After reviewing my first blog post, I have noticed some changes in my opinions. Before coming to London, I remember thinking about the endless possibilities that waited for me. There was so much to do and see that I could barely keep track of it all. I knew that studying abroad would be both a learning and personal experience.
I would have to say that my identity impacted how I saw and experienced London because wherever I went, I was more curious to know more about the history of the location. I wanted to learn more about who went there and when, and how far this part of the city has changed over the years. My viewpoint on my identity stayed the same as the advantages it afforded me was that I was able to get a better understanding of the London culture. I took the time out to really look at my surroundings and to take it all in, as I would bring them up in later conversation. Other identities that I encounter abroad consisted of my coworkers who came from different parts of England and Australia, as well as my classmates that came from different places in the United States.
In my first post I said that I expected to encounter identities like mine. This was partly true as I met people that shared similarities to my identity, and we were able to bond over that. Some of my coworkers and classmates traveled all around Europe and were able to experience a vast amount of different cultures and histories of other countries. I found their stories about their experiences to be interesting because hearing about other places from a different perspective makes you draw back to your own and see how the two compare. Also drawing back from my original blog post I mentioned how the people that I would meet abroad would have different perspectives because they grew up differently than me, but I found that this wasn’t the reason for the differences in our identities because as it turns out we were raised similarly.
The people that I met abroad experienced the world differently from me because they live in a different culture. For a lot of the people I met they firsthand saw and experienced the things that I would only read about or saw on television. It was interesting to get their take on monumental events that happened while they were there.
The advantages that their identities afforded them is that they have a different perspective than mine. There were certain situations in which my coworkers and I would discuss politics in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Having learned a little about the political system in the United Kingdom, there was more that I wanted and was able to learn as my internship played a factor in me gaining experience in the business world. As to the disadvantages that their identities afforded them were that just as anyone else would they have preconceived notions as to what the culture was like where I was from and I debunked any misleading factoids that they had questions about. All in all, it was a learning experience for not only me, but for everyone I encountered as well.
