Weird people on night buses, (un)expected rain, rounds of pints at the pub, and the unmissable Sunday Roast… If these things ring a bell, it means that you’ve studied in England! Whether it was in London, Manchester, Brighton or Liverpool, you probably had the chance to dive into the British culture and appreciate every aspect of it – well, maybe not the rain. Anyway, below you’ll find 10 things you probably know if you’ve spent some time in the UK.
1. Britain has only two seasons
You might have noticed that there are only two seasons in England: winter and a few days of summer. But that’s ok – who needs spring or autumn anyway? Just make sure you have an umbrella in your bag at all times… and sunscreen as well, because when the sun is out, you really don’t want to miss it!
2. Tea Time is serious stuff
Whether you like it or not, when you study in England, tea becomes an essential part of your daily routine. And if you don’t want any trouble with the locals, you also know that milk goes after the hot water. You don’t want to upset the Queen, do you?
3. Tesco deals saved your life
We all know it, being a student abroad means being constantly poor. Yeah, you shouldn’t have paid for that last round of pints at the pub last night… but luckily, the main supermarkets offer good discounts on selected items every day. Dinner solved!
4. You say “cheers” instead of “thank you”
Your teacher back home taught you that “cheers” is what people say before drinking an alcoholic beverage. That’s true – but after a couple of days in England you’ll also realise that its main meaning is “thank you”… and people say it all the time.
5. The Night Bus Experience
Remember that guy in his undershirt, singing Lady Gaga while pole-dancing at the back of the bus? We’ve all been there, don’t worry. The incredible night bus stories are so many that there should be a book about them. If you’ve been a student in England and used to party, there’s no way you escaped the bus experience!
6. The very polite queues
Among the many things you can learn from the Brits, one in particular will come very handy in the future: patience. If you’ve studied in the UK, you know that a queue is a queue, and there is no way to skip it. So, repress your impatient instinct and learn how to queue politely anywhere you go.
7. The importance of Sunday Roast
Sunday Roast is to Brits as Sunday lunch at grandma’s is to Italians: essential. So when you go to the UK, one of the first things to do is to find a good pub where you can enjoy a nice roast and a pint on a rainy (or sunny!) Sunday. The dish includes roast beef or chicken, potatoes, vegetables, gravy… and that delicious Yorkshire pudding you won’t easily forget.
8. Going “out out”
This is another important expression you’ve probably learned while studying in Britain. When you go for a drink or two, or to a restaurant, you simply go “out”. But when you decide to go large and hit a club… that’s when you’re going “out out”! Going out out usually involves a few drinks too many 😉
9. The “loo” mystery
“Loop?”, “loon?”, “luuh?” – we know, it takes a while to understand what British people say. But once you get it, you’ll say it forever! Because “loo” just sounds so much better than “toilet”!
10. Prêt à manger – with you until the end
The tomato and mozzarella croissant from Prêt is an institution, everybody knows it. It’s the perfect lunch, snack or hangover cure! And it was also the last thing you ate at the airport before flying back home, while trying to fight that overwhelming sadness of leaving the UK.
Did you recognise yourself in most of these points? Well, it means that not only have you studied in England, but that you’ve also embraced British culture. Well done! And if you’ve never been on a language stay in the UK, this is your chance – book one as soon as possible and experience all these British features first hand!
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