I believe with my identity I see the world in a more open-minded manner. Being from Colombia but living for America for the majority of my life, I believe I have a more open-minded perspective. I was raised through two different cultures, emphasizing different values and mentalities. These different values help me see the world on a more global scale and realize that traveling to London, although fairly similar to the US, it has different attitudes that must be adapted to. I believe that my identity offers more advantages because having lived in a foreign country allowed me to adapt to a unique culture.
Since I am also a commuter at Rollins, normally taking around 40 minutes to get to campus, I will be more familiar with that kind of experience when going to my classes in London. I believe there will be some changes that I will have to get accustomed to. London is significantly bigger than Orlando, both in population and size. I would assume their train system is more complex as there are different routes to take, similar to something you would find in DC or NYC. The one thing that will be different is having my courses once a week in order to accommodate for the internship. I have had a job every since starting Rollins, so this sort of time management of weekly schedule will be similar, however, it will be interesting since during the week it is similar to the typical 9-5 workday.
Based on previous research that I have done in London, it is one of the most diverse cities in the world. I can expect a plethora of different cultures and nationalities. It is estimated that a third of the people in London are foreign-born meaning that level of diversity and overall day-to-day encounters can be similar to what I used to in Orlando. I believe it will not necessarily be the same culture, but the respect for people not native to the area can be similar to what I experience in Orlando. I believe the people I meet abroad will be more fast-paced because London itself is a fast-paced city. It is the financial capital of Europe so I can expect people to have a ‘’no-nonsense’’ mentality. I believe that this identity helps them be more clear and organized with what happens in their daily lives. This will be a fantastic experience and am looking forward to the semester in London