Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Things which surprised/shocked you about specific US cities

Options
124»

Comments

  • Options
    #92
    SHOVELLER
    Registered Users Posts: 1,639 ✭✭✭SHOVELLER


    ireland.man wrote: »
    Washington D.C. is an incredibly poor and dangerous place. I always thought that city would be one of the wealthier and safer parts of the States but no, it's one of the worst. There's massive ghettos all surrounding the city and the murder rate is very high.

    Very sweeping statement. NW is an incredibly safe place. In fact I drink in NE and have never had a problem and in answer to another poster you will need more than one day to see all that the city has to offer.


  • Options
    #93
    unjedilike
    Registered Users Posts: 195 ✭✭unjedilike


    I find it shocking that the entire US isn't covered in Wawas. Best convenience ever.


  • Options
    #94
    ProudDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    Hazys wrote: »

    Is it a lower confidence thing or cultural? or a bit of both?

    I think its a language thing more than anything else. When it is just a manners thing, we say "sorry" if we are invading someones personal space. They say "excuse me". It's the same when we/they sneeze too.

    They would only say sorry, if they are actually apologizing for a specific thing or something really serious like, "I am sorry I crashed my car into yours" or " I am sorry you didn't get the job".

    Yanks are generally more polite when it comes to personal space issues. I mean, I have stood in Easons and had someone stick their arm right in front of my face, in order to get to a book or a magazine that I was standing in front of. They would never say a word to me. An American would generally say "excuse me" as they reached across me.


  • Options
    #95
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    Novella wrote: »
    This!

    My boyfriend is American and I moved to the US a couple of months ago. I was constantly saying sorry to people if they were in my way and one day he was like, "No one understands you when you say sorry, you need to say excuse me!"

    I had never even noticed. I was so used to sorry being the word to say to politely have somebody move. I think it's just an Irishism.


    It's often used in British English too.
    I'm sorry doesn't imply that you're apologising here. You can angrily day SORRY! In Ireland and it means anything from get out of my way to "I'm horrified at you".

    "Excuse me" in Ireland and a to a lesser degree in England can seem harsh, officious, formal or even aggressive.

    Or, that you need attention for something.

    It's a language difference.

    Americans will tend to use " I'm sorry but.... " to interject or explain something isnt allowed or possible though. Such as "We're sorry. Your call call can not be completed!"

    There are quite a few things like that that don't translate across the Atlantic all that well. Addressing people as Sir or Mam in Ireland comes across as servile and antiquated. Where as it's normal in the US in slightly formal circumstances.


  • Options
    #96
    InTheTrees
    Registered Users Posts: 9,900 ✭✭✭InTheTrees


    There's a response to the american use of "excuse me" which is a brief "sure". Coming home to Ireland I have to make an effort to say "sorry" again instead of "excuse me", where it tends to mean "I'd like to talk to you about something".


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #97
    crapmanjoe
    Registered Users Posts: 472 ✭✭crapmanjoe


    How big college sports are (especially outside the big city).

    My GF is from midwest and after meeting her family noticed that not one of them care about any of the pro sports but live and breath college sports.

    Also how big the college football stadiums are - i think its 8 over 100k and 7 of the top ten biggest stadiums in the world are college stadiums. GF went to Nebraska which has a 93k stadium but the town its in only has 200k people (and it has sold out every game for 50 years) - crazy stuff!


  • Options
    #98
    biddywiddy
    Registered Users Posts: 440 ✭✭biddywiddy


    crapmanjoe wrote: »
    Also how big the college football stadiums are - i think its 8 over 100k and 7 of the top ten biggest stadiums in the world are college stadiums. GF went to Nebraska which has a 93k stadium but the town its in only has 200k people (and it has sold out every game for 50 years) - crazy stuff!

    Yes! I'm in Ann Arbor (population ~115k), home of the University of Michigan football stadium, the largest stadium in the United States. Holds about 110k, and every game sells out.

    The local support and loyalty to the football team is incredible.


  • Options
    #99
    InTheTrees
    Registered Users Posts: 9,900 ✭✭✭InTheTrees


    The regular NFL season is only 16 games, so only eight home games. Which explains a little why college (American) football has got so popular.


  • Options
    #100
    SpaceTime
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,088 ✭✭✭SpaceTime


    InTheTrees wrote: »
    There's a response to the american use of "excuse me" which is a brief "sure". Coming home to Ireland I have to make an effort to say "sorry" again instead of "excuse me", where it tends to mean "I'd like to talk to you about something".

    There are bound to be differences in language and idiom between Ireland and the US considering that there are significant differences every 30 miles or from suburb to suburb in Ireland and Britain.

    The British phase that jars me the most is "are you alright mate?' Which to me means : you look unwell are you OK?

    Where as to English people is 'How R Ya?'

    I've also heard a few Americans being confused by the fact that either of those phrases in Ireland and the UK don't require any kind of long response.

    Howrya- I'm grand..yourself?
    Or
    In England:
    Aul rey mate? Yea!aul rey mate?

    It's not an invitation to discuss your feelings or how your stomach is our spend ten mins discussing your emotional state.

    Where as some Americans seem to think we're actually trying to start a full conversion.


Advertisement