London has been a wonderful experience so far, and it’s been fascinating living here for so long that I’m starting to see the city through the eyes of a local as compared to a tourist. Since this is an English-speaking location, I have had an easier time with adjusting to the city. London is similar to the United States in many ways—an English speaking country acting as a melting pot of so many different cultures and traditions. Still, there are definitely some cultural differences all around that I have had to adjust to.

As a whole, London is more formal than the US in many ways, but I have noticed this particularly in the classroom. There were many days back home that I would attend class in sweatpants or athletic wear, but European culture has more emphasis on formality in terms of both presentation and speaking. While I have been here, I’ve worn jeans and a nice top to class nearly everyday. Overall, this cultural aspect has encouraged me to think of my appearance more, which will be important in the future especially in corporate environments. Furthermore, there are certain terms that are not used as much in the United States. In one of my classes, I had something referred to as a “tutorial” and I found myself frantically Googling what this would mean (it ended up referring to a sort of smaller group conference/check-in). As a whole, there seems to be more of an emphasis on politeness. In the United States, both my peers and professors are a lot more direct in feedback or instructions, but I have found confusion in the vagueness of certain terms or wording sometimes. I have navigated these challenges by reading or hearing about the experiences of other international students when adjusting to a new culture.

These small differences also translate outside the classroom, as I find myself constantly aware of using “queue” instead of line or reading dates in the DD/MM/YYYY format instead of the MM/DD/YYYY format that we use in the United States. Additionally, tipping culture does not really exist here—instead, there is a small service charge that is automatically applied to the bill. One of the most common British greetings is “Are you alright?” (which is an equivalent to “How are you?”), but that question confused me at first as it is usually more of a sign of concern in the United States. Overall, London has surprised me in many ways. I had definitely expected it to be more similar to the United States as I feel both cultures are rather intertwined, but I am so grateful for everything I’ve gotten to learn about UK culture. This experience has made me much more mindful about small details and traditions other cultures have and I can’t wait to see what else I learn during this experience!