Cultural Confrontation
As I reflect on the last month of my time here in London, it is hard for me to remember many instances of cultural confrontation. Luckily, I have had an easy time adjusting to my new life here in the United Kingdom because of the various similarities the US and the UK share, the fact that we share the same language makes it a lot less complicated too! Though it has been a simple transition, I was surprised to encounter certain cultural differences in the UK that I didn’t expect.
For starters, one of the biggest ‘culture shock’ moments I have come across has been how reserved British people are. Being from the northeast, especially, I am used to people being very direct, brash, and open and honest about how one feels. Unfortunately, I’m used to people being plain rude. The opposite can be said about how I have been treated here. Brits keep their opinions largely to themselves, and if one is not familiar with someone, they usually do not say a thing! I have also had to get used to the popularity of public transportation. Most citizens living in London do not drive their own cars, rather they hop in a taxi, a double decker bus, or ride the tube from place to place. It is super tough adjusting to having an hour commute back and forth to class every day, I miss hopping in my car, driving with the windows down blasting music!
The most jarring and frustrating difference from London to the US though is hands down, the food. British food has the reputation of being the worst cuisine in Europe, which, in my opinion, is accurate. The food that I have tried is just plain bland. Though they do have a wide variety to choose from in the country’s capital, it is just not comparable to the food in the US. Each meal I find myself full, but never satisfied, which has undoubtedly been the hardest cultural confrontation yet.