Being a Brit in LA- Ten Things that still confuse me

I have now been living in Los Angeles for eight months and there is still so much that I find a mystery about the States. I love living in the States, but I there is a lot that will never quite understand.

So, here goes my top ten list of what confuses me most about living here.

1. The term 'Fuck boy'. I hear this a lot, especially when I'm out clubbing and I point at a guy to show my friends if I think he's hot or not and usually I get an awkward stare from my friends and then they will say "you don't want to date him, he's a fuckboy" hmmm...OK then! Eight months later I am still unsure of what it really means, although my guess is that it's equivalent to what we call a chav.

2. Driving. Ok, so for a British girl with dyslexia remembering my left and right is already a nightmare. It took me 3 times to pass my theory and 2 years to actually learn to drive with an instructor that would constantly say to me 'I don't want to come to your funeral and write on your tomb stone I told you so'. So that being said coming to the US and having to drive on not only the wrong side of the road but the wrong side of the car, scares the crap out of me. 

3. Scotch Tape. In the UK Scotch tape is actually a brand of clear sticky tape and we call all clear tape Sellotape, which is why I often get confused by this. I was helping my friend sort his photo album out and I suggested to use Sellotape to stick them down. After a long back and forth confusing exchange, he finally got it- scotch tape, duh!

4. Tax. I understand that tax is a must in every country and I have no problem paying it, but I can't understand why tax has to be added on at checkout rather than in the price. I'm not the best at maths and I often forget that tax gets added on at checkout so I often avoid using cash because I'm never sure if I actually have the right amount. But at least tax is not near as much in the US as the UK, so that's a plus.

5. The price of nuts. Ok, this may sound like a weird one and it may just be relevant in California but since I've been here I've been shocked by the extortionate prices of nuts. I love nuts and they're healthy, but $15 for a small bag of nuts, I mean really? come on I'd rather eat a peanut butter cup.

6. Medication. Since going to the doctors seems to cost a fortune, even with insurance, I've tried to avoid this but since coming here my immune system has been very low and I've been catching loads of colds (probably from the lack of healthy nuts) so I find myself buying nasal sprays and cold and flu pills every week. In the UK you can get a packet of cold and flu pills for around £3 but here they are between $15-20.

7. Mimicking a British accent CONSTANTLY. Every time I meet someone knew the first thing they say to me is "you sound like your from Britain" and this is usually followed by some 'witty'  comment in a British like I bet you drink tea with the queen all the time or some random words such as bloody hell and cheerio. I think the worst is when they realise I am from Essex and put on the worse cockney accent that just makes me want to cringe. When I first arrived in the States I went on a date with a guy that for two hours straight mimicked everything I was saying in the worst possible British accent to man kind. To put it nicely I never saw that guy again.

8. Tipping. Now this is an awkward one because I'm happy to tip and always give a tip in England if I think the service is good, but 20% seems a lot, especially for broke ass students like myself. I can just about afford to pay or the meal let alone a 20% tip on top of that. I also find it very strange how they expect you to tip that much and if you don't they come up to you to make you feel even more uncomfortable and end up paying more. 

9. Bacon and Maple syrup pancakes. I've tried to like this but I cannot understand how Americans can eat meat with syrup, it's just a really strange mix. Bananas and syrup makes sense but meat, I don't think this is a taste I will ever be able to get used to. I've noticed that Americans love putting sweet and savoury things together, but it's just one of those things I will never get.

10.  Dating. This is the big one, which is why I have saved it for last. I thought that dating in England was complicated, but it is nothing compared to dating in LA. If you've read my previous blogs you would know the struggles I've had trying to date here. Maybe I am picking the wrong guys or this is just an 'LA Thing' but either way I don't think I have ever been so confused in my life. The meaning of the term 'hangout' has become the most confusing one for me because in England if you ask someone to hangout (which we generally don't use that term, especially in dating) it means to actually hangout, usually as friends, but here I've noticed it meaning many different things, so it can be hard to distinguish what someone is asking when they say do you want to 'hangout'. For example a guy friend from California once told me he doesn't like using the word dating and it scares a lot of guys so to make it sound more casual they use the word hangout instead of date. I was also told it is term used instead of the obvious 'netflix and chill'. So what I want to know is WHICH ONE IS IT??

Don't forget to check out my other blogs for more random British stuff!