I am lucky to have had so many opportunities to travel at such a young age. Often times, it is easy to be comfortable with familiarity and avoid the unknown. Growing up in a small town in Massachusetts though, I was never really forced to understand unknown cultures until my freshman year in college. I had always travelled with people I knew and trusted. I had travelled outside of the country about a dozen times before Rollins but never felt too far out of my comfort zone. Rollins College’s diverse population allowed me to make connections with people from all over the globe. Just at school in Florida I learned many new greeting practices, met hundreds of new personalities, heard new genres of music, and much more. I was exposed to new languages and best of all, new ways to view the world. I think it’s easy to brush off world crises when they aren’t in your own backyard but by meeting people with different stories/ backgrounds/ struggles, etc., I have become all around more compassionate for all living beings.
I have been extremely fortunate to even have an education, to attend college, and to travel to foreign places all at the age of 21. My identity has given me the advantage to study and work in Europe before graduating school. My first time in Europe was in 2016, during my senior year of high school. I went to Sweden and Denmark and was completely enthralled by the differences in lifestyles. My second experience in Europe was during the summer of my freshman year of college. I lived in a homestay in Madrid, Spain for 6 weeks. During that experience, I was forced to live, breathe, eat, and sleep the culture. Language barriers and lifestyle differences were all apart of understanding these new identities. Now going abroad to London, I expect to meet locals as well as other students during my semester. Having never been to the United Kingdom, I expect to encounter identities unknown to me. I have been raised in a completely different society and culture but I expect some surprising similarities as well as some unexpected differences. I will be on the lookout to meet a royal too.
The people of London live in a city with rich history that hosts millions of people, each with their own individual backstory. These stories make for quite a diverse city and country. I’m excited to see these new views of the world. Locals have the advantage already knowing how to get around the city, with insider knowledge of the different areas. There also may be variances in humor and etiquette that I will not understand, being the foreigner. They know where to get the best deal, and what parts you should avoid. Another worry I have is that my identity as a tourist with an American accent will put me at a disadvantage. Local knowledge might afford them advantages in most aspects but I am looking forward to learning the ways of the locals and absorb all aspects of the culture.