Moving to London has given me the opportunity to experience a very diverse range of cultures. At the same time, adjusting to life in such a big city can feel challenging in certain ways. On a more basic level, one of the hardest things to get used to is the cost of living. Everything here is very expensive, and on top of that, they just raised the prices of public transport on March 1. Using the British pound instead of the U.S. dollar (or even the euro) doesn’t help either, as you often end up paying more in USD than you realize. Another adjustment has been learning how to navigate everyday life in a big city like London. Figuring out the public transport systems, exploring different neighborhoods, and getting used to the pace of the city took a little time at first. It can feel intimidating when everything is new, but the more I dive in and explore, the more comfortable I feel. Sometimes just wandering through different neighborhoods with no set destination is the best part. It’s helped me learn my way around while discovering new places along the way.
Some of the cultural differences I’ve noticed include things like humor, language, and sport. The football culture is huge here, with people very passionate about their favorite Premier League teams. Another fun event is the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, which is currently going on. Experiencing these gameday atmospheres in pubs has been amazing and really gives you a sense of the city’s passion for sports. Thankfully for me, virtually everyone in London speaks English; however, when talking with people who are multilingual, it often makes me think about how disconnected life in the United States can feel when it comes to multiculturalism.
Within the classroom, there are small differences, such as “marks” instead of grades or “assessments” instead of assignments, which makes everything feel more formal, as it typically does in the UK. The curriculum also feels more academically focused, rather than emphasizing real-world application like we often see in the U.S. Navigating these differences has meant spending more time working on assessments through writing papers and researching real-life examples, rather than studying to understand concepts like I’m used to back home.
When experiencing cross-cultural situations, I always try to understand someone else’s culture and how things work for them. I really enjoy learning how people live in different parts of the world and what daily life is like for them. During my time here, I’ve been able to make friends from all over the world, and getting to know them and hearing about life back home has been really interesting. These interactions have shaped the way I view the world and opened my eyes to the fact that even though people come from different places and cultures, there are always simple, universal things to bond over. Since this is my first time leaving the U.S., I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I’ve been so happy with my experience so far and can’t wait to see what the rest of my program has in store!
