Cultural Insensitivity

What's up= Are you alright? This can be a bit confusing the first time you hear it. You think you look ill or something.

Yes, cars tend to be smaller, though there are plenty of cars that wouldn't be out of place in the US. We happen to have an Aston Martin dealership just up the road from our dorms. That's a bit of a shock the first time you see it.

Spiked ciders and juices seems to be the most common drink. Beer is widely available but it is a bit more expensive for some reason. Lots of people drink it but it doesn't seem to be popular as a basic drink. Shots and wine or wine and juice are common too and often are cheap on student nights. A shot is about a pound here. Cocktails tend to be less than three pounds so they are popular as well. Girls tend to like wine and shots a lot more. Mixed drinks tend to have very little alcohol especially when girls mix them for themselves. Overall those of us from Colgate aren't used to the club scene and loud music, not to mention going out most nights of the week (as opposed to weekends), but we can for some reason drink the Welsh under the table if we want to. My tolerance is a time or two at least that of most of the men I've met that I would consider average drinkers here.

The clubs are mostly owned by the same UK wide chains. The experience depends on where you go. Clubs tend to have large bar areas and then usually a second floor for dancing. Some places are Japanese style karaoke clubs (like TigerTiger). Buffalo's is a quietish cocktail place if that's what you're after. The pubs are equally varied and tend to cater to beer drinkers more than the clubs. They are cheaper and have better food too. They are overall quieter, especially earlier in the night. Some of them closer to the dorms get louder at night with more students and young people. You sort of just have to accept that as it gets late if you were trying to avoid the noise.

People smoke a lot. Rolling their own is very common. The supplies are available and obviously its cheaper. People do not smoke inside though you do breathe in or smell a lot of smoke. I wouldn't say that it is more common here, at least visibly, than anywhere else save some big cities (a problem of concentration) or certain parts of Ireland (can't offer a reason there).