Interview With Toni Summers Hargis

I interviewed Toni Summers Hargis, the author of Rules, Britannia, the book that I reviewed. She said that some of the main things you need to know before you move the UK are that there are big differences in how we talk. You think you speak the same language, but actually we use many different words for different things. She said many things are smaller such as the houses and appliances; the food is different from American food, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t as good as American food. She said it is very easy to make mistakes with manners. The British are big with the word please, and they would think it was rude if you didn’t use the word even if you asked nicely. It is very rude to refer to a person standing in the same room as he or she, which is something we don’t even think about doing. She said that Americans are much more conservative than the British. For example the British tell it like it is and typically aren’t as reserved in conversation; another example would be that we go to bed and rise earlier than British people. She said that it is just as hard to immigrate to the UK as it is to the US. You need a reason to be there such as marriage, your job, or some type of exchange program. Her favorite thing about the UK that the US doesn’t have is its history. When asked if education is better in the US or the UK, she said that when she first moved to the US kids learned how to read at age six and in the UK at age four. She thinks that it averages out by the time you finish though. She said the US education program is better in the aspect of picking out what you want your profession to be because in the UK you have to (if you want to go to University) take A-levels (sort of like AP tests) in certain subjects at the age of 16. She said the hardest thing to adjust to would probably be the slower pace of life, and it’s just not what you’re used to in general.
I found this interview to be tremendously helpful. It was nice to get someone’s actual opinion and speak to them in person rather than just reading an article. It was also nice getting advice from someone who grew up in the UK and knows it well, but who has also lived in the US for a while. You could definitely tell that she knew what she was talking about. I found what she said about UK’s history interesting because I never really think about the fact that what we think is old is really not that old at all compared to buildings, houses, etc. in the UK. I really don’t have anything bad to say about the interview, and it was an enjoyable and interesting experience.

Hargis, Toni Summers. Telephone Interview. 5 May 2010.