October 3 — I
have lived in a big city for my whole life. When I moved up north for
college, one of my biggest issues was how slow it was. However, when I
got to know Portland, I began to realize it was a lot more like home
than I had expected.
The same thing is happening with me in London. Leading up to my departure I kept on being told how big of a city London was, and how it would be very different from living in the States. I didn’t completely buy this, as I was moving from one English speaking country to another, instead of going somewhere with a different language, customs, etc. Nevertheless, I began to believe that it would truly be different than my life at home.
Once again, I am beginning to believe this not to be completely true. With each day that passes I am becoming more aware of how similar my life in London is to my life growing up at home. When I have my window open I recognize the sounds of car horns, yelling, and construction. I do not have trouble navigating crowded streets filled with fast-moving people. The coffee tastes exactly the same.
However, I have noticed some differences in culture here. People don’t make eye contact with and smile at strangers quite like they do at home. A lot of times it is hard to walk past someone, as (I assume) neither of us know which side to pass on, creating an awkward dance-like interaction before you can carry on walking. I haven’t managed to find a good burrito, but have had surprisingly good Thai food. And when you eat it seems to be a much more leisurely activity than it does at home. I will see dozens of people sitting and enjoying their meals outside, especially since it has been pretty warm. Very rarely do I see people eating while walking, which is common in the States. I can’t think of anything even remotely close to pub culture for people under 21 in the States. Even though they do speak English here, you still have to learn a whole new set of common slang.
These could be seen as small things. I think when you are in a place so similar to where you grew up the differences between the two cities are magnified. I know that London is a lot bigger than home, both in area and population. Though I recognize my home in the city, the people I do daily dances with on the street or see drinking coffee and people watching are completely new. That is what I find the most exciting. I have only been here for a few weeks, but in the next months I look forward to getting to know the people who see London as their home. There are around seven million more people here than at home, and I can only begin to imagine the experiences that’ll come from them that I wouldn’t get anywhere else.
The same thing is happening with me in London. Leading up to my departure I kept on being told how big of a city London was, and how it would be very different from living in the States. I didn’t completely buy this, as I was moving from one English speaking country to another, instead of going somewhere with a different language, customs, etc. Nevertheless, I began to believe that it would truly be different than my life at home.
Once again, I am beginning to believe this not to be completely true. With each day that passes I am becoming more aware of how similar my life in London is to my life growing up at home. When I have my window open I recognize the sounds of car horns, yelling, and construction. I do not have trouble navigating crowded streets filled with fast-moving people. The coffee tastes exactly the same.
However, I have noticed some differences in culture here. People don’t make eye contact with and smile at strangers quite like they do at home. A lot of times it is hard to walk past someone, as (I assume) neither of us know which side to pass on, creating an awkward dance-like interaction before you can carry on walking. I haven’t managed to find a good burrito, but have had surprisingly good Thai food. And when you eat it seems to be a much more leisurely activity than it does at home. I will see dozens of people sitting and enjoying their meals outside, especially since it has been pretty warm. Very rarely do I see people eating while walking, which is common in the States. I can’t think of anything even remotely close to pub culture for people under 21 in the States. Even though they do speak English here, you still have to learn a whole new set of common slang.
These could be seen as small things. I think when you are in a place so similar to where you grew up the differences between the two cities are magnified. I know that London is a lot bigger than home, both in area and population. Though I recognize my home in the city, the people I do daily dances with on the street or see drinking coffee and people watching are completely new. That is what I find the most exciting. I have only been here for a few weeks, but in the next months I look forward to getting to know the people who see London as their home. There are around seven million more people here than at home, and I can only begin to imagine the experiences that’ll come from them that I wouldn’t get anywhere else.
—Claire Tauber