Jason Proch – Tips for Americans Coming to the UK
I first met Jason Proch a couple of years ago at a business conference in New York, at first I thought he was a typically brash American but after speaking with him for a while we really hit it off. So much so in fact that we launched a fintech business together the following year. At first, we decide the business would do better and so I relocated to America in order to see how we got on. The business fell pretty much flat on its face but we still had hope and decided to bring the business over to the UK where it has gone from strength to strength. Jason’s integration to the UK has not been as easy as he thought and these are his warnings for any American coming to live on British shores.
Cold
New York winters may be bitterly cold but at least you always know that it will warm up again soon, here in the UK however, things are very different. Even in the summer, there can be days where it is wet and cold and the rainy days simply make you miserable, you have to prepare yourself for the weather to affect your mood.
Driving
Driving here is way different than it is back in the US and for the most part, the drivers are actually pretty nice. Back in New York, you could easily spend hours at a junction waiting for someone to let you out but in the UK you simply hit your indicator and someone will let you out pretty quickly. This took a while to get used to and after my aggressive driving style wasn’t met very well, I had to tone it down somewhat.
Politeness
It’s fair to say that back in New York the words please and thank you don’t feature too frequently unless you are paying for a service or being sarcastic. Here in the UK though everyone is so well mannered and you literally can’t get out of the way of people saying please and thank you. I love this politeness but I do worry that it will have a dangerous effect on me when I get back to NYC and people start telling me where to get off.
Coffee
In New York, we have something of an obsession with coffee and you can get yourself a great cup of Joe in just about any part of town. Here in London, there is coffee in many places but it just doesn’t taste the same, even in the chain restaurants like Starbucks. There also isn’t a heavy focus on coffee here like there is in New York and most people are drinking tea or flavored teas. There isn’t too much I miss about being back home but a great cup of coffee in the morning is certainly one of them.
Boris Dzhingarov graduated UNWE with a major in marketing. He is the founder of ESBO ltd a brand mentioning company. He is also passionate about meditation and healthy living. You can find articles on such topics at his spiritual blog Dzhingarov.com.