My experiences in London have genuinely helped me grow both professionally and personally. As an international student in the US, seeking an opportunity to live in the UK was vital to continue improving as a global citizen. Having already lived in two countries that were very different from each other, Honduras and the US, facilitated my ability to adapt to London. However, at the beginning of the program, I believed that London, and the UK in general, was going to be more similar to the US than it actually was, especially in their working culture. My perspective changed when I started my internship at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel’s Finance Department. When I first arrived, I noticed that my site was more team-oriented and slower-paced than in the US. On my site, the whole team shared an open-spaced office, everyone was aware of each other’s tasks and responsibilities, lunch breaks were taken as a team, and tasks/meetings were not rushed and completed with more time. Conversely, while working in the US, everyone had their own space/office, people didn’t converse much during working hours, and the day-to-day was faster-paced. Additionally, I noticed that in the UK, my supervisor would give me instructions more indirectly than my supervisor in the US. For example, instead of asking me directly to do a task, she would typically ask, “When you can or have time, could you please help me with…”.
For me, it wasn’t easy to adapt at first to sharing my space with everyone and having to socialize a lot in my workplace as I was not used to it before. Still, later on, I truly began to value this as it helped me build stronger connections with my teammates. Although the US and the UK are both individualistic, I believe the UK’s culture has a more collectivistic/group-based side than the US. This was highly reflected in the conversations we had as a team, as people rarely talked much about themselves in my London internship site and instead focused more on topics that included the whole team, even if they did not have to do with work. Additionally, I learned that people in the UK have a more relaxed approach to work than those in the US, as people like to socialize a lot during work and not rush their tasks. This difference doesn’t compromise productivity but cultivates a more collaborative and cheerful environment. As an International Business major, being able to work and communicate in different cultures and environments is crucial to succeed in my career. During my program, I strengthened my flexibility, adaptability, and professionalism, and due to its high cultural diversity, living in London has helped me gain a better perspective of the world. Additionally, an important lesson I learned is that each culture has a different way of doing things, and thus, there is no wrong or correct culture. Undoubtedly, my experiences in London have helped me strengthen the skills I need to be successful in my future professional career.