Well well well… we have officially reached past the half point of our journey in the thriving, busy city of London, England. It’s such a cheesy saying but it couldn’t be more true… time does fly by! These past weeks have been packed with our busy schedules consisting of internships, classes and excursions. Trying to make the most of it, my roommates and I have taken every opportunity possible to be engaged with the environment around us. Through our study abroad program, we took a boat ride to the borough of Greenwich. While on the water we had a moment to snap a picture in front of the famous Tower Bridge! Once we docked, we had time to explore the markets that the area offered. While exploring, I found this amazing vendor or hand painted each and every piece of the dishes displayed. It was the perfect opportunity to stock up on some souvenirs and support small businesses… not to mention the great customer service!
The week following our trip to Greenwich absolutely held some moments that created forever memories. During a session where we would normally would have an International Finance lecture, the class instead met up to visit Sky Garden- London’s famous overlook of the city. I particularly am not a fan of heights by all means… however the view was worth it. Seeing the enormous city I am calling home for a few more weeks was heartwarming and incredible.
By this time now, we have had the chance to see a short glimpse of the British culture. Through all these impactful and immersive moments, I’ve noticed many elements of the European culture that is different than what I’ve previously experienced in America. For starters, driving and walking up stairs are normally operated by the left side! This is an obvious one, but seeing it in action had its confusing moments in the beginning. We are so used to looking left, then right, and left again before crossing the street. However, as a pedestrian here, looking right is first! Another aspect I’ve realized since being in London is that it isn’t wildly uncommon to see gender neutral bathrooms. Restrooms here will sometimes consists of private stalls within a single restroom area, open to male and female identifying individuals. I remember first walking into a restaurant bathroom and seeing someone of the opposite gender washing their hands, leaving me to think I had stumble somewhere I shouldn’t have been! It wasn’t until a student guide informed me that this restroom culture is normal!
Culture itself isn’t just about the actions and habits of its people, culture also consists have the hobbies and interests of them! London is surely the Harry Potter capital of the world. I do considered myself a huge Harry Potter fan, knowing every spell lingo and all the lore from start to finish. There’s many students I’ve met on the Pittsburgh campus that would think this was nerdy and crazy, however the British understand all the hype! This past week, I got to visit Wizards and Wonders- a shop dedicated to everything Harry Potter! I was in my perfect oasis. This I fully connect with.
Underneath the huge umbrella of a country’s culture lays what’s called “deep culture” as well. One piece of deep culture includes the gestures and verbiage that is common to a specific location. For London, I did notice that sarcasm is a huge way the people communicate even under professional levels. At home, sarcasm isn’t always perceived as appropriate especially in the workplace. When I first met my supervisor and colleagues, self pity, sarcastic jokes were being made left and right, and I couldn’t tell whether to laugh or not! Seems silly but in the moment, before finding comfortability in the informality was an interesting moment! To continue workplace cultural pieces, I did see that business professional isn’t very common to wear while in office. I mean this as, smart casual consisting of jeans and a dress shirt is the way to go for a London workday. I packed so many business professional dress pants and shirts to just realize it was not what I’d be wearing at my day-to-day internship. I can say however, I kind of like this aspect. Wearing business professional all the time seems very serious and causes myself to go into “overly formal” mode, if you will. I find myself feeling more motivated and excited to be in office when I can wear comfortable jeans and a nice relaxing top.
Lastly, I am consistently having cross-cultural moments both within my internship and outside of it. I am finding myself either table marketing with Vaela at various outdoor markets, or visiting one, doing some shopping for myself. Londoners are extremely pleasant and very welcoming. I’ve been addressed as “love” and “dear” more in the last three weeks than I’ve ever been my whole life… no exaggeration! They are very attentive to making you feel important and special in a friendly way especially within customer service. As a customer service representative at home, I want to carry this on more in my work life and home life as well.
To end the week, Kayla and I took a weekend trip to Zürich, Switzerland! We tried our very best to fit as much into our short 48 hour schedule as we could. This included having a “Royal Brunch” at a social media viral cafe, seeing the Swiss Alps, a trip to the illusion museum and of course, visiting the Lindt Chocolate Factory! Being able to explore more of Europe and having a travel buddy like Kayla was perfect and I couldn’t be more happy. Zürich was BEAUTIFUL. We returned to London and prepared for the week ahead. Exams and papers are upon us so the hustle and bustle is sinking in. Nonetheless, I am excited for the weeks to come in London.
