It’s a known fact that Midwesterners tend to operate with an almost excessive level of niceness and cheer in public situations. We say extra ‘pleases’ and ‘thank yous’ at the grocery store and have no problem making idle conversation with strangers at coffee shops. So when I arrived in London for my summer study abroad, I expected things to be a bit different—and I was correct. Not surprisingly, the underground transportation situation has been the most baffling thing to me thus far.
In London the Underground is nearly silent. I cannot fathom how so many people can crowd through a station and make so little noise. In fact, it’s a common occurrence for the only discernible voices in a crowd to belong to a group of chatty Americans on holiday, loudly exclaiming how terribly quiet everyone is and wondering where they can find food.
Something that’s even more of a novelty to me, a resident of a stereotypical ‘small town,’ is that everyone minds their own damn business. They put in their headphones, drink their coffee, read their papers (actual paper newspapers) and stare off into space, sometimes glancing at people but never seeking eye contact. When they crowd onto the cars they lightly jostle each other, apologize to the people that step on them, then quickly attempt to give everyone some semblance of personal space. And if the Tube is marvelously crowded—the kind of crowded that can teach a person to become claustrophobic—and everyone is packed shoulder-to-shoulder, the native Londoners put on a blank face and pretend like four separate people aren’t breathing on their faces.
In an attempt to get the true ‘London Experience,’ I made an effort to copy the actions of everyone around me. I kept my anxiety about the bustling station off my face as best I could, carefully extracting my headphones from my purse without dropping my coffee (after struggling with this for an inordinately long time, I realized it would’ve been a lot easier to put my headphones in before I left the house and just leave them in) and waited patiently for my turn to board. But as the car approached, my group and I realized we’d made a grave mistake in terms of timing. As it turns out, 8:30 am is when everyone and their brother needs to get on the train. So when the car shuddered to a stop in front of me and I saw the crush of people just inside the doors, I was incredibly skeptical about my ability to fit comfortably. Or at all.
Right before the doors closed and separated me from my fellow students, a woman took pity on those of us stuck on the platform and, after pressing herself even further against the people around her in the car, gestured to the minuscule patch of open space by the train door. I hesitated for a moment, but when the warning bells sounded on the inside of the car, I instinctively made a mad dash for the door.
Not surprisingly, I immediately regretted my decision. If I hadn’t been in possession of my cumbersome school backpack, the situation might have been bearable. But as it was, I found myself pressed face-first against the glass divider, the train door on one side and human bodies on every other.
I looked and felt absolutely ridiculous.
As humans, a natural defense against embarrassment concerning an undesirable predicament is self-deprecation. So while I stood there comically smooshed against the glass, I looked around at the people around me, sure that someone else might see the humor in it. But as I tried in vain to catch anyone’s eye, it became clear that everyone was dutifully ignoring my distress.
It was only then that I truly began to understand the ‘London Mentality.’ It didn’t matter that I, the person in acute discomfort, had found humor in my situation—the people surrounding me, whether out of respect or habit, simply pretended everything was fine. They kept their faces either expressionless or turned away and seemed to do so with ease. I, on the other hand, was nearly choking with laughter as I attempted to remain as stoic as my peers.
So, to anyone who plans to travel abroad, I highly recommend doing your best to put yourselves in regular situations—i.e. using public transportation—instead of trying to remain inside your own culture-bubble. You may find yourself in less than comfortable positions at times, but it can get you that much closer to truly understanding the nuances that make up another person’s way of living.
