People who have lived abroad

LadyMacBeth_ · 01-11-2017 07:32PM #1

So, my fellow AHers, I am on the move, off to England after Christmas. Not exactly a big leap, but I am already considering some important cultural differences. Have ye ever lived abroad and do ye have any tips for me? Bear in mind that I'm a Corkonian as well so the culture shock will be doubled. How did you survive without Barry's tea and Taytos? Will the bus driver look at me funny when I thank him/her? Will anyone be able to pronounce my Irish name? Do I have to stop interrogating people into drinking tea/coffee/having some food when they come to my house?

I have already decided that I will staunchly refer to the hotpress as the hotpress, and there will be no airing cupboard in my house I tell you.

01-11-2017 07:35PM

When you're home at Christmas, make sure to tell everyone how great living abroad is and how things are just like, 'better', over there

Electric Sheep · 01-11-2017 07:39PM

LadyMacBeth_ wrote: »

So, my fellow AHers, I am on the move, off to England after Christmas. Not exactly a big leap, but I am already considering some important cultural differences. Have ye ever lived abroad and do ye have any tips for me? Bear in mind that I'm a Corkonian as well so the culture shock will be doubled. How did you survive without Barry's tea and Taytos? Will the bus driver look at me funny when I thank him/her? Will anyone be able to pronounce my Irish name? Do I have to stop interrogating people into drinking tea/coffee/having some food when they come to my house?

I have already decided that I will staunchly refer to the hotpress as the hotpress, and there will be no airing cupboard in my house I tell you.

The good thing about living abroad is that you learn not to conform to stereotypes like the above;)

RWCNT · 01-11-2017 07:42PM

Thanking bus drivers is also the norm there.

NickNickleby · 01-11-2017 07:44PM

LadyMacBeth_ wrote: »

So, my fellow AHers, I am on the move, off to England after Christmas. Not exactly a big leap, but I am already considering some important cultural differences. Have ye ever lived abroad and do ye have any tips for me? Bear in mind that I'm a Corkonian as well so the culture shock will be doubled. How did you survive without Barry's tea and Taytos? Will the bus driver look at me funny when I thank him/her? Will anyone be able to pronounce my Irish name? Do I have to stop interrogating people into drinking tea/coffee/having some food when they come to my house?

I have already decided that I will staunchly refer to the hotpress as the hotpress, and there will be no airing cupboard in my house I tell you.

Aha! you won't last long.

Lived there as a child, remember winters being quite "parky", no brown sauce, only HP or Daddies sauce. On departing, remember its "tarraaahhhhhh!"
Chips are chips, none of that French fried sh!te. Used to be "six of chips please" because a single cost 6d. Obviously none of this will help you being 50+ years ago, I just took the opportunity to stroll down memory lane.

I know young people who have gone there in recent years and they all love it over there. You'll be fine. Enjoy!

Beasty · 01-11-2017 07:47PM

LadyMacBeth_ wrote: »

Bear in mind that I'm a Corkonian as well so the culture shock will be doubled.

Head to Yorkshire. Should be a pretty good fit there....

Donald Trump · 01-11-2017 07:50PM

RWCNT wrote: »

Thanking bus drivers is also the norm there.

Always remember to thank the Tube drivers. You'll need to run up and bang on the window of their carriage though. They love that

Donald Trump · 01-11-2017 07:51PM

LadyMacBeth_ wrote: »

So, my fellow AHers, I am on the move, off to England after Christmas. Not exactly a big leap, but I am already considering some important cultural differences. Have ye ever lived abroad and do ye have any tips for me? Bear in mind that I'm a Corkonian as well so the culture shock will be doubled. How did you survive without Barry's tea and Taytos? Will the bus driver look at me funny when I thank him/her? Will anyone be able to pronounce my Irish name? Do I have to stop interrogating people into drinking tea/coffee/having some food when they come to my house?

I have already decided that I will staunchly refer to the hotpress as the hotpress, and there will be no airing cupboard in my house I tell you.

Houses over there tend not to be made of straw so you might need one to dry your clothes

dirtyden · 01-11-2017 07:54PM

The uk is grand, generally friendly everywhere and not huge differences culturally. Be prepared to have your accent and pronunciations ridiculed, in a light hearted but persistent manner.

LadyMacBeth_ · 01-11-2017 08:06PM

Beasty wrote: »

Head to Yorkshire. Should be a pretty good fit there....

Do they hate everyone in Yorkshire too?

jester77 · 01-11-2017 08:07PM

Not sure how it is in the UK, but where I live you get in at the front of the bus and get off at the middle/rear doors, so no possibility to thank the driver.

You'll quickly discover how over rated Barry's and Tayto are, much better alternatives out there.

You will probably end up talking a little slower over time, not a bad thing either as we tend to mumble our sentences a bit.

All you need in your house is a few crates of good beer for when people are over. Beer is cheap in most countries outside of Ireland (Scandanavia being an exception)

Hotpress is an Irish thing, modern EU houses have under floor heating or radiators.

Just integrate with the locals and you'll be more than fine.

seachto7 · 01-11-2017 08:10PM

Plenty of English markets in England. You'll feel at home. Shur half of Preston North End FC are from Cork!

Islander13 · 01-11-2017 08:11PM

Prepare for lots of substandard crisps..

Boom_Bap · 01-11-2017 08:14PM

Once you learn the language you'll be grand

LadyMacBeth_ · 01-11-2017 08:15PM

hmm now I'm wondering if I confused the letting agent with my questions about the immersion!

LadyMacBeth_ · 01-11-2017 08:16PM

Boom_Bap wrote: »

Once you learn the language you'll be grand

Cad??

Afroshack · 01-11-2017 08:18PM

Lived there for a few years, great quality of life there! Some small tips that might help you:

Get proof of address before you move over - like an Irish bank statement sent to your new address. Makes setting up much easier with regards to banking, a phone contract, registering with a GP etc.

If you're ever asked to spell something out, the way we pronounce the letter "R" is totally lost on them and they won't understand it. Best say it like "awh"

Runners don't exist. Presses don't exist. Copies don't exist. Hotpresses don't exist. Deli counters and chicken fillet rolls don't exist.

Memorise your NI number - turns out its important for accessing services over there

Banks open on Saturdays there

There's a two week wait for most GP appointments so look up your nearest walk in clinic

Memorise postcodes. Taxi drivers, postmen and delivery drivers have limited local knowledge and asking for directions can be impossible unless you know precise postcodes that you can Google map.

Contactless bank cards can be used on most buses, tubes and trains.

Finally, enjoy! Food, drink and shopping works out much cheaper and there's always more to do. Have fun

GalwayGrrrrrl · 01-11-2017 08:21PM

The UK is far more multicultural than Ireland so you won't be the only "foreigner" unless you are moving to a tiny village. I've come the opposite way (am English living in Ireland) and manage fine. Every now and then someone will comment on my accent but most of the time I forget I'm in foreign lands. Good luck with the move.(and I used to have airing cupboard with immersion in my house near London!)

Boom_Bap · 01-11-2017 08:23PM

They love Greggs over there.

LadyMacBeth_ · 01-11-2017 08:24PM

Afroshack wrote: »

Lived there for a few years, great quality of life there! Some small tips that might help you:

Get proof of address before you move over - like an Irish bank statement sent to your new address. Makes setting up much easier with regards to banking, a phone contract, registering with a GP etc.

If you're ever asked to spell something out, the way we pronounce the letter "R" is totally lost on them and they won't understand it. Best say it like "awh"

Runners don't exist. Presses don't exist. Copies don't exist. Hotpresses don't exist. Deli counters and chicken fillet rolls don't exist.

Memorise your NI number - turns out its important for accessing services over there

Banks open on Saturdays there

There's a two week wait for most GP appointments so look up your nearest walk in clinic

Memorise postcodes. Taxi drivers, postmen and delivery drivers have limited local knowledge and asking for directions can be impossible unless you know precise postcodes that you can Google map.

Contactless bank cards can be used on most buses, tubes and trains.

Finally, enjoy! Food, drink and shopping works out much cheaper and there's always more to do. Have fun

This is actually a very informative and useful list, thank you! I've already had trouble with the ''R'' pronunciation which is a problem as there is an ''R'' in my name. Will try ''awh''!

Must remember not to say runners. Must also try not to cry about the lack of chicken fillet rolls. Must remember my NI number and postcode.

RhubarbCrumble · 01-11-2017 08:27PM

Islander13 wrote: »

Prepare for lots of substandard crisps..

My Irish friend has lived in the UK for about twenty years. If I'm going over to see her I'm always reminded 'don't forget the taytos'. Last Xmas I bought a box of 24 cheese and onion. Have never seen anyone so delighted.

What part are you moving to op? My friend lived in London for about ten years then moved up near Newcastle. She finds the Geordies much friendlier. She has a hybrid accent at this stage.

Beasty · 01-11-2017 08:28PM

LadyMacBeth_ wrote: »

Do they hate everyone in Yorkshire too?

Yorkshire was named God's own county for a reason. People from the original People's Republic never need reminding of their superiority in all areas. They will certainly outclass Corkonians in all areas those Corkonians believe they have the upper hand in....

LadyMacBeth_ · 01-11-2017 08:31PM

RhubarbCrumble wrote: »

My Irish friend has lived in the UK for about twenty years. If I'm going over to see her I'm always reminded 'don't forget the taytos'. Last Xmas I bought a box of 24 cheese and onion. Have never seen anyone so delighted.

What part are you moving to op? My friend lived in London for about ten years then moved up near Newcastle. She finds the Geordies much friendlier. She has a hybrid accent at this stage.

I have told everyone to send me boxes of Barry's already or I won't survive. Now come to think of it I'm wondering if they have soda bread there :eek:

I'm moving to Reading, I've heard that people are friendlier up north alright, a bit more like Irish people. I'll be down south near the Londoners though!

NickNickleby · 01-11-2017 08:31PM

Boom_Bap wrote: »

They love Greggs over there.

Oh my God, went to one of those and the food quality was crap, but thankfully the very surly staff made up for it..:eek:

to be fair, that was Scotland.

GalwayGrrrrrl · 01-11-2017 08:31PM

"If you're ever asked to spell something out, the way we pronounce the letter "R" is totally lost on them and they won't understand it. Best say it like "awh"

And English ears can't recognise the sound Irish people make for the letter A. English say "Ay" to rhyme with Hay but I was totally confused when I moved to Ireland and people said "arrrh" like Car. In my job people often spell their names for me so my first few weeks were like?????

Confused yet?

Valmont · 01-11-2017 08:39PM

I've been in England for seven years now and there are a few very important points to consider:

1. The Irish transcend most class boundaries in the UK; for some reason nobody can ever really tell if you're middle or working class so you can move easily in both circles.

2. People will tell you they love your accent constantly and you will get a big head and start to love yourself.

3. You must immediately tell off anyone who makes a potato joke -- it's the one line I embarrass people for crossing.

4. You will gradually lose your sense of connection with the homeland and compensate by drinking more Guinness and telling people you can speak Irish (what do they know caca milis?).

5. A terribly surprising number of people do not actually know the Republic of Ireland is an independent state. A few years ago I overheard three of my colleagues talk about how it was great not having to bring a passport or get their money changed for a visit to Dublin. Two of these colleagues are now doctors of clinical psychology--take from that what you will.

6. If you're moving to London ignore all this because Londoners don't give a **** where you're from.

Good luck.

GalwayGrrrrrl · 01-11-2017 08:39PM

"I'm moving to Reading, I've heard that people are friendlier up north alright, a bit more like Irish people. I'll be down south near the Londoners though!"
I grew up near Reading and actually met my Irish husband there! You won't be the only Irish person.
If you get homesick go to the Irish parts of London like Kilburn (20 mins fast train then tube)- they have Irish shops that sell all your favourite brands.

You'll be pleased to know London Irish Rugby team play in Reading stadium. It'll feel like home

Odhinn · 01-11-2017 08:49PM

LadyMacBeth_ wrote: »

So, my fellow AHers, I am on the move, off to England after Christmas. Not exactly a big leap, but I am already considering some important cultural differences. Have ye ever lived abroad and do ye have any tips for me? Bear in mind that I'm a Corkonian as well so the culture shock will be doubled. How did you survive without Barry's tea and Taytos? Will the bus driver look at me funny when I thank him/her? Will anyone be able to pronounce my Irish name? Do I have to stop interrogating people into drinking tea/coffee/having some food when they come to my house?

I have already decided that I will staunchly refer to the hotpress as the hotpress, and there will be no airing cupboard in my house I tell you.

All Cork people feel a migrating urge for a period in their lives - once they've been abroad a few years and assured themselves that there really is no place like Cork, they return for the rest of their life cycle.

LadyMacBeth_ · 01-11-2017 08:51PM

Odhinn wrote: »

All Cork people feel a migrating urge for a period in their lives - once they've been abroad a few years and assured themselves that there really is no place like Cork, they return for the rest of their life cycle.

Hmm like a sort of Amish rumspringa.

HalloweenJack · 01-11-2017 08:52PM

Go to the UK first and then further afield and you'll see how similar we are to them, especially up North, compared to other parts of the world.

Enjoy it!

ForestFire · 01-11-2017 08:55PM

Why do you think they will have a problem pronouncing your name

I think you'll find that will have no problem with 'Lady MacBeth' to be honest:D

They wrote that stuff over there:o

People who have lived abroad

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