Each semester, college students from all across the U.S. venture far and wide to other parts of the globe on a mission often termed "study abroad." We immerse ourselves in other cultures, life new lifestyles, and explore the diversity that makes our world so beautiful. While it is often the case that these few months abroad are life-changing and exhilarating, they do not come without some (or a lot) of adjustment. This semester, I find myself "across the pond," as they say, in the fabulous city of London, United Kingdom. Although many would argue that London is not so different from American cities like New York, I would have to disagree. Of course there are some standard similarities, as there would be anywhere that you go, but the way of life definitely took some getting used to. So, here are a few things I learned in just the first week!
Food (and everything else) is expensive! Although the prices might look reasonable, when you factor in the conversion rate, everything you want and need to live is expensive! There’s no getting around that, so the only reasonable solution is to live with less. Buy only the food you need and eat when you’re hungry. Don’t spend money on things you don’t particularly like, and instead save it up for a ticket to the London Eye or Westminster Abbey.
The nightlife starts and ends much earlier. While at school, the night usually begins around 8 or 9 on the early side, with people leaving to go our around 10 or 11. Yet here, the workday ends at 5 people start drinking around 6. It’s a very different culture of drinking, where people don’t pregame to go out, but sit around over dinner and chat with their drinks. And because people tend to start earlier in the night, the pubs often close early (according to what I’ve been used to). Instead of shutting the doors at around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m., the night ends around midnight. So adjust your schedule and go to bed earlier — it’s actually quite refreshing!
Walk as much as you can. Not only will you save money on the tube fare, but also you’ll get to see some pretty amazing sights. London is a historic place, and the juxtaposition between modern skyscrapers and four-story buildings is unlike any other in the world. Somehow, they work together to tell the story of this city that has seen hundreds of years of change, and managed to survive and flourish throughout the ages. I have always believed that the best way to get to know a city is on foot, for if you spend all your time whizzing past in a cab or underneath the ground, you’ll never find those cute little cafés or bookstores that give each street it’s character.
Accents can actually sound like another language. Sometimes, even when people are speaking English to you, it’s difficult to understand what they are saying. This is not something I expected to be challenged with, but it has definitely added another level of adjustment to my experience.
