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

[Pipbin]

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

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

Solo cups are also good because you can write the names of children on them and make said children re-use their cups, especially when the entire neighborhood and assorted cousins are always at your house.

[CheerfulYank]

I don't have a TV; I only watch Netflix so no commercials there. This is seen as very odd for an American. I also don't drive so I'm quite a freak really. :)

[sweetnessandlite]

Cheerful Yank, I think it's brilliant! Everybody seems to have such a positive attitude in the States.
Don't get me wrong I absolutely LOVE this little quirky island, and wouldn't live anywhere else for all the tea in China but,...................that cheery, upbeat way that you Yanks have intrigues me all the same.

[lettertoherms]

Freshman - 1st year of high school, 9th grade.

Sophomore - 2nd year, 10th.

Junior - 3rd, 11th.

Senior - 4th, 12th.

THEN you start over again at university, incoming students are Freshmen, and it follows the same pattern for the four years of college.

[CheerfulYank]

Bogey it goes: 9th grade, freshmen. 10th grade, sophomores. 11th grade, juniors. 12 grade, seniors.

Then when you go to a four year college it starts again. First year, freshmen...

[Onedropoflove]

Is cable about the same price here? I pay £90 a month for cable internet and house phone line?

How much maternity leave do you get? I know it's less than us so do you have any facilities for expressing at work and do you have any child care for the tiny tots?

[tinyshinyanddon]

sweetness That's funny - I have adjusted to the American cheerfulness and now find people rather grumpy when I visit the UK. I still walk around grinning like an idiot and I talk to everyone.

[sweetnessandlite]

Hello Math!

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

High school: Freshman 9th grade
Sophomore 10th grade
Junior 11th grade
Senior 12th grade

Same for college/university except no grade numbers, freshman is first year, etc

Some high schools start with the Sophomore year, though.

[x2boys]

My son is autistic and also has/a rare chromosome disorder I,,m just stating this because I,m in a few facebook support groups that the participants are mainly american I have found quite a few people to be very religious and will offer to pray for you I found this very nice actually one group I,m on was discussing baby boys being circumcised ,I realise that culturally in the UK we have very different ideas about this than some of the posters ,but some of the posts were hilarious warning if the op didn't get her unborn baby son immediately circumcised at birth it would inevitably lead to lots of problems for the child I had to. Point out I knew lot of uncicumsised Who absolutely no terrible problems which posters warned it would lead too!

[NerfHerder]

On the butter prices... don't forget- US butter (well- the prices people here are quoting, anyway) are per lb... in the UK butter is sold in half pound packs (well, I think probably 225g, but you know what I mean. So my butter is £1.60 per pack, which equates to $5.35 per pound (we buy organic btw). Less expensive butter is available, but probably still around $3.70-$4 per pound.

And wobbly- what is study hall? Is it like prep?

[steff13]

We are generally a cheerful bunch, I guess. American isn't perfect, but it's pretty awesome. I'm sure you all feel the same about the UK.

CheerfulYank, we have a tv, but we don't have cable, we use a Roku. We watch tv on Netflix and Hulu Plus. It's a lot cheaper. Not driving is unusual for an American, if you don't live in a big city.

[x2boys]

I know lots of uncircumcised males!

[steff13]

Study Hall is a free period that you can use to study or read or do homework or whatever. You don't have to take them, I never did.

[lettertoherms]

Maternity leave is 12 weeks unpaid. The one thing I'm truly jealous of. It's one of the worst things about my country.

Some states have slightly better schemes - CA has paternity leave, for example. And many good companies have better, paid maternity leave.

Facilities must be provided for breastfeeding mothers to express, can't be a bathroom, must have privacy and a fridge must be available.

There are daycares that take infants, or there are nannies, or relative care, and some workplaces have corporate childcare for their employees.

We don't have free nursery hours, but there are subsidized early care programs for low income families. Not widely available, but they exist.

[Bogeyface]

So what is junior high school?

Here it goes

Infants - Reception, Y1, Y2
Juniors - Ys 3,4,5 & 6
Seniors Ys 7,8,9,10,11 and then optional 6th form (which is Yrs 12 and 13 but it is still called 6th form just to confuse matters!)

[CheerfulYank]

I am annoyingly uncommonly cheerful, even for a yank. :) I grew up with loving but unsympathetic parents who would give you a shake and a "suck it up, buttercup!" kind of pep talk about any problems. Also where I live it's the culture to not complain or rock the boat, see here

Onedrop I don't think we have set rules for maternity leave. Most places I know give 12 weeks. There aren't always places to express but if you need to your workplace must provide one.

[NerfHerder]

x2boys- it's a cultural thing though- it was previously very common in the UK for (non-jewish) boys to be circumcised, as a hygiene practice, but it fell out of popularity after second world war.

[steff13]

Some employers offer better maternity leave plans, too. I got 6 weeks paid, then was able to take sick time I had accumulated. I took off five months all together with my daughter.

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

Junior High varies. Where I live it is called Middle School and is grades 6-8.

[NerfHerder]

Ah- thank you steff- it's a free period!

[NerfHerder]

May I just check... now we have 'Reception', Year 1, Year 2 etc in the UK... does Y1 marry up with First grade? i.e. children that are 5 becoming 6yo?

[madamginger]

12 weeks! We get 39 weeks paid maternity leave and 2 weeks paid paternity leave.

[Onedropoflove]

In london people queue outside Five Guys to get in for a burger. Are they that good? Are they a national chain. What about in n out burger? We don't have them here but I've heard good things. Would you generally go to a Mac Donald's or is it frowned upon?

[CheerfulYank]

It's almost impossible to find a daycare that will take infants under 6 weeks.

Junior high is seventh and eighth grades. Sometimes 6th too, depending on the school.