Travel the World

I recently had the opportunity to study abroad in London, England. Ask me if I learned what was on the syllabus and I couldn't tell ya, but I'm thankful I got the opportunity to go to see the cultural differences.

Difference #1: Style vs. comfort. One of the most obvious differences was the style of dress. As probably expected, those in London are quite fashionable. Rarely did I see a woman wearing jeans, and if I did, they were skinny jeans accompanied by some style of high boot. I'm pretty sure it was obvious that I was a tourist because I was more worried about being comfortable, wearing jeans every day, sometimes with tennis shoes. Comfort was not a concern for the women in London, though. Many wore high heels and other fashionable shoes, which would normally not be that big of a deal, but considering how far one might walk to get to work or their point of interest, my feet hurt just thinking about it.

Difference #2: Size. Everything in London was smaller. The size of the roads and sidewalks, the size of the cars, the size of the people. I think the whole week I was there, I saw all of two people that you could classify as being "obese". This probably has something to do with the smaller portions and healthier foods served there. What would be considered a small drink and fry here was actually a medium in London. One morning I ordered french toast. Here in America when you order french toast you normally expect at least two pieces, sometimes even three. Much to my surprise when I received my order, there was one piece of french toast sitting on my plate. While it was probably the most delicious piece of french toast I've ever eaten in my life, it was only a start to what I would consider breakfast.

Difference #3: The Tube. The tube is the subway system in London. While there are places in America that have subways like New York, Atlanta, etc., living in Toledo, it was something new for me. We spent probably half of our trip on the tube or waiting for the tube, in order to get from point A to B. At home when I make plans to go somewhere I might have to leave ten minutes early in order to get there. In London when making plans, you might have to leave 45 minutes or an hour before the planned time because there is so much starting and stopping on the tube. Night life also changes when the tube stops running at 12. Ask a group of Northwood students who went out one night. They left the club at 2 in the morning and didn't get back to the hotel until 6:30 because they didn't know how the nightly bus system worked.

Difference #4: The clubs. Here in America clubbing is an activity for those in their late teens, and early 20s. Once a couple gets married, they are more likely to settle down and not go out "partying" as much. This wasn't the case in London. At the clubs there were people of all ages. I even saw a women and men who were probably in their mid 30s to early 40s dancing and having a good time. The dancing was also different. Here we dance with our hips and shake our butts, but there they dance with their feet. When a man asked me to dance, he simply grabbed my hands and started stepping from side to side. A lot less pressure for a girl like me who is self conscious about her dancing.

These are just some of the main differences. It doesn't even begin to include things like the different electrical outlets, the hustle and bustle of the busy city, the high price differences, etc.

Many times people in our group got called out for being American. "Oh, you're American, aren't you?" This made me nervous in a way. We don't hear many good things about how Americans are viewed. I was nervous these people were meeting me and automatically stereotyping me, maybe one I didn't deserve: loud, rude, cocky. I had a conversation with a custodial worker at the St. Paul's Cathedral, and he told us some of their viewpoints on Americans. He said many people there don't realize we are in an economic slump. They all think we're very wealthy, which causes some bitter feelings. But we all know this isn't the case.

As I said, many times Americans are viewed as loud and arrogant by other cultures. But after traveling I don't think that's necessarily the case. I think it's a matter of being ignorant. Traveling these days is so expensive and the U.S. is so large that we often travel inside of our country instead of to other ones. We don't have the same opportunity they do in Europe for example, where the countries are so close that it's much easier to travel and experience something different than it is here. It's not that we think we're better than others, we just don't know anything else and don't know there are other ways out there. That's why I encourage everyone to travel the world, if possible. I know I can't wait to do it again :)