I just got back from a month long trip to London, England.
After being home now for two days, I start to notice things that I used to take for granted. For instance, my sister, my dad and I just went for a walk in our neighborhood and an old man was checking his sprinklers. He jokingly asked us if we would like to take a run through them “for old times sake.” It was adorable! I noticed this because the people in Britain keep to themselves and tend not to talk to you or try to make conversation as you go about your day. Our society is very extroverted, whereas the English are very introverted. Not to say that the British are not hospitable or don’t know how to have fun after that initial, awkward conversation. There were at least a couple of times when my group and I were given directions when we were lost. One of the ladies that went with me to England said that as she was getting on the bus one morning, a local woman heard her ask the bus driver where it was that she was supposed to get off at. After my friend went to the upper level of the bus, the woman went up and told my friend when it was the right stop to get off at. Another time, the rest of the group and I were heading to meet up with our friends at a pub and we were taking a route that we weren't familiar with. At the bus stop a woman heard us debating about which bus to take and which stop to get off at and she politely informed us which bus to take and where to get off at.
Another thing that I have noticed about British culture that is different from American culture are the use of words. You have probably heard that in England, pants are called trousers and that the word “pants” stands for underwear. I knew this before the trip, but I kept forgetting about it. The first time I said “pants” instead of “trousers” was to my two hosts, who were both women and understood what I meant. The second time I accidentally referred to my underwear was in mixed company when I was hanging out with my group of friends. We had just finished playing a board game when I realized that my jeans stunk. I only had one pair of jeans because my other pair had ripped and I didn’t have time to wash that particular pair as frequently as I should have, hence they smelt bad. I didn't realize my mistake until my friend Mary asked me if I meant “trousers” rather than “pants.” My other friend, Ben, then asked me if I had soiled myself. I could not look anyone in the face. I then went and found a pair of “trousers” that I could wear.
While I was there, a lot of people were talking about the European Union Referendum. I asked my friends what the EU was and they said that it was similar to the United Nations but that it was exclusive to Europe and it focused more on the economy. What happens in the EU affects immigration, the economy such as the value of the pound, and the price of traveling within Europe among other things. Now that Britain has voted to leave, a lot of people are not sure what will happen.
These are only a few of the things that happened and were going on while I was in England.
