An experience I have encountered that caused cultural confrontation has been due to the different methods of transportation. Living in Florida, I have become used to driving myself everywhere. The grocery story, the doctor, and my school were mainly accessible to me by driving. Residing in London has allowed me to gain access to many facilities by walking to them. Restaurants, offices, and the grocery store are less than a ten-minute walk from where I am staying. This has increased the amount of exercise I accomplish in a day as well as allows me to explore different areas of the city. Instead of only focusing on where I am and where I need to go, I am able to pass parks, different neighborhoods, as well as meet different people. However, to get to places that are not in walking distance, I now must take public transportation. Instead of being able to go directly from where I am to where I need to go, I must take some detours and make different transfers and connections. Though this can add time to my journey, I am aware of the benefits it provides. This allows for individuals to save money on transportation costs as well as reduces individual’s carbon footprints by limiting the amount of CO2 pollution. However, the time in which I missed my experience at home of having to drive myself places occurred when there were labor strikes. At times I needed to get to my internship or to class, but due to labor shortages many bus lines and train lines that were close to me made it difficult to get places on time. In order to compensate for the additional time, it took me to get places, I made sure to check transportation newsletters and announcements. If I found that there would be delays, I would try to leave earlier. When it was difficult for me to do so, I made sure to communicate with others. This allowed me to better interact with this aspect of London.
