A guide for our American Guests!

Good_Queen_Bess · Mar 22, 2003

Good luck to all our American friends who are wanting to come to Blighty and practice - we need you! :nurse:

The thing you have to remember is that if you visit or want to live in the north, we're all like the people in Coronation Street! :lol2:

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Mar 23, 2003

I cannot say that I have traveled extensively in northern England, but we were treated famously in Liverpool. The Liverpudlians were very concerned that we had a good time, that we would like to visit again, did we find their city dirty.

We were treated well all over England and Wales (didn't make it to Scotland because we went in January and there were travel advisories about going there because the weather was foul). My wife and I are both nurses, and hope to be working in the UK in the not-too-distant future.

Kaylesh · Mar 23, 2003

I'll throw my two pence in.. :-).. I'm from Massachusetts originally.. Came to Scotland July 99 to work in Aberdeen at a major hospital there.. was there until Oct 02 when I moved down here to Fife to take a job outside Edinburgh.. I love it here.. Wish it paid better.. but i knew that before i came over in 99.. So it wasna such a complete shock..

I absolutely am glad i made the move and am enjoying living here.. have no plans to go back to Massachusetts other than for holidays to visit family and freinds..

Feel free to ask any questions..

Kay(Kaylesh)

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Mar 23, 2003

Thanks for the offer, Kaylesh. I do have unanswered questions about nursing in the UK. Rather than bore the readers with the back-and-forth on the message board, I had rather carry this to e-mail. My e-mail is [email protected]. Drop me a note with your e-mail address, and I will ask you some questions.

Thanks again.

spineCNOR · Apr 12, 2003

Thanks for the info--I have always wondered what treacle was, having seen it called for in British-written cook books, and now I know it's molasses!

Whisper · Apr 13, 2003

Which is helpful beacuse we have molasses, here, but that is the stuff they take to the factory, and stinks to high heaven.

I never knew treacle was called molasses in the US until I read the link either!

I still think it is amazing how the English and Americans speak the same language, yet have so many different phrases and words.

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Apr 13, 2003

Yes, it is alleged that we speak the same language. An English friend of mine (from Chester) related a funny story from her first trip to the supermarket after moving to the States with her American husband. She went to the meat department and asked for a joint. The butcher, not sure what he had heard, asked her again what she wanted. "I want a joint", she repeated. The butcher said, embarrassed, "Ma'am, we don't sell that here." She asked, "You don't sell meat?"

What she was unaware of at the time is that while she was asking for a roast in Britspeak, she was in fact asking for a marijuana cigarette in the local dialect.

Whisper · Apr 13, 2003

lol! I am not going to be able to keep a straight face at the butchers form now on.

My friend went to the US for her holidays last year, and ordered a plate of chips with some tomato sauce, and got a plate of crisps, and an apology that they didn't do some tomato sauce. After some explaining she eventually got some fries and some ketchup!

I think it would be easier some times, if we did speak a different language, there would probably be less communication mishaps.

The scary thing is that both my friend and myself used to work at Mickey dee's and used to spout off"do you want fries with that?" but when she went to the homeland of Mickey dee's she totally forgot;)

Huq · May 7, 2003

I believe Sir Winston Churchil is attributed with saying

"England and America are two countries divided by a common language"l

Huq · May 7, 2003

Oh my goodness hurchill

Huq · May 7, 2003

Have to get lucky sometime CHURCHILL

made it!

Whisper · May 7, 2003

I have days like that as well Hug!