My time in London was an exciting time of learning and adjusting to a new host culture. Whether it was in the classroom or in the workplace, there were many cultural differences to take into account. One aspect of British culture that I found different from the US was the structure of classes. For most of my courses in London, we did not have that many different assignments. Generally, there would be a midterm exam, a paper (maybe two), a final presentation, and a final exam. This is something that I found different from the classes I was used to in the US. In the US classes usually require more assignments and these assignments are less significant in terms of their weight towards the final grades. In London however, with fewer assignments, it was very important to do well on everything because they were weighted heavily. Additionally, I found that the context of communication, especially in the workplace, is different in British culture. When it came to work assignments, my supervisor would normally explain what her desired output would be but gave me the freedom and flexibility to do my work in the ways in which I preferred. What this meant was a lot of trial and error along with collaboration with coworkers when I got stuck. I found this learning process different but helpful because it forced me to work through problems opposed to following orders.
After experiencing cultural differences like those in London, my perspective about how things are done have changed. It was very impactful for me to see how successful I was in approaching tasks with a different cultural mindset. For example, less context of communication in the workplace helped me develop my problem-solving skills and rational thinking. Additionally, the different educational culture helped me focus more on larger assignments and see the big picture more clearly.
Someone from my host culture would probably see my experience in London as an eye-opening experience for a narrow-minded American. There is a bit of a stereotype internationally that Americans are closeminded. An outside perspective would be able to see my experience and understand that I gained exposure to a multicultural setting and learned how to better interact with others, bringing productivity out of diversity.
Seeing and accepting these cultural differences is crucial in responding to cultural misunderstandings and conflicts. It is important to realize that cultures are very different and that people we interact with on a daily basis can come from very different backgrounds. I am happy to have participated in a study abroad program in London, a massive multicultural city, because it has shown me there is no “right” culture. The best culture is whatever one feels most comfortable with, and they deserve the freedom to express their culture without judgement or condemnation.
