Americans are cool if you show just a chink of vulnerability they respond so much. They'll pat you on the arm and say 'Hey kid you're all right.' Brits will respond but they are much more cynical.
I bought a lot of rubbish things that kids buy: skateboards and clothes and typical teenage stuff. And as soon as I could I wasted a lot of money on cars - BMW's mostly - for myself and my family.
