American Living in England Pros and Cons

So I moved to England last March...

My situation is probably different then others who are considering living here. I moved here because my boyfriend at the time wanted to get more serious with me. We had chatted about what we would like to see our futures become. And they were inline with each others. We both wanted to start a family and he wanted to help me succeed in the Acting profession. I needed a little stability which he could provide. Plus we thought each other as attractive. So I spent all my money(believe it was good chunk of money) to get me and my dog Winchester out to England. That way we could make our relationship work. 

We knew that if I came out to England, it would be a long term thing. So before I did all that we had already talked about marriage.  

Fast forward to now. I am married to a military man, who I love, and slightly integrated into the UK community. I say slightly because currently I am a house wife only(I actually enjoy being a home maker). But I really haven't made many friends here yet. And that's because I am not working outside the home. And there is definitely imho nothing wrong with that. Especially since we are would like to grow our family. But also because I do not have a work visa. 

So for others who may come here for schooling or a career, your situation will be completely different. 

Here are some of my experiences moving here. 

1. English people will purposely change sidewalks or walk on the street if they see another walking in their direction. And not all do this, but a lot do. And when I first noticed this I thought that they some how knew I was American and wanted to avoid me(like American radar detection) lol. But I noticed it wasn't just to me but to others too.
2.  Learning the lingo here. I knew what a flat was. But instead of calling it "renting" it's called "to let". Being  vegan I would go in the health conscience area of a grocery store. Here in the U.K. its called "free from' area. It made sense once I figured it out. There is no "thrift stores" but they are called "charity" stores.
3.  I still haven't drove here(being lazy about it). But the roads are a bit tight. Some only allow one vehicle to pass through. But everyone is pretty good about letting others pass if they have room to move over. There are some crazy drivers, but that is everywhere. The lights turn yellow before red and again before green. Which I think is pretty cool.
4.  The shops close very early. Usually by 6-7 pm every store is closed. So that makes grocery shopping a bit difficult. Luckily Waitrose stays open till 8 pm. But then by 8 pm everything in town has settled except the taverns. 
5.  Maybe its just the smaller towns here but after midnight all the side street lights are turned off. I thought this was a bit creepy. Because there have been a few times we were walking home from a tavern and had to use our phone flashlight to see where we were going. Felt like it could be easy for a mugger to get you.
6. I do love the architecture. Its all very classical and Victorian style. Lots of old brick buildings with cute little windows. I don't know if this is the case for most flats close to town, but our walls are paper thin. Good luck doing karaoke anytime soon if you don't want to peel your neighbors ears off. 
7. Being able to travel is amazing here in just a few short hours you can be in a different country. Paris was awesome. Can't wait to go back. Plus London and Cambridge isn't to far either.
8.  The Scenery. It actually  reminds me a lot of Wisconsin. The greenery is much the same and the country feel. But the UK keeps it more maintained. And there is lots of parks/gardens here. 

These are just a few of the things that are different for me. I really can't wait to travel a bit more!!