The language / the cultural barrier isn't as high as it is for an American living in China though. I've grown up speaking English and watching a lot of American / British movies and TV, reading a lot of english literature. I assume this is not the case for most Americans with Chinese culture.

There's definitely a culture shock when you first move here and are figuring stuff out - How do you order food at a subway or a chipotle? (not a big deal anymore given the explosion of these restaurants in India in the last few years). Why is called Cilantro and not Corinander? How do I get a phone when I don't have any credit history at all? What is a turn-pike?

I lived in both UK and Germany for about 4 years on each. My native language is Spanish (Mex) and I found it more difficult to adapt/blend with Britons than with Germans. Even though my English is Ok and my German is terrible...

As someone born in Eastern Europe, I also felt more at home living in Germany than in the UK, despite not knowing any German.

It probably depends on the particular place and environment. In general I think the UK does a better job at integration, for historical reasons.

> Why is called Cilantro and not Corinander?

You probably know this, but in the US Cilantro is the leaves and Coriander is the seeds of the same plant. Possibly because only the leaves are used in Mexican cooking, and a huge amount of US cuisine these days originates from Mexico, or pretends to.

I'm curious, what is a turn-pike?

It's how we geolocate in NJ. "Oh you live in Jersey too? What exit?"

A turn-pike is usually a toll road, a road that you can use only if you pay. There are often slower or less convenient roads running mostly in parallel which are free.

Thanks, yeah I know what a toll road is but hadn't heard the term turn-pike.