Aussie living in London reveals four British things she thought were weird after making the move – but now finds ‘completely normal’
- Amie Elizabeth made the trip across the world to London one year ago
- READ MORE: US student studying in Wales reveals her biggest culture shocks
An Australian woman who moved to London has revealed the four British traits she found the strangest after arriving on our shores.
Amie Elizabeth, who goes by @amieelizabeth95 on TikTok, moved to the UK a year ago for work.
She posted a clip saying: ‘One year on and I’m sort of British.. if you call it British to have vegemite on toast every morning still’ and it has been seen by more than 200,000 people in less than 24 hours.
She tells followers: ‘These are British things that I thought were weird when I first moved here, but after a year of living in London, I just find completely normal’.
Amie Elizabeth, who goes by @amieelizabeth95 on TikTok, moved to the UK a year ago
Queueing for everything
The first thing on the TikToker’s list is something Britons are notorious for – queuing.
She explained: ‘British people just love to queue and when I first got here I was like, why are we waiting in this line for Subway?
‘Why is there a line to like get into the petrol station? Like there’s just queues for everything.’
However, she revealed that now she just factors it into her daily life, quipping: ‘I’m comfortable with the fact that I probably spends 12 out of my 24 hours in a day queueing.’
One viewer was confused and commented ‘I don’t understand how people are shocked about queuing, what do other countries do barge people out the way?’
Another puzzled Brit chimed in: ‘I really don’t understand what the alternative to queuing is? What do other countries do’ and one other follower said: ‘Why do people think we ‘love’ to queue?? We don’t have a choice’.
Parking either direction on the road
Second up on the Aussie’s list is parking your car facing either direction on the road.
She explained ‘When I first got here, I was really shocked that you like parked either direction on the road and I was like why is that car parked backwards?
‘Now, if I see a parking spot in London, that is mine, do not care how I have to get into it.’
The clip is captioned ‘One year on and I’m sort of British.. if you call it British to have vegemite on toast every morning still’ and has been seen by more than 200,000 people in less than 24 hours
READ MORE: I moved to Glasgow from Las Vegas – here are the biggest culture shocks I’ve faced, from VERY strict alcohol measurements in pubs to hard-to-pronounce words
Drinking culture
Next she said that the drinking culture in the UK ‘really shocked her,’ despite hearing about it before.
She told viewers: ‘Literally every day after work, pubs are just full of people who go for after work drinks.
‘In Australia pubs aren’t really a thing until like a Friday night maybe or a Saturday – also my company holds after work drinks regularly and that’s not a thing.’
Amie joked: ‘Australian companies rarely hold alcohol related events, but now it’s like 4:30 and I’m like okay, who wants to get to the pub for a drink?’
One commenter questioned ‘How do you get to know your colleagues if you don’t socialise out with work?’
Another advised: ‘Having lived in London for 20 years before moving out… I don’t miss any of that stuff. Try heading outside of the big smoke.’
British customer service
Finally, she mentions her shock of British customer service and that when she first arrived, she thought ‘everyone was so rude’.
She said ‘No one says hi to you when you first walk into a shop, people will literally just ignore you customer service wise.
‘When I went and got my phone plan down, I sat down and was like “hey I want a phone plan’ and they’re like ‘yep no worries”.
‘The girl turned around tapped in her computer for no joke 20 minutes, did not say a word to me and didn’t even look at me.
‘I was like is this normal? This is the most awkward thing I’ve ever done.’
Now however, she boasts that she’s ‘used to it,’ saying: ‘Don’t talk to me actually. Do you know what? I don’t wanna talk to you in customer service, just you do your thing and I’ll do my thing, we’re all fine’.
One Briton commented ‘Customer service is only bad down South. Up North we’re really friendly I promise’.
Another suggested: ‘Bare minimum interaction is the perfect level of customer service’.
Someone else agreed, penning ‘The “detached” customer service thing is definitely just a London thing, having moved there from the north of England.’
However, Amie replied with ‘Nah I moved to the midlands first and this interaction was there!! Shocked me so much the first time it happened’.
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