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UK has many places to settle in, to live in and to visit.
There are new experiences and new friends awaiting you however, settling
into a different environment is not always easy and some unfamiliar
aspects of everyday life here may make it hard for you to feel comfortable
at first. Difference
in the food, language, weather, accommodation,
behaviour, manners, and home life, for example, may seem strange and
unsettling. If you find some of these things very different to what you
are used to at home, we hope that the following information will be
useful.
If you are used to a different variety of English, you may
find it difficult to understand the British accent at first. Local people
may also speak faster than you expect and use unfamiliar slang. Do not
hesitate to ask people to speak more slowly, repeat phrases, or explain
new words and expressions, so that you can learn the local speech. If
English is not your first language and you would like to take classes to
improve your level, you will find classes in English as a foreign Language
in most of the cities.
Smoking
Many people in the UK do not smoke and there are many
public areas where smoking is forbidden. “No smoking” signs can be seen in
such places as shopping centres, buses, stations and banks. Restaurants
and trains usually provide separate smoking areas. If you smoke in a
designated non-smoking area you may be liable to pay a fine. The legal age
to buy and smoke tobacco is sixteen or over.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol both at home and in public places, such as
pubs and bars, is an accepted part of many people’s social life. However,
pubs and bar always also serve non-alcoholic drinks and it is quite usual
for people to choose not to drink alcohol in a pub, at a party, or in
someone’s home. There are strict limits on the amount of alcohol that can
be consumed before driving a vehicle, and driving under the influence of
alcohol is illegal and a serious offence. The legal age to buy and drink
alcohol is eighteen.
British Reserve
Visitors sometimes say they find British people very
reserved, even unfriendly. For example, you may be surprised by how rarely
we start a conversation with strangers in waiting areas and on public
transport. You may also find that the distance we like to keep between us
when we talk to each other is further than seems natural to you. Once you
get to know us, you will find that these features are usually not due to
unfriendliness, but are our way of showing respect for each other’s
privacy and personal spaces. You will soon be able to identify the
different strategies we use for getting to know each other. For example, a
good way of starting a conversation (“breaking the ice”) with someone you
do not know, or hardly know, is to make a comment about the weather!
Queuing
Queuing (waiting in line) is also considered very important
and happens anywhere it is possible to queue, for example in shops, banks,
stations and bus stops. You will probably be amused to see how carefully
the order of the queue is respected. If you forget to queue and push into
line (queue-jump), you will find that you are suddenly very unpopular!
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Settling in
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