Weird things British people do

Hey guys!

As it is my second year in the UK, I got to notice a few differences between Britain and France - I admit I got used to some of them but I still find some quite weird to be honest! Of course every culture is different, I am not saying French culture is better or anything, but I found it funny to list weird things British people do from a French person's point of view so here you go:


~ Since it is the season (to be jolly) I am going to start with this first point: in the UK, Christmas seems to start before Halloween! Indeed Christmas decorations, advent calendars and Christmas gift ideas start to pop up in shops slightly before Halloween, what's the hell, British people?! During my first year in the UK, I found it proper weird if I'm honest since it is not what I am used to in France where Noël barely starts at the end of November..! However I got used to it now and I actually enjoy this aspect of British culture! Some people may think Christmas time is more enjoyable if shorter but I think there is not such a thing as Christmas starting too early now (as long as it's after Halloween); I start to feel Christmassy from November onwards, getting excited about decorating my room and the Christmas tree, planning my visits to Christmas markets, watching Christmas movies, and I start listening to Christmas songs as soon as December starts -which is even considered too early for some of my British flatmates. I also get myself a Christmas jumper for the occasion, which is totally not a thing in France - my family won't stop saying how much they think they're ugly!
I actually like how British people are enthusiastic about the Christmas celebrations; even if we do celebrate it in France, it doesn't seem that much of a big thing unfortunately. I will probably write an article this month about Christmas by the way!

Me on the 1st November

~ The Brits are already famous for this so I needed to confirm it: they say sorry all the time! They even say sorry when it's not their fault as they also use it to express empathy such as "sorry about the weather", therefore it is not only a way to apologise. I find it disturbing sometimes because I fear I am being rude for not saying sorry in some situations but I took the habit to say it way more than before, so now I feel like people in Paris are rude! (spoiler alert: most of them actually are)

~ I know there is an explanation for this but I still hate it: on most sinks in the UK, you don't have one but two taps: a hot and a cold tap! For those who didn't get to experience it, basically the cold tap is freezing and you definitely don't want to use it during the Winter while the hot tap is burning hot! I can't tell you how happy I am when I am somewhere with a single tap in this country. #expatproblems

The cause of my most terrible nightmares.

~ I have to mention another thing temperature-related: Some British people never seem to get cold! I swear I have been to London in October and saw a guy wearing flip flops, or also people wearing shorts in November - maybe on a sunny day but it was less than 10°! Whenever I go to the club during the Winter, the girls never seem to wear tights or a coat, why?! It really does feel like British people have a different type of blood running in their veins.

~ While being an Erasmus student at uni in the UK, I have notice a really funny thing concerning untold social rules: people call each other by their first name. It means that, while being a student, you get to call your lecturer John or Sarah, without anyone finding it weird. Also when you have an appointment somewhere, let's say at the doctor or the job centre, people will call you by your first name as well. I find it quite nice as it removes this invisible barrier between people that you have in France, where people have to call you Monsieur/Madame and using "vous" instead of "tu", but I felt really awkward doing so at first.

~ I am going to end with one last thing: drinking cider in France and in the UK is T O T A L L Y different I must say...! In Great Britain, you can find cider in cans, or even in plastic bottles as you can see below. Indeed, cider is something you can drink at any time, and is often used as a way to get drunk for young people, it is similar to beer. While in France, you can find cider in glass bottles like in the second picture below. Looks fancier, huh? There, it is something you drink with starters or pudding, for when you have guests for example, or also when you eat galettes bretonnes! So you can imagine how surprised I was to see freshers drink up cider from their plastic bottles..!

Strongbow, most famous cider brand in the UK.

A nice cidre in France.

📚Funny thing I've heard from a student after +2 months at work:

"Miss, are you in the UK on holiday?"

Have you noticed any other weird things British people do?

Julie XX