Courtesy of Jane Ridley
It's not very often that you're offered a job in an exciting new country — at least in my case.
So, in 2005, I seized the chance to move from England to the US to work for a former colleague.
The plan was to stay for a maximum of two years. I couldn't bear the thought of being away from my friends, family, and homeland any longer.
It took a while to adjust. But homesickness aside, I enjoyed my fresh start in the US.
Then, I met my future husband in a bar in Manhattan. Before we knew it, we were married, had two children, and I got US citizenship.
People often ask about the biggest differences between the UK and the US. Drawing on my 19 years of experience, they include politics and healthcare, the size of the meals and the cars, and, of course, the English language application.
Nonetheless, I've acclimated well. I eat Buffalo chicken wings, cheerfully wave the flag at July 4 parades, and have stopped telling my kids to call me "Mum" instead of "Mom."
But a few random things about America and its ways befuddle me. Here are three that I'm still trying to figure out.
I can't quite understand the appeal of "The Great American Road Trip," in which you drive 700 miles in one day while singing along to rock ballads.
I grew up 250 miles from London, and the thought of driving to the capital in one go horrified me. Edinburgh was roughly 100 miles from my hometown, yet a day trip was inconceivable.
You can imagine my reaction when my husband suggested a 2,000-mile round trip between northern Florida and New York for spring break last year.
I felt mean, but I got a cheap flight and flew there alone. But, on the way back, I was trapped in a car for 15 hours with the family. The journey on I-95 felt like a rolling traffic jam.
My husband — who played ZZ Top on loop — had a ball. The kids showed their British side with endless whining.
Still, there is hope. Last week, we drove 360 miles to mid-coast Maine. It took seven hours. Our au pair downloaded an app for "License Plate Bingo."
We spotted 43 states, and it was fun. "You're a real American now," my husband said as I gleefully claimed Alabama.
Courtesy of Jane Ridley
The UK — comprised of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Island — covers 94,354 square miles. There is one standard time zone for all four countries.
Meanwhile, there are six in the US, which encompasses 3,532,316 square miles, including Alaska Standard Time and Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time.
Math has never been my strongest subject. As a journalist who interviews people in different parts of the US daily, I've lost count of the times I've contacted them too early or too late.
Confusingly, 12 states have two time zones. I'm not arguing against physics and geography. But it messes with my mind.
My American-born husband reckons it's because, unlike him, I wasn't raised to know the difference between Mountain and Pacific.
It's gotten me off the hook a few times. But 17 years into our marriage, my mother-in-law (who lives in Oregon) has become less relaxed about my forgetful phone calls at 6 a.m.
When I was first offered a job in America, I could choose between living in Los Angeles and New York City.
My mother — who did some nursing in California in the 1950s — said it was a no-brainer. "The climate is perfect there," she said.
But LA was 5,500 miles from London, 2,000 more than New York. I didn't want to be a 10-and-a-half-hour flight away from my loved ones.
I picked New York without really thinking about the weather. I arrived in May during a heat wave, moving into my apartment when it was 95 degrees.
The first winter was brutal. I once made the mistake of walking 15 blocks to a holiday party wearing a short skirt and thin tights. The heat went out in my building on a 15-degree day.
It snows in Britain — in fact, my home county in the north has one of the snowiest areas in the UK — but it's nothing compared to New York. Few homes have air conditioning. Extreme weather is rare.
"Some things you get used to, some things you don't," goes the old saying about making a big change. But a fellow ex-pat recently told me that trying your best is important. I'll follow her advice in the future.
Do you have an interesting story about living outside your native country that you'd like to share with Business Insider? Please send details to jridley@businessinsider.com
