Old habits
 

Now been in the US just over 4 months. adjusting well apart from a couple of old habits...

Going to my car, if I'm not concentrating fully then I often go to the passenger side and not the drivers side

Writing cheques ( sorry, checks ), found myself writing pounds

Writing a date - I always have to stop and think hard before doing that

otherwise, blending in well with the natives

Re: Old habits
 

Did the same, for quite a while....usually when getting back into the car after filling it up. Driving wasn't ever a problem though, except occasionally hitting the door when going for the hand brake/gear shifter.

And I still have to do the date in my head first :lol:

Re: Old habits
 

I am glad you are settling in well.

We have been in Phoenix for nearly two years now. I still find myself going to the wrong side for the driver's door. I look through the window and wonder where the hell the steering wheel went :lol:.

As for writing the date - why on earth do they feel the need to write it backwards ;) I have to stop and think and if I get confused I just write the whole date out in full instead.

On the driving side, I still sometimes have to think hard before I turn left to make sure I don't go on the wrong side of flowing traffic :o.

Old habits die hard.....

Re: Old habits
 

For some reason it seems the date thing is really hard to shake off.

Re: Old habits
 

The date is the hardest...also light switches for me.

Re: Old habits
 

Came here in 1996

I still can't handle the date format used here. The car thing.... I did that just the other week. And yes, all the light switches are upside down. :D

Re: Old habits
 

Just wait until it becomes normal and then you go back to the UK and try and get in on the wrong side!

I'm with you on the date. I still have to think about it. I deal with London a lot for work so I tend to write it out wherever possible to prevent confusion.

Re: Old habits
 

I've been in the US for 7 years, including 4 different states, and I still feel out of place. Just about accepted that I'll never quite be able to 'blend in'! :blink:

No idea why it took me so long to come to that realisation!

Re: Old habits
 

I still find dates incredibly difficult, it doesn't help that both me and hubby were born before the 12th day of the month.

I can't shake the habit as a pedestrian of looking the wrong way to cross the road. Now I just seem to shake my header like a nutter looking left, right, left right...

Re: Old habits
 

Re: Old habits
 

I didn't have any problems until I went back, then I tended to be in the wrong lane after a turn.

Re: Old habits
 

4 years in and I still stop before writing the date.

I convert prices into pounds before deciding if something is expensive or not (which exchange rate I use in my head depends on whether I am trying to convince myself to buy it or not).

After a trip home I have a phantom clutch problem.

And certain words just don't slip off the tongue, I fear I will never open my 'hood' or put shopping in the 'trunk' nor walk down a sidewalk or drive my car on the pavement. I still buy rubbers for my sons pencil case :eek: and petrol at the garage - ah well.... I do buy zucchini, cilantro and all purpose flour though and order filayy if I want a steak - I wonder why the food stuff seems to stick?

Re: Old habits
 

Dates!! I have tried to unlearn the shorthand completely. I always go for longhand "October 4 2012" or "4 October 2012" when speaking or writing. I learned a lesson by wrongly dating the check-que for my adjustment of status and getting the application returned.

I often go to the wrong car door after drinking.;)

Re: Old habits
 

I do the same, even in the car. But it doesn't matter as you're meant to look both ways anyway... :/

Re: Old habits
 

Old habits belong to old monks.