American TikToker on the 'hard life' in North Wales and two things she loves about here

Since moving to North Wales two years, an American TikToker has detailed the idiosyncracies of life in a rural county. In a series of viral TikToks, Jessica Hanson has opined on everything from sky-high prices to the country's 'national speed limit' of 20mph and the weather.
It's either too cold or too hot, on account of the lack of air conditioning, she says. Living in North Wales means food delivery is either too slow or non-existent, while the region's narrow country lanes involves a constant 'game of chicken' with other vehicles
The list goes on, from old money to bathroom plugs. 'Living in the UK is hard!' she said on a TikTok. 'I count down the days until I can go back to my comforts every time I am here.'
As the owner of a shipping company in Florida, the 42-year-old married a British man in 2023. Shortly afterwards, they bought a home in North Wales with so they could divide their time between the UK and US.
Jessica thought it would be easy because, to an extent, both countries share a common language. But having found everyday life tougher than expected, she launched a new series on TikTok, 'Why Life Is Harder in the UK'.
It's understood that she lives in Conwy county and she's no great fan of the weather here: 'Blue skies in Wales!" she declares with heavy sarcasm. "It's crazy, I don't know what to do."
As she is originally from the Sunshine State, the weather was always going to be different in her adopted North Wales. Jessica told MailOnline it's cold and windy for 'two thirds of the year' and practically 'grey all the time'.
'Where I live, specifically, there seems to be a 75% chance on any given day that it's going to be cold and misty. It gets to me, mentally. I get lethargic and sad when I'm over there because I don't want to go outside. I miss just being able to go outside in a T-shirt and shorts and walk around comfortably.'
Even in summer, the weather is disagreeable. Clutching a glass of wine, Jessica pointed out the lack of air conditioning in Britain's homes. Instead, the only way of controlling inside temperatures is via radiators - in her home she has thermostats on each, creating what she described as 'tiny climate control time zones.'
'This is air conditioning,' she says, pointing to an open window. 'In the whole country, there's no air conditioning!'
The UK's historically mild summers meant that cooling systems were never seen as a necessity. Jessica was actually referring to the ease of interior climate controls in the US, where HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems enable temperatures to be altered up or down with the press of a button.
"If you're Amercan, please, dear God, do not ever take for granted your HVAC system,' she said. '(The) air con guys say the house isn't built with enough room to put the ducting in between the floors. Probably cause my house is older than America.'
Less contentiously, UK prices are also a bone of contention. 'My December heating bill nearly sent me into heart attack. The energy rates here are insane.' Brits can cope without air con but no one likes the high cost of UK living.
In contrast with Florida, 'where children 'run in and out of houses' and everyone waves or stops for a chat, people in North Wales are not as outgoing and often just 'shrug. 'This could be because of the weather,' suggests Jessica.
She's also been left aghast by a so-called 'nanny state' mentality in Wales. Driving is a particular case in point.
'The nanny state mentality creeps me out. They lowered the speeding limit in my entire county to 20mph recently. That is bananas to me.
'It feels a little dystopian. CCTV and speed cameras are omnipresent. 50mph (speed limits) on the freeway. Why?'
Not everything is bad in Wales, Jessica said – she likes the local dairy products and the countryside is simply stunning. 'I actually pulled over and cried once, it was so gorgeous,' she told Newsweek.
Even though her comments are slightly tongue in cheek, uttered with a knowing smile, they've sparked an online backlash.
A Llandudno Junction woman said: 'If she doesn't like it, she can always return home to the Sunshine State.' Another, from Llandudno, added: 'Remember an American visitor calling in to the National Trust where I worked and asking, 'why did they build the castle so close to the road?' Simply no words....'
According to a Conwy resident, Jessica's views aren't commonplace amongst US visitors. 'I take hundreds of American visitors around Conwy every year,' she said. 'Every single one of them love it! The whole point of it is to get attention - and look… it's worked.'
Online, Jessica has also been praised for being 'unabashedly honest'. Some people have explained why they quit North Wales.
On the other hand, some American emigrants say the love Britain ('just because it's different doesn't make it worse'). Even Jessica admits she has some misgivings about Trump's America. 'My country is nuts,' she admitted.
The first of Jessica's TikToks generated 87,700 views, 3,062 likes and 1,102 comments, encouraging her to make more. Partly her motivation is to encourage Brits not to accept the status quo but to demand better. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
On her Facebook page, she said: 'I made a silly TikTok …. which ended up going viral And then The Daily Mail made an article about it. The comments crack me up. Apparently British people think all Americans live in daily fear of being shot.'
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