"Whereabouts in London Are You From?": A Brit's Experience of Living in America

Many British expatriates living in America have faced a barrage of questions about their background, culture, food, accent, and whereabouts they are from. While this can be highly amusing at times, it can also be hard to deal with when a person shows such a keen interest in you! Here are a few common misconceptions and the truth behind them.

1. The British are highly educated

Some Americans believe that the British are more highly educated than them simply because of their different accents and from their choice of words. The truth is, the British are normal people and cannot all be classified as more highly educated than their American counterparts. British English differs from American English, both in the written and the spoken form, but that does not necessarily make the British any more educated than Americans with a similar background.

2. Everyone is from London

I hate to disappoint my readers out there, but not everyone who is British is from London! It would be the same as assuming that every American is from New York or Florida, simply because these are popular destination spots that British tourists are aware of. London is the capital of the United Kingdom and it is home to some 8 million people, but there are an additional 52 million people in the UK, so it would be a little crowded if everyone lived in London!

3. Have you met the Queen?

I was once asked how often I had met the Queen, which left me almost speechless. I had to respond with "about as often as you have met the president". It got the point across. As with high profile people in America, the Queen has personal bodyguards and cannot be accessed by the common people whenever they want to see her. Some have been able to meet the Queen or other members of the royal family, but these people remain in the minority. So the likelihood of the Queen inviting anyone to Buckingham Palace for tea remains remote.

4. The British are hooligans