Thoughts on being American vs English

Seeing how things operate in a different part of the world causes one to examine the world they are familiar with from a different perspective.  It has only been a couple of days, but I have already been able to observe a number of interesting patterns and differences between England and the US.

The first one is related to the way museums are laid out.  Anyone who has ever been to an Ikea has to have noticed that those stores are designed differently.  It is a linear experience, where you get directed from one section to another in order.  Good luck skipping ahead, and make sure you don't have to go back for something you forgot.  Almost every other store in America is laid out completely differently, giving customers the freedom to go where ever they want to, in any order.  But Ikea is a Swedish company, and they think differently in Europe.  In regards to museums, a similar pattern is visible.  Most of the ones I have seen in England are laid out with a specific path for the viewer to follow.  Sometimes this is enforced by the design and layout of the walls, while in others it is merely recommended.  This rarely happens in the US, because Americans value their freedom, and could even take offense to the idea that someone is going to dictate the path they should take through a museum.  I know a few people who dislike Ikea for the same reason.  America was originally colonized by groups of people who highly valued their individual freedom, and while certain specifics may have gotten off track over the course of a couple hundred intervening years, the underlying idea is still prized in our culture.

Traffic in England absolutely blows my mind, and not because they drive on the opposite side of the road.  No one seems to follow any conventional traffic laws, and people generally do whatever they want.  They park on both sides of the street, and totally ignore "lanes" or any of those frivolities.  There is no "English" translation for the term "jaywalking" and good luck trying to describe the idea to anyone here.  There are cops on every corner, but I have never seen them actually "do" anything.  On the flip side, everyone appears to be very conscious of the importance of taking care of themselves, because no one else is going to.  You look both ways before crossing the street, not only because cars could be coming from either side, but because they aren't going to stop for you, or even slow down.  That intuitively seems like it would be a much more American (aka selfish) idea, but on the contrary, from what I always hear, even in Boston or LA, traffic in the US is the most civilized in the world.

Americans expect the government to protect them from everything, including bad drivers, and even the weather.  This may stem from them originally expecting the government to protect them from religious persecution.  Besides that, it seems like a very un-American idea, for a country founded by a group of independent individualists.  But Americans are big fans of law and order, and it is reflected in our driving patterns.

Americans are also big fans of big things.  There are no pickup trucks or full sized SUVs in London.  And our hotel rooms were pretty tight to say the least.  And the three of us couldn't fit in the elevator at once without touching.

I read up on a few of the dialog differences before I left, but there were a few terms that seem to have gotten overlooked.  I ordered a lemonade on the flight over, and was handed a can of what was essentially Sprite.  And don't even get me started on water; I have no idea how Europeans don't die of dehydration.  The fact that sausage is referred to as a "banger" is quite amusing to me, since the primary link I can imagine there refers to sex.  And when the next question is "how bout a whack of mash with your banger?" it's hard to keep a straight face.

I passed through the Chunnel, 600 feet below the sea, while writing this.  So that was yet another remarkable feat of engineering to experience.  Anyhow, it will be interesting to see how England compares to France, over the next few days.