After spending 4 weeks in London, I have learned so much about the culture and how to adapt properly. Working alongside natives from London has helped me merge myself into their culture a lot more easily and authentically. You can always watch videos and hear about how Londoners act, but physically being in that setting helps you understand quicker.

At Rays of Sunshine, my internship, one of our favorite things to do is compare American culture to the UK’s.  One thing that stands out to me is that we spell things a little differently. When working on my internship laptop, certain words like “analyse”, “colour”, and “favourite” are always underlined with red squiggles since I am used to spelling them the American way. I have also learned that things are called differently. First day at my job, one of my coworkers asked me what a flannel was. To us, a flannel is a plaid button-up shirt, however, to them, it is a washcloth. I can understand why it can get confusing if you are not using the right context. Also, when talking about school, Londoners call it schools, plural. At first, it felt weird calling one school, schools, but after a while, it became normal.

A glimpse of my desk and the Jelly Cat they gifted me at work

At CEA CAPA, the classroom setting is a lot different than back at Pitt. Classes here are a lot smaller than what I am used to and the professor caters to their students more since there are a lot fewer students. During my semester here, we also have field studies all around the city of London. From walking along the river to sightseeing the tourist attractions to visiting local museums that correspond with our syllabus, we do not follow the traditional way of learning in classes. I appreciate going on field trips because being able to focus for 3 hours and 15 minutes can sometimes be overwhelming. The trips help us go outside and explore the city to have a better understanding of the city we are living in. 

A picture during my field study at the Foundling Museum

Additionally, back at Pitt, I normally wouldn’t take a writing or psychology course, but it’s interesting to immerse myself in subjects I wouldn’t typically be interested in, especially in a British context. The professors here are also a little different than back home. They are a lot more relaxed on exams and assignments and instead want us to be engaged in what we are learning. This helps relieve the pressure of having to take an exam that is worth 35% of our grade and instead enjoy class while learning. 

While highlighting the cultural differences in London, it is important to be open and accepting of those changes. Two of my Clifton Strengths are consistency and adaptability. These two skills are helpful when moving to a completely new country with no prior knowledge because they allow me to balance flexibility with stability in a completely new environment. Adaptability helps me adjust quickly without feeling overwhelmed and consistency helps me create a stable routine in London that allows me to succeed to my full potential. 

Though it has only been 4 weeks since I moved here for the semester, it feels like I have been here forever! I am learning and enjoying every bit of it. I am excited to see what my future in London holds for me.