The halfway point has come and went for my time abroad. It’s crazy to think that I’ve already been living, working, and studying in London for two months. When everyone warns you that it goes by in a blink of an eye they are not exaggerating.
Now that it is almost Halloween, the days are getting even shorter. It gets dark here before 5pm. On weekdays, my routine consists of classes all day from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm or work from 9:30 to 5:30. This means that daylight is rare for me. My commute takes approximately 30 minutes to both places from my flat.
I am still not used to the chaos of the tube but it doesn’t seem that anyone is. There’s a lot of pushing and shoving getting on and off as well as blood, sweat, and tears shed. However, I appreciate all of the public transportation options the city has. My absolute favorite way to get around is on a double decker bus. Sometimes, the buses are even quicker than the trains. I will definitely miss the free transportation when I go back to the States. My coworkers give me a good insight into what it looks like to live in and around the city. Since the cost of living is so high, most people commute two or more hours both ways just to save money.
Locals tend to be very friendly and conversational when not on the tube. A common phrase for greeting people is to say, “Are you alright?” I’m used to this question having a connotation similar to asking “What is wrong?” It has taken me quite a while to respond with “Good and you” instead of “Yeah, why?”
In general, I work in a friendly and busy work environment. Work has been extra hectic recently, while bracing for a hard Brexit. A hard Brexit would mean Britain would leave the European Union with no deal at all. It has been super interesting as a purchasing intern seeing how this would not just affect the company but every aspect of the citizens daily lives. My company increased negotiations with other British companies as other businesses in the EU increase their exporting prices to the UK. Now that Brexit has been delayed, political tensions have eased a bit and office tensions have also relaxed.
Before going abroad, I would never bring up politics, especially with friends or family. Here in London, it is common to talk politics. Even in the work place setting, people don’t seem to have boundaries discussing political views while also cracking a few jokes about the system. The blunt and direct questions were unsettling to me at first. After noticing that every political discussion does not end in an argument I have really opened up to it and enjoy the conversation.
Besides work, I have had an incredible time exploring new areas in England and other European countries. So far, I have visited 4 other countries including Italy, Greece, Germany, and Spain. I still have three more countries to go and have been loving every minute of these new places and cultures.