Having lived in England for several years now, I have compiled quite a long list of things that I have found astonishing about the locals. Every year, this list seems to get longer and longer as I continue to immerse myself in the English way of life.

Recently, I have been thinking about the year I first moved to England as a university student and how most interactions with those around me left me feeling confused. This confusion did not stem from an insufficient knowledge of the language but rather from what I now view as things that are unique to the English people. So, to help you avoid feeling this confusion, I’m sharing the three things that surprised me most.

Am I alright?

As a lover of English literature, the first thing that shocked me was the slang and the way people actually spoke in England.

I was faced with a ‘You alright?’ instead of a ‘Hello, how are you?’ or a ‘How do you do’ by every person I met. For two weeks, I walked around the university campus wondering whether there was something wrong with the way I looked. I was convinced that there must be something that is not ‘alright’ with me if everyone was asking me the same odd question.

It did not take long to realise that ‘You alright?’ did not mean ‘You seem upset. Is everything okay?’ but ‘Hi, how are you?’ or even just ‘Hello’.

What gave it away? People smiling and asking ‘You alright?’ as they walked past me, with no intention of stopping to have an actual ‘chat’.

Kiss kiss

The first few times I received text messages from English people, I was equally surprised.

At the end of every text, the English opt for an ‘xx’ instead of a full stop. While this way of texting was unfamiliar to me, I found it sweet that my friends were sending me kisses at the end of every message.

Then, I started receiving texts with ‘xx’ from people I had hardly met and I realised sending kisses had little to do with how well you knew somebody.

(Fast forward a few years and I am now sending kisses to everyone I text as well xx)

They’ve got a card for it.

What’s ‘it’? Literally anything you can think of.

While in other countries, you might find a small section in supermarkets or bookstores dedicated to cards, the English have entire shops that sell cards (such as Card Factory). As you can tell by its name, this shop sells thousands of cards, for any occasion you can think of and for any person in your life.

On Card Factory’s website, it lists the following occasions:

As for the recipients, the possibilities are endless; a few Christmases ago, my now husband and I received a ‘To my nephew and his fiancée’ card. (I found this amazing! )

Speaking of Christmas, did you know that the English have ‘Christmas Card Lists’ featuring the names and addresses of all their friends and family members? They then buy Christmas cards in bulk and mail them to everyone they know.

While this sounds fun, it can actually be a stressful chore. Accidentally forgetting to send someone a Christmas card is considered to be rude and embarrassing — it can even get you crossed off other people’s Christmas Card Lists!

In short, the English take their cards very seriously.

My advice?

If you are new to England, my advice would be to sit back and observe.

There will be a lot of things you definitely won’t be able to understand, even if you speak English fluently. You will also most likely get a lot of things wrong, and that’s okay. From personal experience, I assure you that you’ll have lots of funny stories to tell one day.

Now, with Christmas rapidly approaching, I suggest you find a printable Christmas Card List online and get started on updating your friends’ home addresses!