Since returning back to the US, it has allowed me to heavily reflect on the past three months that I spent in London. It was a wonderful semester and I am eager to return soon! One of the biggest cultural adjustments I faced was the influence that labor unions and strikes had on everyday life in London. At the end of the semester, one of my professors told my class that we, as students, dealt with some of the worst strikes he had seen in recent years; the two most significant being a university staff strike and a rail strike that affected a majority of the London Underground lines. I did not realize how much of an effect these strikes would have on me. The university staff strike caused classes to be canceled, and professors could not tell students in writing whether or not they were participating in fear of being reprimanded by the university. As a student, this made it confusing in determining whether or not I had classes. The days when rail strikes were held made it very difficult to travel. On one of these days, I had planned a trip to Spain. All of the buses were crowded and full, and I ended up walking 40 minutes to my train station so I could make it to the airport on time.
Although upon reflection, these seem like minor inconveniences, they were situations that I had never experienced while living in the United States. In the US, it’s not a big deal when professors cancel class and it is almost never because of a union strike. I also seldom rely on public transportation. I was confused and frustrated on why the strikes were happening. However, I think that people who were from the UK and London also shared my sentiments. Talking to other students from Queen Mary, they heavily relied on the Tube to get to class. Some of my peers lived almost 40 minutes away from campus. On days where there were rail strikes, they were not able to attend class. Knowing that they also felt frustrated by the strikes made me feel better about my attitude towards them. This was obviously a situation out of everyone’s control.
This cultural confrontation that I experienced while abroad is definitely one I have learned from, and will help me solve similar conflicts in the future. The biggest takeaway I learned from this is to just relax. There are things that will happen in your life that are different, and most importantly, out of your control. The solutions to your problems may be difficult to achieve, but it is important to understand that they are achievable. I have learned so much from this past semester, both academically and about myself. It is certainly bittersweet being home, but I am so grateful for the experiences I have had, and the overall opportunity to be able to study abroad.