My first two weeks of being here have been a lot of getting my ducks in a row, trying to get myself more organized and situated with my internship, my accommodations and my social life .
Mostly, I’ve been trying to find my way-literally and figuratively. The first few days left me wanting a massage due to the frequency at which my head was rotating on a swivel before I could cross the road at all. Obviously, they drive on the left over here, but the intuitive understanding of the traffic laws from the perspective of a pedestrian did not come as naturally as I would’ve liked.
I also was very correct in saying I would stick out a bit like a sore thumb with my accent. Three people this week alone have asked me about my “accent”, whether I’m American or Canadian, what state I’m from, etc. It feels so bizarre, because in my brain everyone else has an accent, but it is a good reminder that I’m a tourist. English people certainly have some preconceived notions about Americans. They even have some about New Jerseyans which I have found incredibly amusing.
I mentioned to Thea, one of the lovely women who work at my internship, that I really like ( or should I say fancy) how much British people say sorted. Not in the same manner in which we would discuss sorting the red skittles into a pile from a mixed bag. Instead, they are typically sorting, or figuring out, a situation or conflict of some kind. She replied back that Americans also have phrases we say.
“ Like yowl”. She says
“Yowl?” I say.
“Youlll? Yeowl? Yhoulll..” She continues.
I had to sit there for a moment, confused, until realization came over me and I exclaimed “Y’alllll”.
Then, we laughed about how her attempt at the southern accent sounded a bit like animal noises and was wildly inaccurate.
In an extremely short period of time, I have gained a deeper appreciation for people. That’s primarily because of the little things. I appreciate the small children eating their chicken nuggets next to their mother on the tube on my way back home from work. I appreciate the energy that fills the Pub when England scores against Croatia in the World Cup. I appreciate the general manners and endearing nature of most Londoners, ready with recommendations. I’ve found people will go out of their way to help you. I find myself noticing the little things, which are really easy to miss in places you know.
Boredom comes with familiarity, even for feats that are unlike any other. I had a long discussion with a man who was utilizing the center I’m interning at. At some point we got around to our backgrounds, and he mentioned he moved to London from Nepal a few years ago. This led to a discussion of our dream careers, hobbies, families, and travels. I then discovered that one of his dream vacations is visiting Arizona. Arizona?
He described the photos of the Grand Canyon to be unlike any he’d seen before. I asked him about his thoughts on Mt.Everest, the world’s highest mountain. He was unimpressed. He sees mountains everywhere he explained, so there should be much less fuss over this. Meanwhile, Arizona, to me, is not nearly as impressive or interesting as Nepal and the natural sights he would find there. That leads me to wonder if maybe both of us, or possibly every one of us, are just looking at our little things the wrong way.
