In 2023, I traveled to the UK for 21 days, covering London, the Highlands, Coates, Edinburgh, Isle of Skye and other places to talk about what it's like to live in the UK.
1. The United Kingdom covers an area of about 244,100 square kilometers and has a population of more than 66 million. Britain looks small on the map, smaller than many of our own provinces. The weather in the UK can be said to be the most inscrutable in the country I have ever been, I can experience the "four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter" in one day, it can rain at any time, and it is still blue sky and white clouds before going out, and it will rain after a while. A few random rains a day are not a big deal to the British, after all, the weather in the UK is so bad, they have long been accustomed to it!
2. On the streets of the UK, when it rains, the people you see holding umbrellas and running to avoid the rain are often foreigners. Authentic British people, whether it is drizzling or pouring rain, look indifferent, it doesn't matter to them to get drenched in the rain, and there are even people sitting and drinking coffee in an open-air café, unless the rain is too heavy, they don't move indoors easily.
In the UK, many families do not have umbrellas. A British colleague said that there is no need to cover light rain, just wear a jacket in moderate rain, heavy rain and so on. This may explain why hoodies and trench coats are so popular in the UK.
I remember one time, on my way to Hyde Park, I saw the wonder of "rain in the east, sunny in the west". The rain was getting heavier and I forgot to bring an umbrella. When I trotted to find shelter from the rain, the passers-by around me walked calmly, but I was particularly abrupt.
Later, I understood why the British did not use umbrellas. First of all, there are often strong winds in the UK, and the umbrella is blown over as soon as you go out, which is very annoying. Secondly, the rain tends to come and go in a hurry, and it is not worth the fuss. In addition, the sunny day and the rain are fleeting, and bringing an umbrella is redundant. A colleague from the UK added that this is a habit that has been cultivated since childhood, and no matter what the weather is, physical education classes at school are also carried out as usual, so I got used to it.
3. Before I went to the UK, I watched the UK in the British drama is quite developed, full of high-rise buildings, and when I went to the UK, I realized that except for a few big cities such as London and Birmingham, other places are more like small towns in China, with both old and new buildings, and I rarely see buildings with more than ten floors.
4. Most of the roads in Britain are narrow and complicated, especially rural roads, with a single lane, so you need to be extra careful when driving! After all, British people often drive and change lanes without signaling. It is also very common for British people to run red lights, there are pedestrian lights, and after a while, they will turn green, but most people are too lazy to press and are not willing to wait, so they gather two or three people to cross the road directly.
5. The London Underground, known as the world's first underground railway, opened in 1863, is now the most convenient and efficient means of transportation for traveling around various cities. My first impression was that it was shabby, cramped, and crowded! The subway car was leaking on all sides and shaking a lot. Of course, the 4G network has a significant gap compared with the country, and even completely lost contact in the subway. This may be why in the subway, you see more British people who are immersed in books and newspapers, after all, how to use their mobile phones without the Internet.
6. In the United Kingdom, the train transportation network coverage is good, connecting various cities and towns, and it is convenient to travel, and there is no need to enter the station without security checks. But the speed of the train is not fast, and it is rare to exceed 120 yards. Cars drive on the left-hand side, which is the opposite of what we are used to in China. The exception to this is Savoy Court, which is the only road in the UK to drive on the right hand side of the road because the theatre is built on the right side of the road to make it easier for vehicles to stop. When choosing a car, the British are not the same as the Americans, the British are more accustomed to hatchbacks with short wheelbase and low fuel consumption, I think it should be the reason for the small parking spaces in the UK and the mountainous terrain, and the large displacement and long wheelbase cars are not practical here.
7. On the streets of the United Kingdom, whether in London, England, Scotland or Wales, it is common to see people on crutches or in wheelchairs. In fact, the proportion of people with disabilities in the population of the UK is not high, similar to other countries, so why do there seem to be more people with disabilities on the road? I think there may be two main reasons, on the one hand, it may be related to the rainy and cold climate in the UK, which is easy to cause joint diseases in the elderly. On the other hand, the UK has relatively complete barrier-free facilities, such as blind paths, barrier-free toilets, barrier-free transportation, dedicated passages, parking spaces and cinema seats. These facilities, combined with an inclusive social atmosphere, make people with disabilities more willing and daring to step out of their homes.
8. As an old developed country, the UK has good social security and a high standard of living. But those who have been to Britain will probably find that there are surprisingly many homeless people in the corners of the city, on the streets, in the subway, at the station, etc.! At first, I was also confused, why this phenomenon is happening? A few days later, I thought that this may be partly due to British social welfare. Some people become lazy and reluctant to work because of the existence of unemployment benefits and benefits, and just want to live a carefree life.
Therefore, it is best not to give handouts easily when friends who have just arrived in the UK meet people who are begging or drunk, which may attract more entanglement. On the streets of the UK, special attention is also needed to pay attention to personal belongings, and mobile phone snatching and theft are not uncommon in the local area, and many Chinese students studying in the UK have experienced this to a greater or lesser extent. Even if someone borrows a phone to make a call, be careful, as it is often a scam.
9. Most of the women who are married in the UK are relatively strong. In the UK, it's taboo to talk about other people's appearance, so you won't be talked about because of your weight or body shape, everyone has their own style, you can look whatever you want, and no one will say you. It is worth mentioning that obesity is more common in the ordinary working class in the UK, while the real aristocracy and wealthy have strict requirements for diet and body shape.
10. There are two thinnest books in the world: the history of the United States and the food of Britain. The traditional British diet is mainly high in protein and fat, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, salmon, cod and the like. The method is relatively monotonous, basically frying, frying, roasting and stewing, and I like high sugar and high salt, so it's strange that I don't get fat. The traditional English breakfast is fine, but it takes time to make it, and not all British breakfasts are so particular. Brits also love tea, according to the British Bubble Tea Association, Brits consume about 60 billion cups of tea each year, with an average annual consumption of more than 900 cups per capita.
The national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips, which originated in the industrial era, is still loved by the British today. Buy a golden crispy fish and chips for five pounds, wrap it in newspaper and eat it as you go, a feeling that many Brits indulge in. The UK is a black hole in food in the eyes of many people, but there is one thing to say, people have made fish and chips into culture and passed on, which is not bad.
There are not many types of food in the UK, but there are also some special British dishes, and English afternoon tea. London, as a cosmopolitan city, also has cuisines from all over the world, including Italian, French, Singaporean, Thai, Spanish, Middle Eastern and Caribbean cuisines. In the UK, Chinese restaurants are dominated by Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine, some of which do well and do well, but most of them have to adapt to the taste of foreigners, and I am not used to eating them.
11. In terms of work income, the minimum wage standard in the UK is 9.5 pounds per hour. Monthly salaries vary from profession to profession, with cleaners and waiters earning between £1,500 and £2,000 per month, while the average office worker earns between £2,000 and £4,000. Police officers and teachers earn £4,000 and £2,000 to £2,500 per month, respectively.
Doctors' annual salaries vary widely depending on experience and level of expertise, ranging from £16,000 for young doctors who are just starting out to £100,000 for top medical specialists. Plumbers are charged on a higher scale, with hourly rates that can cost tens or even hundreds of pounds per hour.
12. In central London, the cost of a week's rent can reach 300 pounds, which is equivalent to 2,700 yuan. At this price, you can rent a house for a month in some big cities in China, or even live in a four-star hotel. And most UK houses are not well insulated, especially those built with lightweight materials, which are often bothered by neighbours' noises, such as loud laughter, loud music playback, and even the sound of hitting walls. Because the British are particularly fond of social events, many times they gather in their own rooms.
In non-London areas, rents are relatively low, £150 a week, and the houses are much larger than in the London area. Housing prices in central London remain high, with a 50-square-meter house as high as 7 million yuan, finely decorated and ready to move in. In the suburbs, housing prices are also as high as 60,000 yuan per square meter. In remote areas, it is 2 to 30,000 yuan per square meter. The size of a house in the UK is the actual usable area, and the length of ownership varies from 250 to 999 years.
13. In the United Kingdom, its price level is at the middle and upper level in the whole of Europe. In the UK, fresh milk can buy more than 3 litres of fresh milk for £1.7, while 1.5 litres of mineral water costs 75p, and the price of milk is even lower than that of mineral water. Chicken thighs in supermarkets cost £1.5 per catty and pork tenderloin costs £7 per kilogram. Nordic salmon costs £3.6 per catty, while 10 eggs cost £1.8. In addition, two cabbages cost £0.8 and broccoli costs £0.68 per kilogram. In the UK, a good quality lunch will cost you around £10 to £20.
It should be noted that when swiping bank cards or credit cards in small shops, some POS machines may have security risks, resulting in personal information leakage and bank card theft. Therefore, when buying things in small shops, it is best to use cash. In addition, in the United Kingdom, tipping is not mandatory, the service charge will be clearly marked on the receipt or invoice, and if you don't tip, people won't say anything! Unlike the United States, the quality of service in the United Kingdom will not be affected by not tipping.
14. In terms of social welfare, the weekly maternity allowance for pregnant employees is determined according to the employee's income. In addition, pregnant women have 52 weeks of maternity leave, and childbirth in public hospitals is free of charge. After the birth of the child, the parents can receive the so-called "milk payment" until the child is 16 years old. There is also a family allowance for families who work at least 16 hours per week, have a low income and need to take care of at least one child.
For the unemployed, there is unemployment benefits. Unemployed people under the age of 25 can apply for unemployment benefits of £53.45 per week, while unemployed people over the age of 25 can apply for benefits of £67.50 per week for a maximum period of one year.
The UK has 11 years of compulsory education, and tuition fees in public schools are free. Children from low-income families or families whose parents receive unemployment benefits can apply for free lunch vouchers from schools. In the UK, the percentage of people under middle age who wear glasses is relatively low. Later, it was observed that children in the UK start classes at 9 o'clock in the morning and leave classes at 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and then participate in various extracurricular activities, without high-intensity learning tasks and without worrying about myopia.
Free healthcare for all in the UK. When a resident is sick and hospitalized, there is no need to pay for hospitalization and treatment, and some drugs and dental treatment are subsidized. However, medical efficiency in the UK is not high, and appointments need to be made in advance, and the appointment time for minor illnesses is longer, and major illnesses can only be treated urgently.
17. The British also love to drink, and it can be said that they love to drink as much as Russia. Late at night, it is common to see drunk people around bars in cities and towns, some staggering and others vomiting in the corners.
18. During the social work and rest time, most shopping malls begin to close one after another at six o'clock in the afternoon, and small shops also close at seven or eight o'clock, which is difficult for foreigners who are accustomed to nightlife to accept. On weekends, many shops are closed, and only some supermarket chains and shops remain open. Supermarkets that usually close at 10:30 p.m. usually close at 4 or 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tesco is one of the few exceptions, except on bank holidays, when it usually closes at 10:30 or 11 o'clock.
19. In the United Kingdom, people who have lived in a centrally managed apartment have had such an experience: at two o'clock in the middle of the night, when they were sleeping soundly, suddenly the alarm bell sounded, and then the residents of the entire building wore pajamas and gathered outside the apartment building with sleepiness. After waiting for half an hour, the management on duty arrived late and told everyone that they could go back.
The reason is often that someone is smoking indoors or stir-frying is too much smoke, which triggers the fire alarm. In the UK, fire sensors in public places are directly connected to the fire brigade and trigger alarms when smoke levels are exceeded, and the entire building goes off at the same time. Long-term residents of the UK will find that the fire alarm in the apartment goes off almost several times a week, and it is hardly a real fire, mostly due to smoking or stir-frying.
20. Don't sleep on the table in public. Once, I was asked several times if I was unwell because I was napping at a table at the train station. This is not out of curiosity, but based on a common belief in the UK: only people who are not feeling well will choose to sleep on their stomachs, and when they are sleepy, they will rest on the back of their chairs. My friend had a similar experience, she fell asleep on her stomach in the company, only to be mistaken for fainting by a British colleague, who asked in her ear if she was still alive?
21. In the UK, the lifestyle of the locals is more casual, and they do not pursue famous brands and luxury goods excessively. For example, my friend's boss wears a suit, carries a school bag, and rides a bicycle to work, and the British value the happiness of life more than the material show-off. There are many art galleries, museums and theatres in the UK, and most natural attractions and museums are free to enter. On their days off, Brits like to go to the theatre to see a show or enjoy art in an art gallery, where you will see all kinds of people, including literary youths, fathers with strollers, and even elderly people in wheelchairs. Copyright protection is very important in the UK. Whether it's listening to songs, watching movies, or consulting academic literature, there is a certain amount of money. If a copyright is infringed, you can receive an email warning, a lawyer's letter, or even a court summons.
22. The efficiency with which the British handle affairs can sometimes make people feel impatient. For example, the takeout you ordered tonight may be delayed until the next day for various reasons. If you need an expedited delivery, the cost doubles, and the logistics for online shopping are relatively slow, usually taking at least a week to receive the delivery. To apply for a bank card, you need to make an appointment by phone first, and then wait for the notification before you can go to the bank to apply for it, and the bank card will be sent to your home a week later. What is strange is that the return and exchange system in the UK, whether it is purchased online or in physical stores, in most cases, non-consumables can be returned unconditionally, even if the clothes have been removed. Despite this, there are very few cases of malicious returns in the UK.