UK and America are two countries separated by a common language, UK and US Q&A

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Continuation of the previous thread where posters from the UK ask questions like 'what the hell is going on with the gaps in US toilet doors'; and posters fro the US ask things like 'what is with wearing stripes'

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a2149133-to-think-there-is-something-wrong-with-Americans?msgid=48969042#48969042

Are american high schools really like in the films? Is it truly full off bitchyness where the 'jocks' rule the school?

The yellow school bus is not free in our city: $200 per year per child with a $400 cap for a family. So that's a little over $1 a day for each child which I think is pretty decent.

sashh - you need 2 degrees to be a doctor or a lawyer in the UK as well.

Thank you for the school explanations! That's... complicated.

wellnow Depends on the film, depends on the school. Generally films are an exaggeration with some basis in actual high schools. Not so much the bitchiness/bullying between cliques - I mean it happens, but it's more widespread. My experience was the bitchiness came from your own circle of friends, not like the Jocks bullying The Geeks. In some schools, the athletes do get a lot of attention, particularly (American) football. My brother was a football player, and he was one of the "popular" guys, cheerleader girlfriend, lots of the cliches were true for him.

does extreme couponing actually happen or was it made up by tv shows?

If I asked to 'crash a fag' would you know what I meant?

I love extreme couponing. I don't think it's made up; it's the kind of thing I'd love to do, but I don't live in a good state for it. It used to be lots of grocery stores would do things like double the value of coupons, let you use expired coupons, let you use coupons for any quantity of items. They made a lot of rules in California that prevent this, but in other states it's not restricted.

I would guess, um, borrow a cigarette? That's guessing after thinking about it, neither word would ever be used to mean that and if you went up to a random person and said that they'd give you an odd look.

yes, its have a cigarette

Fo you lot really call your bottom a fanny?

sashh - you need 2 degrees to be a doctor or a lawyer in the UK as well.

No you don't. You need more training and for Drs at least I know a lot do an intercolated degree but from A Levels to being on a hospital ward is 5 years (sometimes 6) not 8.

I'm intrigued by the banking system in the US

When asked debit or credit in a shop, does this mean that the same card can be used as both a debit or credit card, and if so, does the credit card work in the same way as ours in that you get a statement each month that you either pay off or part pay?

In 80s films and books, girls would go shopping on Daddy's credit card - is this a real thing, and does it still happen?

Are your checking accounts the equivalent of our current accounts, where salaries etc are paid into and direct debits and other bills come out of?

Also, how prevalent is internet banking and electronic payments directly into accounts? I often have to pay US accounts at work and it's a bit of a rigmarole to set up an electronic payment as there's often a routing account to send the payment via, whereas payments to most other countries can be made directly into a bank account. Most companies in the UK will pay salaries directly into employee bank accounts - is this generally the case in the US too?

Sorry, on maternity leave and starting to miss work a bit

I used to love using coupons when I was in the states. Could get $100 worth of groceries for about $40, using double/triple coupons, which I kept in a huge binder. Made a HUGE difference in the budget. And around the holidays, everyone at work gave me ALL their coupons that were spare and a friend and I did a massive shop and bought tons of food and donated it to local charity - trolleys and trolleys full of it (or shopping carts full, as they're called in the US).

Yellow school bus has always been free wherever I've been, although to be fair, it is paid for by taxes (through support to school system).

When I had dd (28 years ago) FMLA wasn't even a blip on the radar where I was (if at all), and I had 2 weeks off, unpaid, and was back to work. No choice.

My charming sister (still in the states) hates Obamacare (I don't know enough about it to form a solid opinion, although anything that provides medical insurance for those who can't afford it is IMO not a hugely bad thing!). She's one of those people that go on and on endlessly on FB about how the poor don't deserve handouts, if they want something they can get off their ass and earn it like the rest of the population. Her ex worked for the state department while they were married - she was used to high income, paid cleaners and nannies, and so on. They're divorced now, so no more high income, but still retains the "I'm very self-important" attitude. I tend to hide her posts on FB as they're always political and quite annoying.

debit and credit card, 2 separate things in states just like in UK. Pretty much same set up, really.

checking account is pretty much same as current account. When I lived in the US 10 years ago, checks were still very commonly in use in shops and for paying bills. Not sure about now though.

And yes, I used my parent's credit card a couple times (with permission), but that was years and years ago (we're talking about 20-30 years ago). In the small town we lived in at that time, the local bowling alley/kids hangout that I worked in as a teen used to have "counter checks" available for local banks, and teens could write out a check on their parents' accounts to pay for their purchases and sign it themselves, and the bank would honour it. I don't think that's done anymore, but it was common practice back then.

Checks aren't in fashion anymore - generally only use them for things I need a record of, like paying rent.

Paychecks can be put into accounts by direct deposit, and then most people use debit cards.

sashh - sorry, yes for some reason I thought the foundation years were further study.

I'm now mildly confused as to why you need to do a further doctorate to practice psychology...but not medicine? lol

Can someone please explain to me what Advance Placement exams are, please, as DD1 is doing one this year. I think they are sort of equivalent to an A level? Is it just a final exam or do they need to do coursework? (Will ask the school when it opens, but this is quicker!)

tabulahrasa

I think because a psychology degree is not a specialist 'licence to practice' type course like nursing and medicine and radiography.

What is prep school in the US? Here it is for young children with intake at 7+ (or 8+ particularly for boarding). I have the impression that prep schools are for older kids in US?

I am enjoying this thread, really quite interesting learning how the American school system works.

We went to the US recently and visited San Diego. We loved the state but had a couple of questions. Firstly, why are the portion sizes so big? We ate at a variety of places and were always overwhelmed by the quantity of food.

Secondly, we were using public transport in SD. Now I get that most people use cars, and that wasn't the surprise. What did shock me and give me cause for concern was the people, particularly old veterans, who appeared to have mental health difficulties. Some people we encountered seemed very unwell. In the UK obviously we have the NHS, which isn't perfect but does help. I just wondered what provisions and assistance were available, particularly where we visited near the naval base.

Ask an American if they want to bum a fag, its very funny. My friend's father did it when her mother's American friends were visiting and genuinely had no idea why they were so taken aback!

Debit and credit cards are two different things here, but you can use your debit card as a credit card at the point of purchase if it has a Visa or Mastercard logo on it. So, if I go to the store and swipe my bank card, and the cashier says "debit or credit?" I can either put in my PIN and use it as a debit card, or say credit, and use it as a credit card. It's not a credit card, I still only have access to the money in my bank account. Some stores don't take debit cards, only credit cards, so it's helpful for those transactions.

My friend's teenage son got into all sorts if trouble when he asked to borrow a rubber in class.

He now knows it's an eraser

I've just seen the SteaknShake menu. I wished I hadn't. It's so not fair! honestly we would pay double the price for that kind of a burger and the menu wouldn't be half as good. Are they all over the country?

I'm not sure if I have a why to big portion sizes. However, in general, big portions are found at chains and lower end restaurants, and fancier places have smaller/normal portions. Maybe it's a value for your money thing? It's typical to eat a portion, and then ask for a to-go bag to take the rest home for another meal.

Do you have chain restaurants, besides fast food? I have to admit, I always snicker at threads where posters talk about excellent food they've had travelling in the US, and it's chains like Red Lobster, Ihop, Golden Corral, etc. They're popular as they're cheap and family-friendly, have consistent menus, but they're... a step down, from what we'd consider "real" restaurants, to say the least.

The whole packing food up to take home thing amazed me.
We went to an Italian / pizza place in Sunnyvale.
The couple at the table opposite ordered just about the whole menu. Soup, pasta, pizza, lasagne everything. They look about two bites of each thing and asked for the rest to be boxed up. It was like they were doing a weeks shopping.

Reminds me of a friend who went travelling around the US - he was in a bar in Alabama (I think?) and was all out of cigarettes... He had a question he asked all the bloody time because he never bought his own which we had warned him not to say when travelling, but he still went ahead and asked "Can I bum a fag off you?" anyway. It didn't go down too well apparently.

Also, what exactly does biweekly mean? Is it fortnightly or twice a week?