Studying abroad in London was the best decision and experience of my life. One cultural observation that I made while I was abroad in London was that people in general are a lot more respectful of other people’s time. One example of this that I experienced everyday while there was that on escalators or moving walkways people stand on the right and walk on the left. People are respectful that the people behind them might want to move faster and walk up the escalator instead of blocking the people behind you like in the US. Here if I was in a hurry and wanted to walk up the escalator I would have to be weaving between people or it might not even be possible depending on how people are standing. Another example is that at restaurants, you do not feel rushed to leave because they go at your pace and do not bring your check until you ask for it. You can sit there chatting with your friends and truly enjoying your meal without feeling like the waiter is hovering over you so they can seat the next people. I really liked and enjoyed this aspect of British culture, and I will miss it greatly. I felt like I could go at my own pace and if I wanted to walk, I could just go on the left side instead of being stuck behind people. Also, restaurants were a lot more enjoyable of an experience instead of just a meal. Another cultural observation was that people in general are a lot more reserved in the UK. This was one of my favorite aspects because I am a very quiet and reserved person. The first example I noticed when I arrived in the UK was that getting on the tube in the morning on the way to work it was very quiet. People kept to themselves most of the time. This is very different to the US where in general people are a lot louder and more outgoing in public places. I enjoyed this because I could quietly read my book or listen to a podcast on my commute and not be overwhelmed by everybody around me. I also found that in being reserved the British in general were more polite and respectful. Americans are relatively blunter, while the British are more indirect. I liked this a lot because I am very introverted, and it was easy to adapt to this type of communication. Overall, there were many cultural differences, but for the most part they were quite subtle and easy to pick up. I fit in very well with the British culture and I could definitely see myself working and living there in the future.
