#rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

fuck guys sorry if my replies are slow there’s no wifi at this place im staying

#NOT ALL AT ONCE IT CANT FIT ALL OF YOU! #rwbt 2.0

[boomerang109]

i feel like a little kid not because i am in my brother’s house but because i have been awake for three hours and i’m just wandering around waiting for @hella1975 to wake up

#rwbt 2.0

[claracaboozle]

you left us unsupervised for an hour and ashla threw up are you happy now 😐

knew we shouldn't've left children unattended

#rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

would LOVE to know full details to the culture difference bestie when you've got the time because I'm kinda just a sucker for that. also. were we too nice for you tell me more about that

here we gooooo here's a rundown of the top things that were really jarring to me as a brit in america!

kinda dumb that i feel the need to say this but ive been burned before: americans, if you're going to send me shit about this list, please first reread what you've typed and ask yourself 'am i addressing this person as an actual real life adult that not only has experienced both countries she speaks about but also has perfectly functioning social skills that allow her to navigate what is and isn't a culture difference, or am i talking to her like a condescending little prick?' this includes messages like 'americans aren't actually ___, we're just ___ which clearly went over your head as a silly foreigner :)' do u understand how condescending messages like that are as the person who was there? this list is me saying what was strange to me AS A BRIT IN AMERICA. it is a comparison, not an objective statement of something ive decided is a fact about your culture. im not writing this so people can try and like. educate me on all the things i missed because america was just soooo complex. okay? stunning

you guys were SO nice like i think the best way i can contextualise this for an american is that the first time i felt actually comfortable (not that i was uncomfortable otherwise but i mean in a social sense) was when we were in new york city. no one looked at me no one wanted to talk to me people were shouting and being rude to each other it was just like home <3 the way americans are friendly is just so intense and it took me a good while to stop being so bowled over by it. like if you met someone one time they'd try and hug you and i found that very very strange

americans generally talk about their feelings a lot more and i dont even mean just from the people i interacted with bc that very well might have been because i just got on well with them so we were talking honestly, but even on commercials and things you guys talk about mental illnesses and such like it's a grocery shop whereas in england there's still very much a stiff upper lip culture about that kind of thing

you guys do speak louder. like objectively even 'quiet' americans were louder than most brits and would be glared at in public if we were in england just bc of the volume they were speaking at. you also inflect more. again i think this is another thing that boils down to americans being very bright and intense while the english are renowned for not wanting anyone to look at them ever. like a bug under a rock

FREE REFILLS!! i have not shut up about this but if you order a coffee somewhere then you have in fact ordered UNLIMITED COFFEE. the first time a waitress leaned over me to fill my coffee up i flinched away from her bc i was like what in god's name are you doing

if you try and make a hot drink in america then you are taking your life in your hands. you have to filter the water, find whatever apparatus this specific house uses to boil water, remind yourself that americans have a vendetta against milk so you have to use creamer which is 'exactly like milk' but 'you wouldnt drink it like milk' so what the fuck is going on there, and then by the time everything's done you want to go out back to curl up and die like an old dog. dont get me started on tea

one thing i thought was cute is that you guys say 'come get in the AC' the same way we would say 'come get out of the rain' like that's such a cute little human thing i think

AC itself is such a godsend but me not being used to it was kind of baffling to americans. boom's brother asked me what my ideal AC temp was at home and i just. looked at him bc i didnt even know where to start with that

it took me WEEKS to stop trying to get in the driver's side of the car

american ignorance is a very real very frustrating thing. 'whats that thing they do in europe-' idk bc ive never been to all of europe. 'when i went to europe-' where in europe. it is a continent. i got asked if we have fireworks in europe. bonfire night is older than the founding of america. there's just a genuine belief amongst americans that they're not even AWARE of (because it would be smart, nice americans that i genuinely liked saying these things) that america is the most elite country in the world and is the only place to have certain things

speaking of the european thing with americans, the fact that 'travelling to europe' is typically a bragging right over there and is seen as quite an upper class thing is very interesting. a lot of the times people would be bragging TO ME and it would go over my head bc id be like 'well anyone can go to spain'. i feel like shagaluf would give americans an aneurysm

the sheer size of america never truly registered with me until i was there like i cannot wrap my head around it. the uk can fit in lake michigan 4 times. you guys have cargo ships on lakes. the roads just go straight for miles and miles and miles. you have every environment and weather possible. literally obsessed

capitalism is actually way more intense in america. like yeah it makes sense america is thee capitalist country but i guess i thought because i was coming from a western capitalist country myself that it wouldnt change much. but like. billboards on roads. adverts while you pump gas. there is someone selling u something everywhere u look

tipping was so hard 😭 i knowwww it's necessary i understand the econ behind it all but i was so stressed all the time because of it 😭

YOUR STARBUCKS IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN OURS

i knew i was going to have to change the way i spoke in america bc of obvious things (my accent isnt The British Accent that americans recognise, i use a lot of slang etc) but it surprised me just how much i had to change. like by the end of it i wasnt using any slang and i was enunciating every letter because i was just so tired of saying something just for boom to have to literally translate bc like? it was no fault of theirs or mine or even the person i was talking to but it just made me feel Weird and Odd and most surprising of all was that it made me feel stupid? and i guess that's bc i get a lot of shit for my accent over here too so im oversensitive to it but ive never properly felt more like a foreigner in a different country than i did trying to talk to americans

sarcasm. im just. like the running joke is that americans dont get sarcasm and id have actually preferred that i think bc what instead happened is you guys have AMERICAN sarcasm and it just. made no fucking sense to me at all. i literally did not get american humour even slightly it was probably my biggest thing when i was over there like i literally felt like entire conversations were going over my head. british humour is very dry so not only did i not get american humour but sometimes MY humour would be misinterpreted as well and the entire thing was just very strange lol

RIGHT ON RED????? RED MEANS STOP???? WHAT ARE YOU DOING????

#sorry for the little disclaimer at the start of this list im rlly not trying to be rude #but if i had a quid for every time i pointed something out in america and someone would like. argue with me about it #id have enough to pay for america all over again #like id go 'americans are so friendly' and immediately 10 people would be like 'NO WE'RE ACTUALLY REALLY HORRIBLE CUNTS #EVERYONE IS JUST PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE WHICH AS SOMEONE WHO IS NOT ONLY AN ADULT WITH THE ABILITY TO READ SOCIAL CUES #BUT ALSO SOMEONE WHO LITERALLY WORKS CUSTOMER SERVICE THIS CLEARLY WENT OVER YOUR HEAD AND WE MUST EDUCATE YOU' #like. calm down.... maybe.... #when i say 'americans are so friendly' there's an unspoken 'compared to the uk' there. im COMPARING not STATING #like it is universally acknowledged that you guys are friendly? idk what the deal is idk why ur all so desperate to be seen as rude anyway #but that's just one example #anywayyyyyyy #ask #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

spent $20 on this freak at the smithsonian and idk what to call him im taking suggestions

#GOOD NAMES ONLY #he’s MY little freak #we all got matching ones teehee #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE SUN

#OF COURSE IT’S CLOUDY IN LA THATS KNOWN FOR ITS SUNSHINE YEAH NO OF COURSE #MY DAD HAS ALREADY MADE THE ‘BROUGHT THE WEATHER WITH YOU’ JOKE #at least it’s breaking me in gently I think if I walked off an 11 hour flight into full bright lights and sounds I’d faint #this is my way of saying I AM OFFICIALLY IN AMERICA #WOOOOO 🦅🦅🦅🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💸💸💸 #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

SHE’S ON THE MOVE 🫶🏼

#asked the nice Airbnb lady the best way to Heathrow and it was NOT like the route I’d given myself at all #like yes the local is obvs gonna know a better route and I am taking her word at the end of the day #but I’m currently waiting for a bus to some random fuck off tube station when my own plan saw me just cruising along #to paddington and then getting the elizabeth line #oh well beggars can’t be choosers ❤️ london scares me i am just a rural girlie ❤️ #wish me luck on this stupid as shit bus ig #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

HELLO??????

#for a country that hates communism so much u really want to share this moment with me 🤨 #what if we pissed together in the public viewing american cubicle 👀 #go piss girls. this is a group project #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

BABY’S FIRST DENNYS

#chicken biscuit and gravy bowl. i am woman i am fearless #will keep u posted 🤞🏼 #we had such a good day today #like acc have never felt so at peace and one with nature like ik that sounds so basic girlie goes to a natural park for the first time #but like i had a MOMEMT there was DEER INVOLVED i looked it in the EYE we felt the WIND there were BUTTERFLIES we went barefoot in the RIVER #incredible day genuinely #can almost forgive the ‘is that an australian accent 😀’ lady #is the australian accent in the room w us rn???? #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

no wait you forgot my favorite

“Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland?”

everyone, without fail, regardless of age, class, or education: a blank look, confusion, “umm, you know, i’m not sure. what’s the difference?”

me, trying not to be smug, as if i also was not just as clueless before interacting with you

honestly 😭 they'd be so chuffed about having visited ireland and id be like 'oh fr which part?' bc it's... a bit of a big deal and they'd just go '??? ireland???' every time like okay babe LMAO

#the one that really surprised me was your aunt and uncle #like they spent TIME in england properly and your aunt was telling that story about how there was a bomb threat #on their way back from a trip to ireland or smthn and i was like 'wait. when was this?' #and she was like 'oh in the 80s' and i was like girl. that was the fucking troubles 💀 #AND SHE DIDNT KNOW WHAT I MEANT #ask #rwbt 2.0 #to any irish followers i can confirm americans are utter freaks about you ive literally never seen anything like it #'im irish american!!' and it's a man whose family havent touched irish soil in three decades

[hella1975]

not to have my instagram take me back moment but take me back....

#i. need to drive through america again #i need to be in a car with my friends again i need to be Doing Things again i need to see insane landscapes again #i need to stay in bad motels again i need to share a bed with boom again i need to go back to lake erie #i need to figure out whose turn it is to pay for petrol again i need to bicker with ashla about everything and nothing again #instead i am stuck in this soggy country. england is just a big field and everything is known here #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

girlblogging like im setting up an office space. yeah bestie u can go have a bath im gonna be answering my silly asks and writing my silly words. in my head im twirling in a chair looking very serious. mayhaps holding a phone while typing aggressively. yes it's necessary for my mental health

#me and boom are kinda just existing around each other rn it's v cute #like im just having a day where i kinda need to do my own thing and as silly as it sounds #tumblring and/or writing (they tend to go hand in hand for me) have become huge sources of down time for me #so on days like this being able to just sit on my laptop without contributing anything to anyone socially is just sacred #and im with someone who gets that so we're just vibing <3 i cant believe i leave in 2 days :( #boomstie when u see this hiiiiiiiiiiiiii <333 #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

drinking the worst tea ive ever had 💔

#life sucks forever then you die #bought a specifically british blend bc one thing about me i like a little cuppa in the evening and the only thing that looked remotely like #normal tea in the entire tea aisle was of course the british blend #fucking tetley no less #then none of the motels have kettles bc why would you want to live deliciously #so I used the definitely-just-a-weird-kettle-no-fr-why-not-just-get-a-kettle thing and that was questionable at best #AND we have no milk so it was black tea and all in all a horrific experience #BUT we had ramen and saw the grand canyon today sooooo 😎 #we did a lil hike it was so fun did youse know the grand canyon is fucking HUGE??? literally insane i could’ve stared at it all day #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

I MISS ROADTRIPPING SO MUCH @boomerang109 @mundifinis 'i totally almost hit that guy' boom freaking out on the road despite never once coming close to hitting anyone ashla shouting at drivers but freaking out if anything even came close to going wrong perpetual passenger princess me doing absolutely fuck all always. the aux being the most fucked thing ever listening to the entirety of hadestown being asked to queue fake plastic trees in broad daylight ptolemaea coming on at a gas station. almost breaking down in the desert at night. that stupid water bottle being launched every time the car stopped too suddenly. 'return to the route' x10. maccies runs. sprinting through american niagara because we thought we were going to get a parking ticket. doing canadian niagara in 30 mins because we refused to pay any longer for parking. ride by lana del rey. me and michael by mgmt with the windows down. cleaning all the dead bugs off the windscreen again and again and again. SO many sandwiches. boom's car making increasingly concerning noises. driving 20mph bc it's nighttime. watching fireflies out the window. why are there so many potholes in america. 'guys...'

#the reason im such a freak about music is bc i attach it so interchangeably to memories/media/people so it's very visceral for me #and for as much as we got done we also did spend 70% of this trip just driving for hours on end listening to music and talking #when i tell you SO MANY SONGS have been changed forever bc of this roadtrip #YOU TOOK LANA DEL REY FROM ME YOU FREAKS! YOU TOOK NOAH KAHAN! MY SMALL TOWN BOY POLLUTED BY AMERICA? JAIL #how to move on from the roadtrip when i cant go a day without listening to music and every song is a palimpsest of its original meaning #everything is drenched in memory baby! why am i smiling softly while making tea bc some random as fuck song came on shuffle! #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

‘that’s a tornado siren’ FUCKING PARDON

#got hit with a cheeky emergency weather warning for ‘baseball sized hail’ god bless america #currently holed out in a fucking RANDOM MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK #bc boom didn’t want their fucking WINDSHIELD SMASHED #this country is fake btw i have decided #the tornado thing was nearby btw im PRETTY sure we’re fine 😋😋😋 #rwbt 2.0

[hella1975]

getting drunk with americans in canada

#👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 #a middle class W from me truly this is such a funny set up #I’m having so much fun #boomstie’s family is so lovely #and they have actual alcohol!!! real life spirits!!!! it took 3 weeks abroad in america for me to encounter real alcohol… in canada #live laugh love #rwbt 2.0