I can’t believe I’m writing my final blog prompt. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity of studying and working in the great city of London. I made so many friends from all walks of life, which I would have never met if I stayed in Orlando. Furthermore, I got the opportunity to immerse myself in a new and exciting culture.
The two aspects of London culture that really surprised me were how polite everyone was and how much people worked. Everywhere I went people were kind and respectful. In the Tube (London’s subway system) people respected your personal space, remained quiet, and apologized if they believe they have acted improperly. Even at pubs or clubs’ people were extremely polite, they did a “line’ for the bar and it seemed like this is an unspoken rule that should be thoroughly followed. The fact that people acted this way was amazing to witness. I truly believe that’s how everyone should act. However, coming from the United States, which has a very individualistic culture, I found myself recurring to my bad habits. Such as being loud in public spaces, not apologizing for invading people’s personal spaces, and not doing lines for the bar. These behaviors definitely got me judging looks from the locals. Determined to stop getting these looks, I did my best to adopt British politeness. It took me 2 months of constantly reminding myself to be more polite and put others first. I vividly remember the first time when I effortlessly was quiet in the tube, did my line at the bar, and apologized to others. With regards to how much people worked, I quickly realized that people in London work a lot. In my first weeks at my internship, I believed people only worked during their supposed 40 hours per week. However, as I started to see my coworkers and supervisor constantly working overtime, I realized my assumption was terribly off. I had to adjust the expectations I have set myself. I found myself working way harder than I thought I would be during my time in London. At first, it was discouraging. I felt I was wasting precious time that could be used to explore the city. As time passed, I saw the benefits of pushing your limits in the workplace. I came out with valuable lessons that improved my professional development.
If I had to imagine a Londoner’s view of my experience, I would see someone who is understanding. This is because London is one of the most diverse cities in the world. So, Londoners are accustomed to seeing people from all over the world adapt to their culture. Overall, writing these reflections throughout my time abroad has been extremely helpful. They have made me highly aware of cultural differences and how these can create conflicts. Most importantly, they have helped me avoid said conflicts. Thus, any time in the future where I find myself in a new culture, I would look back on these reflections to ensure that I avoid any cultural misunderstanding and/or conflicts.