'I'm an American living in the UK and one common thing here is suspicious back home'
An American mum who moved her family to the UK has been sharing the things which she's been shocked by, including how different day-to-day life is and what's acceptable
You might not realise just how accustomed you are to your home country until you take an extended vacation or relocate overseas and start longing for things from back home. An American woman who relocated to the UK has candidly discussed the elements of British culture that have taken her by pleasantly by surprise. She insists a lot of day-to-day British things would be "super suspicious in America".
Brianna Sky Morton and her partner relocated from the US to the UK and have been spending much of their time tucking into classic British foods to see if they are worth the hype - and sharing their reviews on their TikTok page, Morton's Munchies. As well as talking all things food, they have been sharing the huge differences and culture shocks they have experienced since moving across the pond.
Recently Brianna shared her list of "things I do here in the UK that would be super suspicious in America". She insisted they are "so happy to be living in the UK".
Walking
Brianna says she has enjoyed being able to do a lot of walking since moving to the UK, thanks to the beautiful landscape. She noted walking around day or night in America can be seen as "suspicious".
The mum explained: "Simply just walking, just whether it's during the daytime or night time is worse. I had a police officer in America approach me during the day asking me why I am walking, where's my car, and then walking at night I've had several police officers approach me and be like 'why you walking, it's late at night'... all this mysterious stuff."
She added: "Here in the UK walking is acceptable. But walking in the US, especially in certain areas, they are very suspicious about it which I don't get."
The mum also observed that walking with your hood up appears to be more acceptable in the UK. Brianna claimed: "Walking around with just my hood up is really suspicious in America. Here in the UK, I don't feel anybody looking at me as if I'm suspicious or anything.
"Here in the UK, it's totally acceptable to just buy a few items at the grocery store, but in America if I were to do it they would think I'm like plotting something. They're like where is the rest?"
Safety
Brianna said she has felt a lot more safe leaving her items unattended for a short while in public places, in comparison to the US.
She explained: "Leaving either my pram or my bag or something unattended for like two minutes outside of the store or inside a store, I can do that here in the UK and no one thinks twice about it but in America, watch out they are calling the SWAT team."
One ambiguous phrase
Us Brits love saying 'you alright?' as a way of greeting one another in the UK, rather than a literal question about someone's wellbeing. Brianna insists this would throw off someone in America if used.
Brianna said: "If you asked somebody if they were alright, they would look at me like I'm crazy, because we say 'are you OK?' we don't say 'you alright' and when you ask somebody in America, they will respond and tell you their whole life story, but here, you don't do that."
Taking shoes off in home
Brianna also noticed that Brits are a lot more polite when it comes to visiting someone's home as people often remove their shoes. This is done for several reasons from comfort, prevent dirt and germs, as well as keeping floors clean.
While it is a widely adopted custom in many countries and cultures, Americans don't tend to take their shoes off as frequently.
Brianna said: "It's expected to take your shoes off when you enter your own home or someone else's home, but in America I have never been inside somebody's house where they have asked me or expected me to take my shoes off. If I did that to anybody I know, they would be like 'what are you doing, that's disgusting I don't want to smell or see your teeth'."