Does the rest of the world hate still hate Americans?

You shouldn't have to change how you are, just to visit another country.

Xenophobia is a very common and childish issue that most countries seem to struggle with, even though they try not to admit it. If things are going to get any better, purposely changing yourself to suit another's desires isn't going to help. You use common sense, and be polite like everybody should naturally be around strangers and newcomers. It doesn't matter what your accent is, what your favorite football team is, what your favorite brew is, etc. It doesn't matter, and if people are seriously offended or disgusted by these small things that define you as a person, then that's their problem. If these people are judging you based on stereotypes and what they watch on TV, then that's their problem. You don't have a responsibility to conform to their desires at all, and if you feel that way, then please don't.

I'm very disappointed that as a whole, the majority of western society can come to accept homophobia and racism as an issue, but xenophobia is never even considered for a moment.

 

Many people in many lands hates american goverment (not usual people), but most of "haters" will forget about hate, when they are allowed to come in USA to live and work.
so it's means what: all problem in the level of financial wealth, in land#1 - people can have only one car per family, in land#2 people can have four or more cars per one family. So people from land#1 hates people from land#2. Also people from "land#3" maybe even can't have their own house, not even talking about the car...

 

I've not heard of "ride back", if someone offers you a lift and says "ride for a ride?" then you probably want to say no though.

Avoiding fights is pretty easy, say excuse me when moving through crowds & say sorry if something you did has upset someone (whether it makes sense or not).

England is safer than America, but you're less likely to know where not to go when you're in a foreign country.

You're more likely to have your pocket picked than be mugged, so be wary of where you put your possessions.

It might be worth watching some episodes of the real hustle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3xjjy5GdhY

The most important stuff is what you need to know when visiting any country. Like how much is using your mobile phone going to cost to use, i.e. you will have to pay to even receive calls if you have a non-UK SIM. Where to get cash without it costing you a fortune, how much it costs to use a credit card etc. Get in your head about how much the local currency is worth. No matter what country you are in there will be people who will try to take advantage of you to make money.

 

I actually got hooked and watched that whole episode. I'm a business minded person and I never let people make money off me if i can help it. England doesn't have CDMA phones correct? I will for sure have an unlocked phone with me. Maybe I'll even bring a dual-sim over there. Where do I go to buy cheap pre-pay sims and service? Is there any reason I wouldn't be able to set up a bank account? Generally, Are there monthly fees and minimum balance requirements?

 

Bank accounts have free options. The ones with monthly fees have benefits (car breakdown cover, mobile phone insurance, etc).

Pre paid sims - get them from most shops. There are quite a few to choose from. No CDMA here.

Shouldnt have an issue setting up a bank account, but you will need proof of address for 3 months or so (so you likely wont be able to do it immediately).

 

Hahaha! There are too many don'ts in this thread. OP is a student looking at taking a semester abroad so is at least somewhat intelligent and possesses some common sense.

You don't need to lie about where youre from. Just relax and enjoy yourself. Depending on which university your semester will be taken at you will likely be just one of many, many foreign students and as such you won't be singled out as 'that American dude.'

Where I went to uni there were thousands of foreign students. Lots of east Asians, French, German, and a number of Canadians and Americans.

Do you have an option of which uk universities you can attend? If you list them I could give you my opinion of where would be best to go.

 

You should check this link out, it's advice from the UK government to American soldiers on how to behave when they came over to the country during WWII:
http://www.anorak.co.uk/339300/news...ions-for-american-servicemen-in-britain.html/

I say! Rather, what ho old chap etc


EDIT:

My advice would be if you come to the UK and stay in London, then you won't get a 'flavour' as to what it's like to live in Britain. London is almost a country onto itself.
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1. Why lie? the second you speak it will probably be pretty obvious your American to someone in England
2. Hostel is just a horror movie, i don't really think it represents how you will find England at all...
3. Most normal people will not care where your from.

In all seriousness come to England, no reasonable person will care your American. To be honest i would find it quest interesting to meet someone from America.
Like anywhere in the world you will find someone who hates someone else because of something stupid like where that person is from, or what religion you follow. Most people at University are really nice in my experience anyway. You will also find your on courses with many students from many different places in the world.

Some other differences you might notice here (from my limited knowledge on America)

• You pay to send text's and make phone calls here, not receive them.
• Everything is likely more expensive than it is in America
• Most people here dont own guns

 

I don't agree with this. A kiss on each cheek is pretty common in Europe, not so much for UK natives but I now find it weird to kiss once. If a girl doesn't like you much then it'll be obvious when you try. Obviously don't do it at work or any other situation where you need to keep a squeaky clean reputation.

 

From every country Ive been to, you just have to follow 1 rule....Dont be a jack@ss. This applies in your home country also, so if your a jackass at home, you probably are going to be one outside it, and you probably already know you are one. Most people are forgiving if you don't know that one thing about their culture, that no other country observes. Find out what the american no-no's are before you go, and avoid awkward situations. Being positionally submissive in conversation(dont worry, you can still be a man, and talk like a man) helps too, until you know the cultural norms.

Also from experience, in countries like Malaysia and Thailand, someone might not know what USA/UK/America/Canida exist. This is very humbling that they might not know your home country, even with our extended spheres of influence. Although as a last resort, I say I'm from New York, and then they get it(kinda).

The USA is a really cool place, but its cool be cause its different, not the best. No country is the best. They all have their pluses and minuses. I have also experience very little anti-american attitudes. I have experienced way more anti-americanism within the USA than abroad(13 countries under my belt). Some americans just don't know how well we got it(relatively).

 

What part of England are you coming to?

Tbh most of the kids here try to be American anyway so you will have no issues fitting in and will probably be accepted quicker because your American rather than being from another part of Europe for example.

You will be fine as long as you don't act like an arsehole.

 

If you are looking for a pre paid SIM with data, I've found that 3 mobile has good rates/service. If you ask around, someone can probably find a convenience store that can hook you up.

Heathrow Airport gives you like 45 min of free wifi. That's useful to get yourself situated if you don't have someone waiting to pick you up or whatever. Don't buy a sim card in the airport. It's more than likely a rip off.

If your credit card doesn't have a smart chip on it already, I would call your credit card company to see if they can send you a new card with the smart chip.

 

In the few times I have traveled to Germany to see my kin I haven't had any troubles. You just need to remember those manners your mother taught you. If you don't have manners now or use them you might have problem.

 

Common sense applies.

In terms of lying about where you're from - not necessary, at least where I live. When I was in high school we had an American student from Colorado and the worst she ever got from anybody was questions about the culture and how things worked back home, people were actually overly friendly with her and she made friends very quickly and was quite popular.

Don't presume men here to be like you see in movies.
This is not your typical british man

(the one wearing braces is a typical stereotype a lot of american people believe exists).

You will surely see this a lot depending on where you go, particularly in the north:


Avoid talking about politics and religion, this should be followed in any country really. Friends don't talk about religion, politics the war etc. You won't get any trouble any Iraq/Afghan unless you bring it up. Some people are quite sore about that.

 

Well it would be nice if Fox News was gone.

 

Definitely enjoyed reading this thread. LMAO @ Assembler, to be honest most if not all of those comparisons are probably true - though that's a very broad spectrum of advice. There are relatively few places you're likely to encounter any negative scenarios as outlined in this thread in England and indeed the UK. Most folks round here (Manchester) treat Americans with interest and fascination rather than hostility. There are 3 Americans I know round my way. Can't think of a single person who dislikes them. Maybe a bit of a general example but I'm just drawing from experience here.

It's true about general dislike towards the US as a nation, and yes we as a country are guilty of thinking of America as a bunch of thick asses playfully from time to time, the same as the US would think of us as a bunch of poncy well to do sissy twats. But when confronted with an American in the singular this national stereotype never applies, and is well looked after.

You've absolutely NOTHING to worry about at all. Seriously...