After re-reading my original post before studying abroad in London, I realize that I have changed my position slightly about the interplay between culture and my sense of identity, but I mostly agree with what I wrote. For instance, I still agree that “the way one experiences another culture largely depends on how open they are to accept another culture’s language, traditions, and people and to respect it and not attempt to modify it to better suit their own customs.” After spending a full semester abroad in London, my thoughts about how an experience in a different culture can shape my identity have shifted: I feel that my identity has less influence on my experience of the world. In fact, I believe that the “world” or a foreign culture has a major influence on my identity because of the way it forces me to try new things that I’m not accustomed to, therefore I have a chance to see what I am capable of doing and how flexible, strong, and responsible I am in a different part of the world. I believe that people who have very different identities/personalities than I experience the world differently because everyone was raised differently and we all have very different interests that can draw our attention to different things while traveling.
In my original post I wrote that change is good if one is open to expanding their life which is what I did during my time abroad; I was not tied down to the way I would do things at home, I was open to trying new foods, and trying new modes of transport, and visiting different types of shows, bands, and galleries that I wouldn’t normally attend at home. My new habits tie into what I previously wrote: how traditions can limit opportunities as my experience in London gave me the opportunity to grow as an individual by getting my out of my comfort zone. I still agree that being open minded and respectful of a new culture by avoiding searching for negative aspects and making comparisons to one’s own culture. I also wrote that I would take things I learn from the United Kingdom and implement them for when I return home, which I feel I am already doing; I’m continuing to drink tea, respecting queues, and standing on the right on escalators! My identity as an American student influenced my interactions with people while abroad because it sparked many conversations about American politics as well as British politics and I learned that political talk is common casually and in the workplace. My identity shaped the perspective I had of England because I observed what the customs were, what to do and what not to do, in order for me to avoid standing out; I observed that most English people were reserved in their social interactions whereas in America, it’s acceptable to start up a random conversation to a stranger and I learned that the workplace is more laid back than in America; they give longer lunch breaks and business hours are shorter on the weekends for more family and leisure time.