A melting pot of cultures

It's been an interesting experience living with different cultures here in England, and it's funny because I got to know lots of Americans, Koreans, African Americans, Hispanics, and several Arabs at school, and now I'm getting to know lots of Europeans and British people here (and Koreans too, of course - they're everywhere). I really love learning about new cultures and traditions, because it's just so fascinating how different people in different countries act, speak, and think differently.

So here's my list of observations about people, their mannerisms, habits, and culture.

• British people are polite, private, and reserved people - very different from loud and boisterous Americans.
• British people love their soap operas and reality TV shows like 'X Factor' (their version of American Idol).
• Sarcasm and skepticism is used widely here.
• In England, 'pants' means 'underwear,' and 'trousers' means 'pants.' 'Faggots' means 'meatballs,' and 'tea' means 'dinner.' Or it could mean tea (and biscuits). It's very confusing.
• British people apologize profusely, even when you're the one bumping into them and it's not their fault. They also say 'thank you' a whole lot (or 'cheers' or 'ta' - kind of like Australians).
• British food is pretty multicultural - fish n chips, sausage n chips, chicken tikka masala, pasta, sushi, greasy fried noodles/rice, kebabs, etc. It's pretty bland, too.
• British people are obsessed with tea and tea breaks. I've never seen people drink so much tea (some drink coffee) in my life.
• There is a huge immigrant community here, consisting mostly of people from Pakistan, India, and several parts of Asia.
• Most British people are apathetic about church and either don't care or don't know about Jesus.
• The weather here is more unpredictable than that in Indiana, but mostly it rains, rains, and rains.
• Like every other country, Britain has its fair share of social problems, such as alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, and lots of loneliness and emptiness.
• British people wash their dishes in an interesting manner - they soap it and leave the soap bubbles to dry without wiping it off.
• The British accent is extremely difficult to understand and it varies from area to area. When they say a word that ends with 'ing,' it sounds like 'ingk.' (For example, 'I'm wondering if I should go swimming' will sound like 'I'm wonderingk if I should go swimmingk.') It's very subtle but very noticeable. 
• Also, their intonations make it sound like every sentence they say is a question.
• People always complain that the British drive on the wrong side of the road, but they drive on the same side as Singapore, so I have no problem with that. But apparently, the rest of the world does.
• Germans, Swiss, and the Dutch are very direct people. Actually, most Europeans are (at least from my experience). They will tell you exactly how it is, how they feel, and what they think. No mercy for hurt feelings. It's not like they intentionally set out to offend or hurt people, it's just their nature to be direct and blunt, and it can come across as shocking and harsh sometimes, especially for non-confrontational Asians.
• All the stereotypes from movies about how different people from different countries speak English is totally true. I think the French and Spanish English-speaking accents are the funniest.
• You can see different languages influencing the way people speak English. For example, Germans always say 'I want to make a picture' instead of 'take a picture.' And Brazilians end a lot of their words with 'y' or 'ey.' Like 'I want to make a sandwich' would become 'I wanty to makey a sandwichey.'
• Koreans have the funniest mannerisms. They will make hilarious sounds like 'oh' or 'ahhh' or 'eh' during conversations in a very animated way, and they respond to you with the most unpredictable answers. 
• Koreans are also very respectful of elders, and they're very indirect and careful not to hurt others' feelings, kind of like most Asian cultures.
• Sometimes I forget that most countries in the world are a million times bigger than Singapore, and I'm surprised when I find out people haven't been to or even heard of a certain city in their country, because obviously I've been to every nook and cranny in tiny old Singapore.

That's all I can think of right now.