I have now been in London for over a month. I have learned a lot about culture in the UK, and definitely still have more to go. While I have been to numerous countries in the past, every culture is different. and therefore is not always a simple adaptation.

The most challenging aspect is the workplace culture. I am pursuing an internship here in London at an automotive PR firm. I have realized that Americans tend to give very direct and in-depth instructions, whilst Brits tend to give a general description and hope you end up on the right track. There have been times where I felt that I asked too many questions that seemed unnecessary to them, but crucial to me. I am a very detail-oriented person, so they may question why I pay so much attention to detail. But I have learned to work around this. I still ask plenty of questions, but try to read between the lines in my assigned tasks. I have found that certain words could be a key indicator, and I read over the emails many times before asking my questions.

I think that this will develop into an asset for me so that I can complete tasks for efficiently. Questions pop up easily with specific details: I just look for missing bits. But for less-specific tasks, you feel that much is missing. Reading the task directions over several times helps me to better process the information, forming better, more informed questions.

As for some other aspects, I have had to learn how a true Londoner lives. A big part of my daily life has become public transportation. As someone born and raised in the suburbs of the Pittsburgh area, public transportation is almost unheard of. Mostly everyone drives a car, and there aren’t even any bus stops close to me. Going to Oakland, I learned the bus system quickly, but it was never too confusing, nor was it apart of my daily life.

Determined to learn my way around London as quickly as possible, I opted to take the tube from the London airport to my flat. A simpler (yet more expensive) option would have been to take a taxi, but I figured if I did it once I could surely do it again. With all of my heavy luggage, I figured out what lines to take, which platforms to go to, which direction I needed to go in, etc. I hopped on the wrong train once and some platforms were not clearly marked. But I found my way through it, and I have been used to the commute ever since.

I have also made some new adjustments to being more on my own. I was constantly surrounded by people at Pitt, through my classes, dorm, etc. and have definitely felt a shift being here. London is very spread out, and my friends and I all have different schedules. I rarely go to class with them, and do not see them as much because of our different schedules. It has been refreshing in a way, as the lack of company on my commutes have gotten me back into reading. It is a good chunk of time in which I choose to pull out a book, something that I have not had much time for back in Pittsburgh.

Stay tuned for my next blog post!

PIctured: The swans in Hyde Park and the friendly cats of London!