4 Surprising Ways I've Become Americanized 

In Japan they say “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down,” encouraging conformity and agreeableness. In America we say “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” to say if you speak up you’ll get what you need

It’s interesting to hear the phrase “it never rains, it pours” because the American version is: When it rains, it pours. The slight difference says a lot.

When I moved from Montana to California to take care of my elderly parents, it seemed like I had to assimilate to a new country.

This is a great channel, light-hearted and funny. Lawrence doesn´t take himself too seriously, and that´s a gentle trait that´s in terribly short supply nowadays. He makes a lot of good observations, and yet manages to do so in that inimitable, dry British style. Welcome to America, Lawrence. We need more great RU-vid videos, and Americans need to hear what the rest of the world thinks of us - at least the rest of the world that doesn´t hate us.

Lawrence, when we hear you use "y'all", your well on the way to being Americanized. Lol.

fun fact Americans drank coffee because of tea tax way back when

Im the opposite, ive always loved the smell of coffee and hate the taste

There are other perks to the hat. Bad hair day? Hat. Bad haircut? Hat. Risk of sunburn due to bald head? Hat.

My husband (British) and I (American) moved back to my home city a year ago. This channel is helping the transition tremendously!

When I order something at a restaurant, I start with “Hi” extremely quick smile (smiling with my eyes, too!) as I begin my direct order “May I get a...”. It’s the nonverbal “I’m acknowledging you are a person and not a machine to serve me” I’ve talked to a lot of people who’ve worked at food retail and I’ve been told that 1/3 of their customers sociopathically treat them as if they aren’t people. It’s easy to go too far the other way in being direct.

Not all places in the northern parts of america are cold like chicago. Fun fact, Portland, OR is further north than Toronto, Canada. How ever, Portland's weather is about identical to that of England. Cloudy, dark, and raining 9 months of the year. Temps are always moderate with occasional heat waves or the occasional "snowpaclypse" which really only turns into a cm of snow that melts in a day yet every one loses their mind any way. This same story is true for both Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC. Pacific northwest is secluded and far north, but not cold. For this matter, a lot of what you learn about america is completely reversed in the pacific northwest. I didn't travel til I was 18. Going to other states was actually quite a culture shock. It was surprisingly LESS of a culture shock for me when I went to London than when I went to California, detroit, new york, texas, or any other state.

At least you called it a FLASHLIGHT and not a TORCH.

“Prompting the cubs to win the rock series” 😂😂

From Norway to the U.S. a long, long, long time ago. I learned British English in school as a child/youth in Norway, so I had to change my English pronunciations just a little bit to sound less like a Norwegian with a bad British accent to one with a bad American one. :-) Love your videos. Your sense of humor is decidedly British.

there is no 'bad weather,' there is only "inappropriate clothing"

Larry gets his 'Merica on !!!

I can't seem to wipe the smile from my face as I watch this. My husband came to the US from South Africa 16 years ago. Three years ago, he had a similar moment of realization that he'd been assimilated . A few months after that, he applied for his citizenship. Now he insists on identifying himself as American. Unless, of course, there's some Castle Lagers nearby. Then he's true blue Afrikaner again. I also had a moment a few hours ago, watching a You Tube video about South African Christmas, which basically means food, food and food. I found myself so homesick for my mother-in-law's toasties and my father-in-law's biltong I nearly drooled. So I guess assimilation works both ways. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to order biltong from Amazon.

Larry, you live on the north side of Chicago. There are many coffee roasters there. Buy a grinder and grind your own beans. You will never darken the doorway of a Starbucks again. Also, buy another pair of wool socks. Winter is coming.

When you own more than 2 cars, and one of them is a truck, THEN you'll be American.

Okay, okay, okay! This is my FAVORITE "Lost in the Pond" video. Go, Lawrence. You can do whatever you choose to do (if your wife says it's okay).

The word "Y'all" should be used everywhere. Say what you want about the south, that's just a useful contraction.

Watches while eating chocolate covered espresso beans...

Sounds like you had a cup of coffee or two for this well-written, witty, and sharply delivered episode. Well done.

I'm an American and I spent some time in Ireland (Dublin specifically). One linguistic quirk I picked up on is that people refer to things as "grand" a lot in ways we wouldn't really do in the USA (at least not in the NYC area).

The squeaky wheel gets the grease is a saying that sums up the segment on American directness.

Indeed i have assimilated to another country. I used to live in Northern Michigan and now i live in southern Michigan. So complete is my transformation that no one can tell!

So 6 weeks in Australia left me walking on the left and almost going up the escalator the wrong way, etc numerous times for the next 2-4 weeks when I returned.

As a lifelong Cubs fan that's never been closer to Chicago than 30 minutes at the airport in St. Louis, I feel I need to express my eternal gratitude for allowing them to win a World Series in my lifetime. I had lost hope....

You missed one very important function of the baseball cap. In Chicago it keeps the pigeon crap off your head! lol

I enjoy so many things about your channel, your choice of topics, your humor, your unique perspective on things, but most of all, your thoughtful, (and also thought provoking)way of discussing various topics. 🙂👍

Used to have conversations with my English mother regarding becoming Americanized. She came over at age 19 and passed away at 83. There were many Americanisms! She never lost her accent.

Lol "Entirely unfit for humans" is exactly how I look at winter.

When I attended Indiana State some of my roommates were from other countries and although they spoke English they spoke with vernacular added from their respective countries. People from Singapore and Malaysia still speak their own versions of Commonwealth English and thanks to them I learned a good deal about soccer, rugby, and cricket.

My family is mostly of English origin, but have been this side of the pond for 3-5 generations... we've still got the crap hair 🤣😭

I live in Virginia about 4 hours away from Philadelphia, but I moved there for 5 years and my vocabulary has shifted ever so slightly since then. My biggest example is that when I didn’t hear someone correctly and wanted to repeat themselves I would say, “what?” Now I say, “pardon?”

One writer to another: that was a very cleverly written script. I truly enjoyed the word play

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="670">11:10</a> I have never once in my 30 years of life as an American heard anyone, American or otherwise, pronounce "versatile" like that.

Trust me we get negative temps on Arizona every winter.

That Jimmy Stewart was good!

That “hey guys” and your Jimmy Stewart impression were both spot on!!

Bill of a "baseball cap" sometimes works good paired with the hood of a winter coat. (Though I'm not sure how well it would up north.) Texas tends to have stiff cold winds and stinging sleet more than snow. So the little tilted "roof" helps prevent the sting, stick, melt, freezing wet cold of what is basically tiny hail iceballs to the face. 😆👍

Your soul is half American, Laurence. :)

I'm from MN and we have these enclosed bridges between buildings in Minneapolis called "skyways" that allow us to stay inside during the winter and still get around town on foot. Anyway, one January, around lunchtime, a man from Scotland stopped me and asked for directions to his hotel. He had gotten lost in the skyway system. I told him how to get back, but he asked if I couldn't just tell him how to do it by going on the street. (It would be more direct) I looked at him in his leather jacket with no gloves or hat and said, "I can tell you, but I really have to ask you not to try that. If you go out like you are dressed you could be frostbitten in a matter of minutes, would please consider taking a cab? or maybe you would like to go over to Macy's and buy yourself a winter coat and the rest." He informed me he was wearing his winter coat. I could only grimace and tell him that he should follow my directions through the skyway as far as he could and then ask another person. People are very helpful here...please don't go outside...please.

I want to explain why Americans are direct. In my life, I have had neighbors from Mexico, Viet Nam, Afghanistan, Fiji, Japan, the Philippines, Poland, Egypt, Ireland... and more. In these circumstances, subtle, nuanced communication & literary references just don't work! Even the body language can be different. You need to speak plainly in America.

The first time you succumbed to immediate gratification, Laurence, you became an American

I'm from Los Angeles, and if I'm being honest, I have a jacket like that one and I wear it when it gets below 75 degrees lol. I find your video's so funny I'm glad I subscribed.😂🤭

"Pavement" was a tough one for me for some reason, whilst I was living in the UK, but I finally got it, I guess. Helping to run a village fete, as an actual villager, along with everyone else who was helping, was a huge triumph for me and a huge honour. Felt as if I'd finally been accepted. So: pavement, whilst, fete.... And then there's "quite". Oh dear. Save that discussion for another day, perhaps.

I moved back to my hometown of Chicago after spending 6 yrs in LA. I proudly showed off the new winter “coat” I had bought before returning when my mom picked me up at the airport. She laughed in my face. (The following day I was out looking for a parka....you forget what cold feels like after a while!)

Coffee black. Thank you

As someone that was born in the United States, I can tell you with confidence that the USA is five countries that pretend to be one. You have the New England states, the Mid-Atlantic states, the Southern states, the Midwestern states, the Southwestern states, and the Western states. You could even make the argument that the Native American (American Indian) tribes are also separate countries too. You can still make the argument that Alaska and Hawaii are separate countries too. So the USA definitely is countries within countries within countries within countries. A very good example of that is the rules of daylight saving time within Arizona. Study the USA long enough or live in USA long enough and you'll quickly see what I mean by this. The USA is a big country. Merry Xmas. Have a nice day/night.

ROFL on the silly part. I'm in TX... we don't get much snow but people wear parkas with shorts here at some points even when it "is" cold :P

From Detroit, just happened across your videos today and I have to say, you're such a great addition to our population and country.

If you came to Seattle for awhile, you might find it oddly familiar. People apologize when other people bump into them, express there needs indirectly, and are unaccostomed to really cold weather. But they do drink a lot of coffee.

Indiana Brown and the American Assimilation.. Coffee, strong and black. Confidence. Communication. Caps. CHICAGO.

My great grandfather was born in West Ord ? Northumberland. Great grandmother in Durham. Love this channel!

My favorite video of yours so far. Thank u!

You haven’t been in England recently, coffee is everywhere! Even pubs have espresso machines.

Your videos are SO entertaining....also got to love a guy who knows "It's a Wonderful Life"!

I absolutely love the humor you slip into your storytelling!

Too enjoyable! My daughter has lived in England for about 10 years. She's picked up SO many English phrases and vocabulary! I enjoy hearing her translations. I also enjoy your videos very much!

You will always be bilingual/binational. I remember when I went to a school in Cheshire in 1967 as a Yankee "exchange student" for a year. I was placed in upper sixth form classes and named a prefect. Bloody hell, I was in way over my head. Fellow students would tell me that I was incapable of logical thought since I spoke American English. My masters butchered me over spelling in essays. Being a prefect and being forced to punish young ones for being kids was about as foreign as it got for me. What I did was grab the young rascals out of our boarding house and take them walking in the Peninnes in very cold rain on week-ends. I made them learn how to use a compass and topog maps. I told them, "If you don't want a repeat of this miserable hike, think twice next time." Weirdly, many lads volunteered for later walks on the moors! After 50+ years, I still retain use of some British words and pronunciations, which cause jokes from my relatives. I don't mind. Aloha from Hawai'i! Where we all speak weird versions of languages, 4 in my household.

The problem with Chicago rain, is that sometimes it's bullets.

If you ever get a chance to move to Charlotte, NC, take it. We have virtually no snow. We get excited if we have one snow a year, even though we'll get maybe 1 inch and it's gone in two days. We have warm winter days off and on all through the winter. Yes, it does get hot in the summer, but not near as hot as Florida. We're near the Smokey mountains, which are magical and breath-taking in each season. We'd be glad to have you.

After watching British TV shows on PBS like Dr Who and Time Team (20 years) I've picked up several English pronunciations that sometimes confuses people. But I still can't understand people from Northern Britain, the Scots or the Irish. Basically I think the people of London , who come from all over, speak the most understandable English.

Lawrence: mentions the cubs winning the World Series Me: starts applauding loudly at 1 am even though I share a room

You described by my exact experience with coffee in America, and I'm American. Except, I still cannot get past the smell or taste of the stuff.

Love your humorous channel ! ❤️ I am from the USA, so all your posts are funny . Thanks for the smiles .

Been watching your videos for quite a while now and love them as I loved traveling around the UK for months meeting people and enjoying talking about the differences. Sorry you have to live in Chicago ,you should visit the South , like Tennessee ,N.Carolina ,S. Carolina etc and see how REALLY friendly everyone is and how laid back it is.

When my family moved to the US in the 50s, I was 5 years old. We stopped for lunch in Salt lake City and I was really enjoying my Mac and cheese. The waitress came by and said "Gee whiz you really need a napkin!". I was totally outraged. Where we came from, a napkin was what you were supposed to wrap around a baby's butt, a serviette was what you wiped your face with. I can never forget this.

I come from "Chicagoland" (Yes, they really say that) and have lived in North Carolina for years. I think that may have been a bigger cultural transition than you went through, Lawrence!

My dad came from England, but he liked his coffee better than he liked tea. He came over here after WWII, and he acclimated pretty quickly. He still went to the American version of the C-of-E , which my mother grew up because her father was from Scotland. I've never had trouble with Britishisms mixed into Americanisms, and to this day I still can't always tell the difference. He pronounced most words American style, but probably different from what you experienced because I was born and raised in New Orleans, which isn't like any other place in America. No, people down there do not speak French, but New Orleans has its own dialectic bits that, again, aren't heard anywhere else. Welcome to America.

I'm an American living in the UK, and I've been accused by only English ebay sellers (not Scottish, not Northern Irish, not Welsh) of being rude when I was simply being direct as any American might. The quick to be rude back when the English ebay seller interprets directness as rudeness has amazed me. When I told UK relatives of the problem of my directness being interpreted as rudeness and the rude response, their first question was: "Have the sellers been English?"

Well, we in the South were raised to be super polite...at least, if our mamas raised us right we were...lol. But, I guess you English/British folks understand that! However, I have met some really nice folks who were from up North, too. Many people in the "midwest" and in the High North seem very nice, to me. There is a saying about "Minnesota nice", I think. And, I think there are nice people all across the land--from California to New York. Anyway, I love hearing your perspective on England and all the differences culturally. I think it would be cool to visit or live there, too. Many of us Americans often feel like the British Isles is our original "homeland" far away over the sea--so there is something like a deeply instinctive desire to return and see the ancient homeland (and to get to know it better). Anyway, your videos are very positive, thought-provoking, funny, and informative. P.S. I am glad you have discovered the joy in coffee and the joy in wearing a good ole cap! Take care!

"The individual desire to succeed." I can't believe you actually said that. Not that it isn't true, mind you. I just can't believe you ACTUALLY SAID IT!. You may one day come to truly understand this country after all. Maybe.

Awwww, how sweet. Bless your heart.

Your phases at the end so relatable those terms rubbish and mobile were hard at first overseas. Interestingly enough I still hear the phrase mind the gap in my head whenever I see or think of British tube and traffic signs. ☺️

People in my office think you look like Ricky Gervais or Russell Crowe

Oh I'm the opposite! I think brewing coffee is a heavenly scent. The taste on the other hand, you couldn't pay me enough to drink it, yuck!

Another advantage of ball caps is it keeps the rain and snow off your face, eliminating the need for an umbrella. Try it.

When I was growing up in New Jersey,it got very very cold,so I would wear long johns.

If a Radiohead shirt makes you feel young, this must be a really old story.

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="215">3:35</a> that's a paper cup of coffee not a mug.

When it comes to coffee, got bless Italy. I love Italian Coffee. What I learned from the UK, never plan for good weather. When you're planning on what do for the upcoming weekend, you don't make plans with the expectations that there's going to be good weather. if you wait for good weather, you won't be doing much. Oh ya, my Liverpool FC jacket, which I brought back to the states, didn't work very well in a Minnesota. winter. What I missed after going home was how clubs & pubs were close to each other. I missed finding a city (like Warrington) and finding pubs & clubs in walking distance to each other. My point is, I really enjoyed my time in England. Now I live in Germany.

Thanks for helping the Cubbies. Me and my dad really appreciate it.

The Clothes reminded me: Some 15+ years back, working in a C-store, I had a gentleman in and I recognized the style and cut of his overcoat looked Soviet (with insignia removed). Inquiring, it turned out I was correct: his brother was in the US military, stationed in West Berlin when the USSR and the Berlin Wall collapsed. The citizens *and* soldiers from the Eastern side were hungry to get ahold of Western dollars. Thinking of his brother in Chicago, our soldier bought a coat from one of the East-side soldiers as a gift. The coat was designed so a guard at a checkpoint in Siberia could stand his duty all day without getting cold. (That's smart: buy summer wear designed for the equator and winter wear designed for Siberia!)

My assimilation experience, if you wish to call it that, was quite different from yours. As a preschooler, I lived in Peterborough-Huntingdonshire; my parents were Americans of pre-Revolutionary descent, and my father was stationed at RAF Alconbury. However, it does give me an amusing tale that I did not acquire an American accent until I was six years old. I do recall watching cricket being played, which has almost zero interest in the States. Flocks of sheep blocking the road in the English countryside, again, not like the States. And have you ever seen a doubledecker bus on this side of the pond? And we used a teapot over there the same way you guys do; in the States, it's merely used for boiling water. There were also the kerosene (oops, paraffin) heaters. What truly frightened me after moving to west Texas was the hugeness of a tumbleweed; I sincerely wondered if one would swallow me. The vast openness of the Llano Estacado was so different from England. Well into my teens, I had trouble understanding older relatives from the backwoods. On the other hand, they thought my sister and I talked strangely when we returned from England. I am now on my fourth natural accent (due to moving around), but when I sing certain songs, I end up reverting to an English accent.

I'm American, but grew up watching British television shows, so I often use British terms for things without thinking about it. I also spend more time than I should watching Celtic FC and LFC matches. In fact, my 3 trips to the UK revolved around going to matches in Glasgow and Liverpool.

I'm a Wisconsin girl. Winter is an experience for sure. It is beautiful when the snow glitters in the moonlight

I was born in the '50s (USA) and my Irish grandmother would always say "I have to wash my vessels" referring to her pots and pans. I forgot all about that until I befriended a young Indian couple (dots, not feathers) who said the same thing. They were newly arrived from India where the Queen's English (as I sure you know) is still spoken there. I'm from Pennsylvania and they still refer to a bag as a poke (okay, just the older generation) and growing up we referred to boots that you pull on over your shoes as rubbers. By the time I was nine we called then galloshes. Not sure of the spelling. Down south they have a buffet. In the north it's a smorgasbord. Up north the say "We're about to...". Down south they say " We's fixin' to...". Down south it's "y'all" Up north...it depends: New York, "yooz guys" or "yooz". Pa, "you uns"" (you ones) or, simply "yuns". There are many more but you get the idea! Glad you feel at home here and I'm so glad you're here!

Rapmaster Ell. Yeah, boi! "The latte that necessitated the latter." Clever.

Just discovered your channel and I love it!! Also, I was born and live in Anderson, so I thought it was cool that you lived here. As you are with the U.S., I have always been fascinated with all things British! Have a great evening!!

When we went over to Scotland in 2014 to visit my husband's family, they joked about him becoming Americanized because his accent had become less Scottish and a bit more American, including his vocabulary. However, in that time we were visiting, about two weeks he quickly fell back into his Scottish dialect when interacting with his family and the town locals. Of course at that time he has been living in the states 10 years. Currently going on 17 years in the states and his Scottish accent is quite mild compared to when he first came over.

Any American Authors that you admire more than English Authors.

If you were truly assimilated, you'd be Larry, not Lawrence. I don't think I've ever met an American who called himself Lawrence. And buy a gun. True Americans own guns. And a pickup wouldn't hurt either, but I can understand why you wouldn't want one living in a city. They're a pain to parallel park.

Loved it ! It made me smile ! Thanks

I've never left the east coast of the US but I was born and raised in the north and have since moved and assimilated to the South, where I still get strange looks for my pronunciation of certain words such as coffee and dog. Love your channel, keep up the good work ☕

If there was an IV drip for coffee, we Americans, would use that top.

You look good in a baseball cap. Hard for some people to pull it off.

I can appreciate your list of Americanized traits. My mother came to America at the age of 20 until her passing at age 83. We often talked about differences that often led to chuckles and guffaws. She was from Hertfordshire.

One of your best. Quite fascinating to reexamine such details as a longtime anglophile. Reminds me that a large percentage of my fellow Americans could do to familiarize themselves with foreign cultures.