crusted one knows it's not real pizza. In Hungary, it exists because it resembles a traditional Hungarian street dish that's even more fatty than American "pizza" - and is only more healthy when seasoned with garlic -; I wonder about the origins of the American "pizza".
@@MoreTravelPlease like it all you want, just don't call it pizza :-)
As an european I was very unconfortable with the way fire arms make a part of daily life in the US.
That's because you have allowed yourselves to be neutered. Europe is superior to the United States in all aspects besides the following: You haven't developed the racism necessary to preserve your people and your culture (en masse, that is), and you have allowed yourselves to be disarmed.
Rumple Foreskin Despite this I feel more secure in Europe then I felt in the US.
@@dirk2518 That's understandable because you are more safe, for the time being. It will not remain that way unless there is a course correction though.
Rumple Foreskin there I agree. We have to invest in good education for everyone, and find ways that everyone takes pride of his culture and take intrest of each others' culture.
@@bmssenjoyer Funny thing... I was under the impression that Black Americans, are Americans with the same rights. If was black person I would seek revenge against white people.
You shouldn't call your condiment, cheese, actual everything overload pizza at all.
Who wears sweatpants in public has lost controle of his life!
Interesting to hear your thoughts on the NHS,
It's madness to think people even have to think about making a choice over their bank balance or health over in America,
Jon Obrien It’s something that really frustrates and infuriates me beyond belief. I think, outside of having to make that decision, the thing that bothers me the most is the amount of people who genuinely believe it is impossible to have a successful NHS, regardless of how many other countries on the planet are living this method as a reality.
Greed is terrible here. It’s usually the core issue of so many problems in the US. -Harrison
you just voted for adopting the American model
Inga Wurstbrot No we didn’t, that was Labour Party propaganda, we pay National Insurance as part of our taxes,
the Conservative manifesto has spelled it out. The U.S heath care system is a crime! , one family illness can bankrupt you, an American guy in u tube who was working in the U.K had a stomach illness & was treat free on our NHS, he checked out how much a similar illness would cost & it was $55,000!. god I’m glad I wasn’t born American
Mark Davids correct Mark, we would have a revolution before allowing the NHS to become like the USA. We live by the mantra, free at the point of use!
@@bangersandmash5082 You need to educate yourself.
The biggest thing here in the US for me as a European is THE PACE OF LIFE.
I’m here as an exchange student and I’m absolutely stressed by your idea of work.
In Europe, I used to have a really slowed down life. I’m from southern Germany and I have an Italian Boyfriend so my idea of a slowed down life is even more extreme.
I used to have a lot of free time where I went to the gym, do art, go for runs, make music, go to the gym again.
Here I’m always stressed, there’s always something on my schedule an no time to just not do anything.
Random Comment I feel for you, I live in the US and I definitely think that we move too quickly. I’m almost never not stressed.
Random Comment As an American from Northeast: “ then go back to Europe!” and as someone who now lived in 5r Deep South (UsA for several years: would say “ Well, bless your Heart! I hope you will visit us here in the South.”
The Balkans is also Europe.
It deserves an extra recognition, it was such a wonderful place to travel to lol
@@MoreTravelPlease Well caught!
@@MoreTravelPlease what city did u guy's visit in Slovenia? Ljubljana? lake Bled? Maribor? Postojnska jama?
kauvran Ljubljana and a small town called Luče in the mountains and it’s surroundings :)
When my wife and I visited the US, we always just ordered 1 meal and shared it....we were still full;no need for a meal each. Also didn't like how sweet your foods are and the high amount of preservatives present. Finally, even 'posh' eateries seem to use plastic disposable cutlery. However, the people there are friendly......but are they just after a good tip?
Yeah, you really only need one meal at restaurants! Unless you are gluttons like Harrison and I hahaha. As a positive, you really get your moneys worth when you go out to eat in America. Free water, free refills, free bread, huge portions, etc. I don't know what you're talking about about "posh" places using plastic cutlery. I've been to many restaurants across the east coast and have never seen that outside of food trucks or clam shacks. What fancy restaurant specifically did you go to that had plastic forks and knives? I gotta say I don't believe you hahah unless it was part of the restaurants shtick for some reason.
Also, Americans are generally friendly but yeah waiters and waitresses mostly just want a good tip!
Moreganplease : it was in one of Disney places in Florida where we paid heaps and still only got plastic cutlery. We had to ‘bribe’ a waiter to get porcelain cups and saucers!
Yes they are.
@@MoreTravelPlease but the amount of plastic and garbage and consumentism and selling low quality crap is really typical American.
Hi Guys, cool trip you did and hearing about your experiences. But you really got me when you said, you come home and nothing changed. Thats so what I experienced after travelling 6 months in Asia and New Zealand. You have all these intense new experiences, cultures, met so many people your head is full of amazing stuff. So travelling changes you and you have the idea back home a lot of things would have changed too. You come back a different person and bummer, its just the same routine you left.. Speaking of reverse culture shock :D ! And it's hard to share your stories with most people. Sure they will want to hear what you did at first but that wears off quickly, because they can't relate .. only those who also travelled understand. So I understand you guys :)
For the recycling, it’s an EU law so, every member do recycling. In France, we have 4 bins : one for the bottles, one for paper, one for container like cans and boxes and one for domestic garbage. And we have a public "dump" in every city where you can sort in different large bins your heavy waste that you can’t put in the recycling bins. Batteries and Small electronics waste have a bin too.
Probably not very surprising, but we have the exact same thing in the Netherlands. EU rules I guess. But I remember recycling (paper, glass, batteries) long before the EU existed.
Here in Ireland we have three bins-general for anything that can't be recycled, brown for organic waste and green for metals, paper and heavy plastic. Bottles go to the bottle bank containers and batteries to battery boxes that collect them in supermarkets. Electronic waste would be brought to a recycling centre, as would solvents, paints, computer parts and more. The EU WEE directive says all retailers have to take back old electrical goods when we buy new ones too. :)
Same in Italy. Four bins for all the stuff as in France and a fifht bin only for diapers.
@@branc2658 Except nobody collects the rubbish.
@@branc2658 The bins for used oil too! Bins for plastic, paper or bio are here more than 20 years. The rest as cans, batteries and so on started later.
maybe the US-american "openness" is a strategy you NEED because your dependent on personal allies, because your overall solidarity in society is ... **cough** non-existent **cough**
in societies with systemic solidarity where everyone is responsible that OTHERS are well (well educated, have good health care, retirement etc.) once you have your social life settled (found your friends, spouse, hobbies, sport etc.) your fine not chatting everyone up on the streets, stores, waiting room at the dentist.
I always think the same, but I'm always thrown off track that in travel every third or so European I'd meet, particularly those who've spent any time in the US or Canada want to go there and many spoke of moving there. Perhaps it's the old grass is greener thing.
Oh, side issue, if you travel in CCP China you'll see wonderful separated recycling containers, but no one I've ever heard of separates, instead they just throw whatever in the closest available container.
Incidentally, NYC seemed the last place in the US to adopt recycling, while in Indiana, Mississippi or Colorado everyone was already doing it.
I think you've hit the nail on the head. I see with my own country Ireland how it has changed massively since I was a child-from poor to relatively rich. From very open to less open. From very conservative to socially liberal. From extremely religious to far less so with non-believers growing as a percentage of the population all the time. We've become more like mainland Europe in some ways.
I lived in Sweden and Germany and people keep to themselves a LOT more than the US, or even Ireland. It's not to be unfriendly, they see it as respecting others privacy. For an introvert like me I loved it. :)
Pseudo-sociology. And it's "you're."
What the flying -- I'll take personal liberty and responsibility over "social solidarity" every day of the week !
@@josephwalsh7546 Guess what? you can have all three ;) I never felt any less free in countries with a high degree of solidarity. In fact I felt more free because they're safer because they're high trust societies and everyone's basic needs are met-housing, shelter, safety so there is far less crime against the person and property and no-one feels they have to arm themselves for self protection.
I had complete freedom to change occupations if I wanted and not have to worry about putting food on the table or a roof over my head while I did it because my taxes paid for state supports. I had no existential concerns like healthcare not being affordable and having to work three crap jobs just to keep health cover like millions of Americans have to.
It's unthinkable in European countries to have to set up a gofundme page for vital healthcare or go bankrupt because of costs. That's barbaric.
Freedom and personal responsibility are meaningless if by no fault of your own you lose your job and can't work and then don't have an income or health care cover...again like millions of Americans.
Americans are told how "free" they are from the moment they enter the school system, whereas freedom as we have it in Europe-freedom FROM as well as to-only exists for a wealthy minority of Americans. You've been sold a pup.
My American boyfriend says that I dress up too much but for me it's just wearing clothes lol
American guys have their own ideas of fashion and dressing up hahah
To dress nicely is about self respekt. In Sweden i have learned from my parents to atleast try to dress "hel och ren" . Dress in clean and whole clothes.
Those words look so similar to Dutch. It's always fascinating to see how much Germanic languages have in common. In Dutch, 'hel' would be 'heel' and 'ren' would be 'rein' and yet we would not necessarily understand each other if we chatted in our own languages on the street one day.
You really made me laugh with the cat calling thing, I thought you were referring to men shouting lewd things at women but you actually meant calling a cat and you weren't even doing it right, OMG soooo funny 😂😂😂
Hahaha thank you 😂 That's the only cat calling I want to hear!! 😂
@@MoreTravelPlease I hear ya sister, totally agree👍😀
Its very common for europeans to travel outside of there own countries ... ive been to spain , turky , belgium , france , cyprus , and its the norm for most here in the u.k.
i never was in Turkey and Cyprus, but i was in the UK....
17.25 I recognized that too when I traveled through the US I was ascend where I was from? I said Gemany Central Europe, the guy asked me if it would be east ore west coast? After I tried to explain that Europa is overseas he ascend if we have buildings over there!!!........😱 these kind of questions were very common in the US .😱😱😱
From whom? Ask an American over 45 years of age with a middle class or better job and you would have probably got an adequate answer. The school system in the US has declined badly on average from the 1970's onward. It is very chaotic from well run schools to horribly run schools that produce ignorant people.
I would have asked first from which of the former split countries of Germany you were from or at least, from what region.
By the way, "asked" the correct word to use in English, not "ascend" which means to rise up something (a mountain, a staircase, a ladder, etc.).
Robert Den Dooven First, thank you for that devise, asked! Ja ich muss etwas an meinen unregelmäßigen Verben arbeiten!
Second, that trip I took was in the year 1987 and that young man was in his twenties in that time. That was not the only experience with that kind of questions. I always was really surprised. I visited 42 US states and I met these people all over. I am sorry to say, I never experienced these questions in other parts of the world. Not in Europe ore Asia.
Das ist eine schlichte Tatsache, womit der Amerikaner leider leben muss die Bildung ist nicht so hoch, vielleicht weil sie teuer ist und es sich nicht jeder leisten kann?
@@robertdendooven7258 I also had similar experiences with the American public. I was asked if we the English, had a problem with the French crossing the channel to work as cheap labour. So wrong on many levels. When I met Americans who had visited Europe I asked which countries. They looked completely baffled "oh, you know...Europe." they didn't even notice that they had visited several different countries. They did seem to take pride in their lack of world knowledge.
@@robertdendooven7258 Eh... you get dumbass questions from pretty much any American. I am 41 now and when I was over there in my early 20s, people who where in their mid 30s or early 40s would ask really dumb shit like "Hey what is it like to be ruled by a king? Here in America we have this thing called democracy"
My impression is rather that people from more liberal larger international cities tend to be better informed. But people in typical red states can be shockingly ignorant. I mean I beat people on trivial pursuit despite it being designed for American conditions.
At the university I went to in the US I remember none of my friends even had a clue about how many people live in the US. I remember when I compared anything to my native Norway they would always respond with stuff like "Are you aware of just how big America is!?" I got kind of tired of that question so I suddenly asked "Do you actually know? How many people live in the US?"
People would answer stuff like 1 billion. Not remotely close. So it isn't just that Americans are ignorant about the world, they are also quite ignorant of their own country, which is kind of sad.
My take on this is that America is not a knowledge oriented society. It is a consumer oriented society. American know an amazing amount of stuff about consumer products. Much more than an average European. They are far more knowledgeable about drugs. You also see it in how Americans consume a lots of drugs and buy a lot of consumer goods. So I don't think it is that Americans know less. They just know different things. It is a reflection of the hyper capitalist society America live in where buying and selling is the most important thing in life.
Reminds me of an interview I once read with a Belgian singer. She was in the States, talking to a rep from the record company and joked we still had horse and carriage. She stopped joking when she noticed the rep thought she was serious...
Dressing well represents respect towards ourselfs and others. It is normal to look proper and put together. We really dress up at special ocasions.
avram iulia that’s exactly how I always explain it.
Ppl here in the US wear pajamas to shop :(
But...the best justification for dressing well comes from that quintessentially American entity, ZZ Top.
I had a similar experience after coming out of the British army, going to all these places and doing things most never dream of then you come home and nothing and nobody has change, they only got older and I felt what a waste of their lives.
They just chose different lives. But yeah, it's a weird feeling
If you want a pop culture analogy, you live in Mordor and got to visit the Shire for 6 months.
Roy W-G Hahaha that’s funny 😂 I like that analogy
Hahaha brilliant 😂👍
@@MoreTravelPlease "Don't go back there, Mr Frodo, they will eat you up if you back there!"
Oh, come on man, you made me really laugh, good job!
The choice of do you pay your doctors fee or buy food for the week is scandalous
12 CENTURY
Great to e-meet you both! 5 minutes into the video and we already resonate with so many of these. The talking to/complimenting strangers in public always shocks us when we return home. Right now we're in France and people don't even look at you on the street here. For me (Eric) it's refreshing, because I like introverting when I'm exploring a city, but Grace definitely prefers the American friendliness in public. We balance each other out haha, which it seems you guys do too!!
Oh yeah, you'll be safe as an introvert in Paris haha :D Sometimes I like that, and sometimes I like the friendliness. It's definitely a balancing act between us as well! Which makes for great travel partners! :)
Guys, travelling broadens your horizons. I must say it's the best way to learn, and you can relate to so many topics.
Regards from Dorset England
I agree very much. I wish everybody had the opportunity to travel.
i heard Dorset is nice, but last time i was in southern england, i turned south at Stonehenghe...lol
I heard Dorset is nice as well, have been there, once, its long way to go as live in Wiltshire
@@paulhill1665 Hi, we think so to, nice beaches and no motorways.
Nige G Portland bill and the Jurassic coast is my favourite part
Another thing what I have to point out in United States when you have a baby you have only couple months and you have to go back to work ban in Europe you have at least one year to take care of you baby and you get full salary and later on your husband can take another year not like in United States. When you go to hospital to have a baby you don't pay for it the same way like you pay in United States. Now many companies they don't want to have even insurance for their workers and even if they do the employees have to pay a lot to it every week from their paychecks and later on when they go to the doctor they still have to pay the co-payment and most of the time when they get really very sick with cancer the insurance just kick them out and refuse to pay for them.
In the vast majority of US states, there isn’t any guaranteed time off at all. On the Federal level, there wasn’t any until this month, and that only applies to employees of the government itself. I’ve known of women forced to return to work the day after delivering their child.
Unfortunately, here in the Netherlands, new mothers only have 16 weeks, including the few weeks before giving birth. So what you're describing isn't an American situation but it sounds more like the Dutch situation. It's much worse in the US as Adiun's already mentioned.
In the 1960s in Britain we went to the greengrocer to buy vegetables with just one large bag. He weighed out the potatoes, carrots, oranges, etc. and just tipped them in your bag. There was no packaging, no plastic to dispose off. Then ready packaged vegetables were introduced and we now have a large amount of packaging to dispose of (which the shopper has paid for!). Some shops are opening going back to the old system but it's an uphill struggle. America led the way in the 'throw away society' but now seems to be playing catch up to Europe. Plastic pollution has recently been found in Antarctica. It's gotta stop!
neville mason You are so right, it’s absolutely ridiculous the amount of packaging we use. When not traveling, I work as a painting instructor. We get large shipments of canvases. They used to just come in the box, but now they come individually wrapped in plastic, and then also wrapped in a second film of plastic in twos. It’s utterly ridiculous.
Bring back glass milk bottles
Thank you for that, it was an excellent appraisal honestly given - most enjoyable to listen to as well.
Thank you! :)
Travel does broaden the mind.its nice to see in reality.
All people should take care of their appearance,unless you’ve given up on life itself,any army in the world would teach that .
I definitely feel better when there is pride in my appearance
Hi guys I really like your videos it’s nice to get a different aspect of where you live from different points of view. About the UK the best thing that we’ve got is our healthcare. It’s never going to have enough money it’s never going to be perfect but as a relatively rich country I think we are very lucky nobody wants to be ill and let’s face it if you can keep your workforce working healthy and fit they gonna pay taxes is fairly simple I’ve heard before about Americans actually living in fear of healthcare the costs . Keep up the videos and come back to the UK soon we miss you already have fun guys
The healthcare is definitely one of the best aspects of the UK! You are absolutely right, people do live in fear of healthcare costs in America. I have a friend who's dad pulled his own teeth out rather than pay for the dentist fee. It comes down to what's more worth it - be in pain for a while, or be in debt for the rest of your life. It's completely and utterly fucked up in every way. We feel very passionate about this, obviously, after Harrison has had so many intensely unfair and unbelievably horrid experiences with the US healthcare system. In the US you see a lot of gofundmes and things like that asking for help with medical bills for kids with cancer and stuff like that, it's deeply depressing and disturbing that we live like this. You are so right, keep the population healthy and the country will reap the benefits!! It was so eye opening for us when we went to the doctor in England and didn't have to pay. We kept waiting for a bill to come in even when they said it wouldn't, because at home that kind of thing always happens. We love England! Thank you so much for your comment!! We actually will be back relatively soon :) And sorry for my very passionate reply haha I just like to talk about this, especially with someone from across the pond!
THE NHS IS A NATIONAL TREASURE HERE
Err.... even here where I live in Latvia (well away from Italy!), I can get cheesy crust pizza no problem. There's a tax on plastic bags around most of the EU which is 20 cents in Latvia.
Maybe you can get the cheesy crust pizza, but is it on the level of diabeetus that the US has?? Probably not 😂
Great video! You guys make a good team. I'm surprised you didn't mention what's easily the biggest difference I've noticed between America and Europe: volume. America is loud, everywhere and in every way. Europe and the people there are generally quiet and calm, with a few exceptions (e.g. Paris). In America, almost every store, restaurant, airport, etc has music playing. Not in Europe. Personal privacy is respected, and there's an understanding that noise is also a dangerous form of pollution. Germany seemed to be the best at this, both culturally and in the way they protect their citizens from noise, with barriers between highways and where people live, for example.
This is SO TRUE. I think another exception is London, but it is crazy loud all the time, 24/7 in US cities. They never sleep. In fact, I went to go for a walk on my own in Edinburgh, about a 20 minute walk from the center at 1 o'clock in the morning and I just couldn't believe the absolute silence... Not even a single car drove by.
Moreganplease Yeah London DEFINETLY is an exception. But that’s probably because cities like London and Paris have a car based economy and culture and their inner cities mostly are NOT car free like other European down town areas.
Since I’m from the Netherlands, where everyone bikes and where my home city of Groningen doesn’t allow cars within the region of the old city moat. (Aside from public transport that gets to loop around the shopping area that is) every city in other EU countries is really loud for me, aside from: the Germans.
@@roy_hks you made me smile, with a little tear in my eye... have a nice Weihnachten from a German...lol
Arl Tratloandletmealonewithureshitads Thank you, you as well. I’m going to Bremen today to see visit their weihnachtmarkt so I’ll definetly have great Weihnachten.
@@roy_hks lol, no snow here, so my X-mas feeling isnt there yet, have fun in Bremen, dont forget to take pics from the Roland and the Stadtmusikanten...
I think we in Europe like to dress smartly. It makes us feel good. I honestly don't think people here feel the 'need' to dress well, nor do I feel we are putting on 'a front'. It's something we like doing, it makes us feel good about ourselves. Pride in your appearance is a good thing, it stops mental sloppiness and laziness.
I wholeheartedly agree that dressing up stops mental sloppiness/laziness. Even when I work from home, I purposefully get dressed up as if I am going to an office, and it puts me in the state of mind to actually get things done.
Love you guys talking about this as I had reverse culture shock when I came back from England and having lived there for 8 years.
I have to say though after asking my husband abouf the split screen, but something I should say here to make it clear is that to be a Tesco Store manager you have to go through a crap load of certifications and it is very very hard to get that job. He said that even though he worked at head office at one of the biggest oil companies in England and he said even he would of been looked down on to get a job at Tesco for that salary and also had a very good job at the oil company named, "Total" which still did not give him the same salary which a Tesco Store manager would get. He even had to have a double major in computer science to work at the oil company and the managers at Tesco have to run the WHOLE store and all the 100's of staff which is incredibly stressful along with the fact that is incredibly under paid for what they are doing.
So thought I would just mention and clarify this out there for everyone.
We now both work here in America funnily enough for a major healthcare company and I agree there is no perfect country with a perfect healthcare system, but I do love in England you can at least get seen for free under the NHS. That is frustrating here in the U.S.
Anyways, love you guys and the info you still put out there. ❤
We do open and small talk in the north of England and a to a degree less in the south, but talking to a stranger about what they are wearing or make up is getting a little too personal. Talking about the weather, how late the bus/train is etc... is fine, once those initial barriers are down then you may ask about or compliment someone on their look or outfit, only compliment, etc... nothing negative. The way it goes is you compliment the other person, but can be negative or positive about yourself.
The reason why American foods (that aren't generally sold here) are more expensive to buy here is the cost of buying them in the states, cost of shipping, then wholesale mark up then finally a store mark up because those items won't sell anywhere near as many units as a similar item already sold here. Before the price is then passed on to the consumer. American foods are a niche item, a curious novelty to many just as British foods sold at expat stores in the U.S. (there are dozens dotted around the U.S. mostly in the big cities).
Where were you for these pizzas. I know for a fact we do deep pan, deep dish, thin crust, Italian crust, tomato/mustard/cheese/sausage stuffed crust. He even the frozen departments of stores do all those, never mind the takeaway outlets. But also American pizzas will be slightly different from British ones, to German ones, etc... because it's how our taste buds have developed over the years, some countries like there foods sweeter, some salty, some spicy, etc...
Generally Americans are more insular in their knowledge. I know a few Americans and some American teachers of different grades and they say the curriculum is geared away from history and geography to help kids pass other subjects. Some even coined it that America only learns about a new country, when they go to war with it or invade it. Also, on the subject of education, the sheer number of schools that don't provide pens, pencils, books, course books, etc... because the schools are underfunded in the U.S. Teachers using their own wages to buy books, etc... Schools having to ask parents to buy materials and course books for their children to be taught with.
Tax on unhealthy food additives? That sounds like a good idea.
I knew a British girl who visited LA and went for a walk. The police stopped her and asked what the hell she was doing!
Oh, and can you imagine if the US had a National Health Service - but people were still addicted to junk food, super-size portions and driving everywhere!? My god, hospitals, clinics, doctors would be over-run with these people demanding treatment. Nightmare! America needs to promote healthy living before it can introduce a Health Service. But I suppose that goes against the grain of an American mindset where 'free choice' is king. i.e. free choice to develop diabetes, heart problems, obesity and of course free choice to buy whichever weaponry you want!
Interesting thought process, it's true that us Americans tend to be generally more unhealthy.
I left London to work a six week job in Germany and loved it so much that I stayed 25 years! Got a job, fitted in and enjoyed the life style. Married and now have a fair pension. The move woke me up to all Europe had to offer. With Germany being geographically central in Europe you could drive to Holland for a market or get some skiing in in Austria. Being surrounded by different countries enables you to learn so many languages which has set me up for pleasant conversations with many more people who have become friends. Again, I recommend people to travel and learn.
Yep, ALL Americans live on junk food. Actually, we live exactly like what’s portrayed on TV. I have fast food 3 times a day! 🙄 That pesky freedom of choice is just destroying me.
The UK actually spends less on the NHS as a proportion of GDP than the USA spends on public healthcare - they could afford it if they stopped channelling money to corporations... but that would be communism, allegedly.
Rob W It’s not about whether we can afford it or not, it has to do with the way our country works. Our government can’t just make decisions like that. That would be like saying “well we do it this way in our country, why don’t all European countries do it the same way we do?” About the half the people in this country don’t want a system like the NHS. And you’re right, they do think it would be too much like communism, which of course is absolute nonsense. Personally, I think something like England’s NHS would be the best solution & it frustrates me that this is even a debate but the other problem, as you pointed out, are the big pharmaceutical companies, who use their financial power to influence the mainstream. It’s not so much whether we can afford it though, it’s getting around all the misinformation & propaganda. I do believe something has to give eventually and will, but it’s going to take time & it’s mostly likely going to be something that allows each state to run it as they see fit. When I lived in Pennsylvania in the 90’s, because of my low income, I was basically handed a card & I had health care, covered at almost 100%. I’ve heard there are other states with similar programs. I do believe it’ll happen, we just need time to work it out.
After 2 years in Denmark as a LDS missionary, I remember walking out of the terminal and thinking how huge the American cars are.
Yes they are much bigger!!
I feel for your sense of ennui at the end - all those things before you mentioned are different between us in Europe and yourselves in the US are absolutely bang on (right), and we are very different in those ways, but one thing is the same - returning home to everything being the same when you've changed soooo much and everything for you has changed is one of the weirdest unsettling feelings describable.
Absolutely. Happy to be understood!!
Go to the grocery store in The Netherlands and you find pizza's with all different toppings, thickness, healthy/unhealthy
we flipped with our firm van, 8 people inside, 4 (inclusive me ) went to the hospital, 1 with a helicopter to a university clinic, the other 3 with amublances, i was 3 weeks sick home, 1 for only 3 days, and 1 couldnt never worked again and the last had to learn a new occupation... none of us paid a cent, everything was free.... because we have laws, who protects you on the way to work, during work and on the way home from work, what ever happens betwen leaving and coming home is covered, and i also have my regular universal health care, for holydays and weekends...lol
@Rita Roork you mean your parents pay for you ?? and here it is the same for everyone, not just for a single privileged person alone..
Hi guys. love this channel and this might be the best "reverse culture shock" blog I've seen. Interesting and interested and covering things both big and small - even if you clearly know nothing about talking to cats!!!!!!
And yes, the subtext to the "what do you thing of Trump" question is clearly, do I want to continue talking to you????
Quick question, when you went to Malta did you cover why the national newspaper, the Times of Malta, has a small military cross hanging below the "of"? If not, it's a good story
It isn't just a right for us in the UK, WE PAY FOR IT EVERY MONTH OUT OF OUR WAGES. It is called the National Health Service, and you pay for it from the day you start work, until the day you stop work. It is a very good service where it is free at point of call. There are varying opinions of treating people from abroad who have not paid in a single penny in to the pot though. That is not a dig at you, but it is not a bottomless pit, it is just that no-one could be bothered to set up a payment system for non-contributors
Cockertoo There is a system for payment from non entitled visitors, but no mechanism for chasing payments when they return home. Plus, many medical staff wouldn't actually have a clue as to who is eligible and who isn't. Don't forget, we have reciprocal agreements with many countries meaning we get free coverage in return when travelling, or at least the NHS picks up the bill. You are right though- there is increasing evidence of health tourism- people coming here to get treatment they couldn't afford at home.
😱 healthcare is too expensive in US. I dont know how you can stand it!!!!
Unfortunatly it is a little bit true about the compliment/fakeness. My colleagues and I, when we get compliments from our american colleagues, it sounds weird. they are so keen to compliment and be enthousiastic, that it sounds soooo fake for us.😔(sorry) we are not use to that. But watching this kind of video makes us think differently. Thanks for that. 🙏
For the food, when I were studient, In US,I were stoned by the size of the food ! The beverage, the plate, the fruits, etc. Everything was so big And a lot of them tasted too sugary!!! I gain several kg in few months !!😕
My intership was in a hospital and I've Never seen bus nor tram nor metro. Only cars...even bikes. we were the only one walking and biking to go to work. (How do you do if you dont have car ?) and Everybody was surprised when we asked for trains in order to visite the state...🤷♂️
For the pizza, the cheese has no tast in US. (Do you know that you can ask for big crust in some restaurants in Europe?).
TheGrandy123 it’s honestly one of the biggest fears in the back of my head; Getting seriously injured and knowing I’ll be paying for it for the rest of my life financially. It’s sad that I think of cost first before the actually physical consequences my body would take. -Harrison
Also, I lived in the US now for 10 years and I am from Bosnia...I absolutely still don't understand why people walk around in PJ's here. I do not think it is a matter of being fake if you dress nice, it is a matter of loving yourself enough to care about looking your best. Besides it shows discipline and you will be more motivated to conquer every day if you start if off by dressing into normal clothes vs pj's :) I think that's one way to explain us europeans.
best luck to you guys :) Found you today and I am 5 videos deep :)
I agree! I love to dress nice and it definitely makes me more productive. Thank you so much for watching our videos!! :D BTW, if you ever felt like making videos too, I would be interested to watch videos about your life in Bosnia vs the US! I love to watch those kinds of videos :)
Nice video! Not much to add, most things are described pretty accurate from my point of view (southwest Germany), or have been debated several times in the comments. A point I dearly hang on is the "you don't (usually) talk to strangers", I love it! I'm not good at small talk, 99% of the time I'm not interested in talking about the weather or the grand-/children, and quite frantically, I don't care much how someone I don't know is doing today nor do I want my well being. Same goes for compliments.
If someone talks to you on the street, you can rest assured that most of the time they want something from you. Even earlier, as soon as you make eye contact with someone and start smiling, you just know they will approach you and ask for something. People have been avoiding other people in public since forever - be it with news papers, magazines, walkmans, MP3-Players and nowadays mobile phones. Thanks to that mentality I can enjoy some quiet time on the train and read something I'm actually interested in.
What kinda saddens me though, is when I see old people frantically trying to get a conversation going with other people. It happens sometimes on the train or bus. I guess they don't have others to talk to and try to compensate. But, at least in the area I live in, they won't get more than a "Huh", "True" or a few affirmative grunts accompanied by weirded out or annoyed looks.
Aww, that is sad for the older people. They really need the interaction. I'm glad that you noticed that
I'm from Europe and I've never thought that "I dress up" every time I go out lol
It's just normal, if you're going out you just change clothes, I would just feel uncomfortable and dumb to be wearing a pijama in public ahahah
dressing carefully is a sign of respect for the people who have to look at you
Well, American's are known for not caring what other people think lol.
Im English and I don't think u should have to dress for anyone else
@@truecrimewhisperer ✊✊
@@truecrimewhisperer Unfortunately, yours is the attitude that has caused Brexit. The English don't care what anybody thinks. Not Europeans, Northern Irish, Scots, not anybody.
@@MoreTravelPlease Germans also don't care what others may think but they also dress respectably. not as fancy as italians or french, but respectably
Lol Americans not knowing where their first lady is from (Slovenia).
Sad but true
Most Americans don’t even know that she *is* Slovenian. Or that Slovenia exists at all.
To be honest, even most Western Europeans (Britons for sure) are ignorant about Slovenia and would not know that today it is more similar to Austria than say fellow ex-Yugoslavian countries Montenegro or Serbia.
Most Americans probably also don't know that one of Trump's first acts of presidency was granting around 13 of her extended family members US citizenship. It seems that immigrants are OK if they are related to your wife.
@Rita Roork The first is in the eye of the beholder (personally I find her unnerving, like a wax figure), but all the rest is demonstrably wrong. The wilful ignorance of Trump supporters is limitless.
Moregan,you could be bjorks lil sister and you brought your own style to London.You both look great and fitted right in, and with your American optimism,natural relationship and willingness to be amazed and happy it's lovely to see you discover Europe and England.It suits you here.. come back soon!
Aww that is so nice of you, thank you so much!! :)
There are EU directives on sustainability and recycling. So recycling is a top priority in all of the EU.
I wish the rest of the world would follow suit!
I am in my 50s ... and from Germany, and I do not even remember a time, when we did not recycle. 30 years ago we were up to 5 different trash/recycling bins for Paper, glass (multiple colors), plastic, organic and actual "trash". And on top of that evert town has recycling stations for electronics, fridges, metal, furniture ... you name it ... and that's only the obvious stuff. One actually has to pay to dispose of a car, which then is being recycled as much as possible ...
Very interesting to hear your thoughts , as a Scandinavian ( Denmark ) i think i can say that recycling is done because there is money in the trash- all things thrown out , you can make money on those things. And i also think that in general we somehow are just thinking more about the environment , and that resources are not unlimited .Have seen other youtubers from Japan and they seem to be on another level.
There really isnt much money if any in recycling. Most of it is shipped to China, India, etc and dumped into the water or burned. You can use your imagination and pretend they make your plastic bags into more plastic bags but its a dream
@@ArchesBro Well you are partly correct , but its not all plastic that is handled that way , and recycling is not only plastic bags, Its also paper , cardboard , glass , metal , batteries.
in some parts, we have an old saying, where there's muck there's brass. (money)
ArchesBro Actually, a lot of EU countries have made it illegal for ‘recycling’ companies to send it abroad.
Love that people there actually care about the environment!!
You are spot on about people complimenting you in the US. This weekend I was out exploring a large outdoor art exhibit at Storm King Arts Center, and some dude noticed my sunglasses. He said "Wow I have those exact same sunglasses, that's so cool." He then came over and fist bumped me. It's like the universe knew you just made this video and wanted to put an exclamation point on it. Of course we were standing in front of a giant 30 ft 3 legged Buddha so I guess that could also explain it.
Robert Wright Wow I’m sad I’m only seeing this comment now haha that is awesome xD and that art exhibit sounds great
11:48 Woohoo! Go London, lol. Nice vid guys, glad you had an amazing experience 👍🇬🇧
Haha London is the best! Thank you!! :)
I think one of the fundamental differences between living in England than living in somewhere like US is that in England you don't really have to go very far to feel like you're in completely different place. Take Oxford and Bath for example which are very close to each other but have very different architecture, food and even local customs. In America you can drive for 4 or even 8 hours and feel as though haven't gone anywhere at all. I feel for you though, i really do. Best wishes from England and Merry Christmas.xxx
I agree, there are so many different cultures in Europe so close together. In America, not so much. We definitely have our own distinguishable local foods and customs from city to city, but it's not quite as drastic as it is in Europe's level of proximity. When we travel the US this year, we will find out for sure!
Just out of curiosity: the sugar tax you mention, has it really been made reality anywhere? I know it has been discussed in various places, but I haven't heard of any place actually instituting it. And FYI: I live in Europe.
xpqr12345 Yep. The UK sugar tax.
From my google search: “Officially called the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL), the tax puts a charge of 24p on drinks containing 8g of sugar per 100ml and 18p a litre on those with 5-8g of sugar per 100ml, directly payable by manufacturers to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).”
This is probably what happened also in Finland. It created a strange situation where a regular soft drink was more expensive than one with artificial sweeteners. And artificial sweeteners are probably a health hazard as well, maybe a worse one.
It is also in effect on sugared beverages in Seattle in the USA. Then again, Seattle is very European in a lot of ways. People don’t talk to each other on the street, they have multiple recycling bins (including in public), public transit is used by most to get almost everywhere, plastic bags have been banned....
I backpacked around Europe 30 yrs ago and everything u say is true. U nailed it. 👍
You're so cool!! And thank you!
I recycle everything, I either donate, sell or give it away, I encourage others to recycle, simply put, its the right thing to do.
That's great! Same here!
Good video. Especially interesting that you had genuine fear over healthcare costs when you got back to the USA. Also, FYI, the Balkans is a region of Europe, not a separate region.
Thank you! And we still do have genuine fears about our healthcare costs, at any moment we could get hurt and be in debt for life and have to stop traveling. And you're right, it is unnecessary and wrong to mention the Balkans separately from Europe.
As a Canadian, I feel sorry for Americans. I can’t fathom choosing not to see a doctor because it would cost too much.
@@MoreTravelPlease You need to get Google to offer affordable health care rates to their UA-camrs to purchase instead of making billions of dollars. For all the Liberal things Google does try to promote, they should look in the mirror at their own practices.
Don't you have access to the Affordable Care Act?
@@obsidyenneg4333 I'm an American with good health insurance because I put work into getting a good education in order to get a good job that offered good insurance. As a Canadian wrote about 43 years ago, "You don't get something for nothing, you don't get freedom for free. You won't get wise with the sleep still in your eyes no matter what your dream might be.
You don't care about working to better yourself, then blame no one but yourself. The Victim culture in America since the 1960's has destroyed many minority communities.
I work with the public, from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The family into with you are born is pure luck. Many people are not afforded the opportunity to learn better ways of life. It’s not that black and white. As a first world country, USA has some of the worst health statistics. I believe good health care should be a right not a privilege.
When I was 17 I spent 4 weeks in LA and had no car. We travelled by bus, and it was ok if a bit of a wait. This was the eighties. The people we stayed with used their car to travel to neighbours ten houses away!!! It is a car and planes culture....but lots of fun 💜🇬🇧
So cool! I'm glad they had a bus service for you to use! We haven't been to the west coast at all yet. We hope to remedy that this year!!
As someone who grew up in Portland and lived for years in Seattle, I’ve never owned a car nor learned to drive, and I’ve never felt restricted by it. The public transit systems in both areas are incredibly good.
I can only speak for England, but the incentive to recycle is the world being a little less on fire. x3
Might wanna pass that little gem along to China, India and Canada
@@MatchaCUB Canada? That surprises me...
A plastic carrier bag in the supermarket is about 17 Euro cents (20 US cents perhaps). It really encourages people to use durable bags and take them with you every time you go shopping.
So true, it's a great tactic!
No I think it looks common and scruffy wearing pyjamas out of the house. It briefly started here a few years ago,I think shops stopped people going in unless they were suitable dressed
That's definitely not ok. How is that even legal? Denying people of shopping because of attire.
@@sergeyfox2298 well couse pijamas are ment for sleeping.... I dknt understand why is it so hard to dress up
@@kristjanprodan5059 do pajamas hurt anyone or do pajamas undo other peoples' ability to shop? Do we deny people the ability to shop because of artificial attire rules? Given that pajamas are supposed to be warn for housing only, which is a bit odd to prescribe because it's just cloth, does that mean we close the doors on people who see pajamas to be warn for different reasons? That's just arbitrary to even defend such a random rule, given that you believe that is what pajamas are warn for.
My core question is: are legal punitive measures to be enacted for people who deviate from some socially prescribed norms, norms that don't harm the pajama wearer nor the other persons in public spaces, given that other persons actually do feel emotionally distressed over pajamas? How odd and alien to my logic.
Given that non-pajama shoppers feel distressed of shoppers who wear pajamas, are the non-pajama people distressed because the pajama wearer deviates from some norm, assuming the non-pajama shoppers know their lives are not physically threatened? Though they are emotionally traumatized of people who wear pajamas when shopping, we would need to find EVIDENCE that pajamas wearer shoppers have a history of harming other people.
THANKS GOD !
The incentive to recycle in Europe is that if you don't recycle it is not collected. Stores must recycle by law.
the cat calling thing totally blindsided me... and almost made me pee my pants!! :D Ooh and that feeling coming back is actually reverse homesickness
It's funny how many of your experiences are similar to mine when I went to America in the 80's. How little things have changed. I got severe culture shock going to America, which surprised me because I thought I knew America pretty well. However I also got reverse culture shock on my return after 15 months, when I saw so many things that I thought the US did better than us. I also have twice experienced the strange feeling that whilst you've been away and experience so much, nothing has changed at home. I had this after 2 years in India in the 90's.
Food package sizes and prices. A lot of the price disparities stem from Import costs and Taxes. If the food can be produced (or harvested) locally, it's pretty cheap. If it has to be imported, it's more expensive. And then if you add that ridiculous sugar tax on things, my god, that would apply to almost everything in America as even our bread has added sugar in the mix.
We’ve actually found going on our 2nd 6 month trip that food in Europe, especially Scotland, was way less expensive compared to where we live in the US.
It depends what of course, but generally monsters, bread, soymilk, flour, and even bagged sugar was way cheaper in the markets in Scotland than at home.
4:30 yes we indeed do get Lyme disease in the UK: I got it from a tick bite when walking near Manchester
In Europe recycling is taught in 1º year elementary school, and in my city we have containers for plastic, glass, card/paper, batteries, electronics, clothes(to give away), and for dog business (lol)
I grew up in a very small village un the netherland population of 900 people we had 1 bus stop in the middle of the village so the furthest walk was 5 min and a bus would come every half hour from 7 o clock in the morning till 11 o clock in the evening, about the recycling , beer bottles and the plastic 1.5 liter bottles you buy at the grocery store when their empty you bring them back to the grocery store you get like 10 cent back on beer bottles en 25 cents on plastic liter bottles that is as far as i know in almost every europian country
I always like to see culture differences and even I notices Holland/The Netherlands seem to moving towards "American" giving up our culture (which is part of American foundation too, but another story). Funny about the cats: Pssst is to get a foreign cat away, to our own cats we talk (at least we do) like human beings. Dressing to supermarket: You have "home clothes" (pyjamas, handyman etc), regular clothes (jeans, dress, runnings etc) and "formal" for a party, wedding etc... Funny thing I noticed living in Ireland: You can go to a supermarket in Ireland with "like u just came out of bed", nobody cares here, while if you go for a job interview: SUIT in Ireland: In Holland, you dress well (according to the job/company standard) but "overdressed" can be work against you!
That's so interesting!! I think it's much better and less weird to wear appropriately nice clothing for interviews instead of an awkward suit for a casual job. Europe has changed many habits of ours, like taking off our shoes inside, which is not the norm where we live in America. I also do find myself dressing much "nicer" now and really noticing the amount of people who wear workout clothes as regular clothes. Which I think is fine btw, but we just didn't see that in Europe.
We recycle here, four bins, bottle and can banks, clothing banks, and some do pay for your stuff, tiny amounts but it adds up
They do pay for certain cans and bottles where we are located in the US. Other parts of the US don't even have any recycling bins at all.
I really enjoyed your video. I respect your opinion on the pizza, although as an European I will call your thing a caloric bomb and not something I will be eating. Regarding the fashion in Europe as mentioned in other comments, people here like to take care of themselves and have a good image. I really like Europe for the ease of moving around, cleanliness, healthy lifestyle and affordable education and healthcare. I am amazed how Americans consider normal to pay huge bills for their health, here it will not be acceptable under any circumstances. If most of Americans will afford to travel abroad most probably they will think differently about their political system and priorities in their country. I hope you will have the chance to come back and explore other countries too :).
I agree that if many people had the opportunity to actually experience some of the things that other countries do so much better, they'd be ready for change in a heartbeat. We can't wait for positive progression in this country. We can't wait to explore many, many many more countries!! :)
I'm guessing you guys didn't get pizza in London, because we TOTALLY have deep pan pizza here, just depends on which pizza place you use! 😂
BTW.... I'm glad you guys had a great time in my beautiful city of London and that your experience with our wonderful Nhs was as expected x 🤗 x
Thank you!! :) We loved it. We did have a lot of pizza in London but it still wasn't the same!!
@@MoreTravelPlease That's strange..... Now I'm curious as to just how bloody deep American pizzas are? 👀 😂
It is possible to say American pizzas suck. They often put sugar in the overwhelming quantities of dough (it's the same for the sliced bread), the mozzarella is rubbery, artificial, the tomato pizza sauce has sugar in it and the tomatoes are mostly bland and tasteless. Don't impose your personal preferences for the aforementioned delicacies. Pizza, like most of the prepared food in America is full of sugar and salt, which is why you were able to say in your Malta video that most of the food in Europe is tasteless compared with the USA. you need to spend a longer period away to fully adjust your tastebuds.
It is possible to say American pizza sucks, but it's a false statement ;) Unless you're talking about deep dish! Bleh!! Or pineapple on pizza!! Don't even get me started on that.
Interesting video. Regarding many of the things you said (the feeling that nothing changes, people liking Trump, lack of public transportation, lack of environmental friendliness, unhealthy portion sizes...), it seems like the US's biggest source of problems is that it does not question itself. As a European, I think saying the US is "the greatest country in the world" is completely crazy. First of all because it clearly isn't, but also because it's so pretentious haha. As a result, I guess people collectively don't consider there's much room for improvement because "they're already so much better than everyone else" (I'm generalizing but I know a lot of people do fight for improvement). To conclude this long comment, if Americans just stop saying this false affirmation, maybe things will start to evolve, because from here it sounds like a classic case of denial haha. I should mention I'm French and we're the exact opposite here: everything can and will be improved (which can also be criticized).
I totally agree with you. I think many aspects of American society and legislation have stagnated due to that exact reasoning - "We're already number one so let's not improve!!" A large amount of people believe that any criticism of America or any push for improvement mean that you hate America. I love the French mentality. I worked with a frenchman and he was never quiet with his criticism, which ultimately helped so much!!
Unlike the French Americans don't fight back, they fester and simmer and then explode. There are no "Americans" just citizens to pay in to the profits of the corporations. Like was mentioned in the video a bandaid/glue obviously does not cost 2000k but it is legal here in the "greatest country in the world" to scam a patient and make them pay this amount. There are many systemic problems through out the world one being that there are just too many people on the planet. But at least in Europe is less about the bottom line some wisdom seemed to have evolved. As Warren Buffet said the human race maybe getting smarter, but it is not getting wiser. And if want to know about the bottom dollar in the health care system watch the documentary The Guardians...
American sweets are massively expensive in Europe because of import and export tarrifs. I ordered a signed book from North Carolina, delivered to London. Book cost £23. Delivery was £26. We do have sugar tax but its pence per product👍
My parents have received cancer treatment for years. What have they paid? Nothing but their taxes. Where am I not from? Exactly.
Ha, when you were talking about 'cat calling', I thought you were going to talk about how European men whistleling to girls is different to how American men do it!
ASHIKO HANNOE i thought that too! hahaha
It's funny but it is true they call the cats differently but the European cats know that so they respond to it when they calling them.
They respond if it suits their purposes you mean. ;-)
In Germany in supermarkets you get 25 eurocents for every platic bottle you recicle
Well, you first have to pay this 25 cents when you buy the bottle. It´s a deposit.
@@Filtertuetchen You buy the bottle anyway, so it's still better to get those 25 cents back than to throw them away
@@Filtertuetchen yes, sorry, forgot to mention it is a deposit, but at the end of The dat, this way makes a difference.
Pizza hut garlic and cheese crust and deep pan are normal in the UK
Italy all thin crust .
Best to check online menus prior to visiting a country.
Liked this. Come back to England again.
Aww thank you :) We definitely will!
Now be honest guys. You kinda miss Europe 😁
Oh there's no hiding that hahah
I live in Belgium (Flanders) and I am 16. It's very weird to hear you talking about transportation. Because in Belgium I cannot drive a car, I usually just ride everywhere with my bike and when it's further, I take the bus. Everytime I go to a city with friends for example, we just hop on the next bus, pay a ticket with our phone (1.80 euros for an hour) and we're on our way. I'm very happy with this, it works, it's cheap and it's easy. I do have a question, when you were talking about having to walk, I always thought: just take your bike? Here, almost everybody my age goes everywhere on our bike. Like every mourning to school. Do americans bike? or is that not really a thing?
Thank you for your comment! Belgium sounds like a wonderful place we would love to visit some day :)
We live in a pretty rural area, and so biking to places isn’t really feasible for most destinations. I (Harrison), when I went to middle school, used to bike there, but that’s because it was only about 4KM from my house. When I went to high school though, the distance became 9 km- which was too long for me to make it worth it. School started at 7:15 am and I wasn’t willing to get up at 5:00 so I could bike- so I took the school bus.
Unfortunately, outside of having a school bus, the only other public bus stop we have is roughly 2 miles (3.2 k) from my house. It comes only between 6:30 and 8:20 in the morning, and only come back between 16:15 and 17:55 on weekdays. It doesn’t come on weekends. A full fare cost $2.00.
Other than making it an all day experience to go to a worthy shopping plaza, you need a car to get to a to a place that has groceries, clothes, hardware supplies, etc. The public transport here is prehistoric if I’m being honest.
I’m very jealous because, when I was your age, I didn’t have a license yet either. In order for me to get anywhere, I had to either rely on my parents to drive me, or older friends. Other wise I just stayed home, unless I was really determined, then I would bike for 2 hours to get somewhere.
@@MoreTravelPlease It has always been the joke to us, american teens can drive a car but they're not allowed to drink and go go party's like us. We always thought it was kind of stupid. I guess I never took in consideration that public transport was so different in the US.