I can’t decide if I left part of myself in London, or if I brought part of London home with me; perhaps it’s a little of both. Regardless, something in me changed as a result of my first overseas experience. I returned home to the United States after nearly two weeks abroad and realized I thought differently about my life.
My experience in London was nothing short of wonderful. I had a great time making amazing memories and new friendships, and experiencing a lifestyle different than my own. For example, most homes and few businesses in London have air conditioning. I found this to be odd, but was informed by some London natives that the temperature rarely gets hot enough so air conditioning isn’t needed. I was also told that because most of the buildings are older it would be quite expensive to install air conditioning. The climate in London differs greatly from St. Louis. I had been warned by a British friend that London was quite chilly, and that a sweater, jacket, and some long-sleeved shirts would be go-to clothing items. I took heed of this warning, and packed a green rain coat, black zippered sweater with a hood, plain black sweater, and a few pairs of long pants. I was so glad I did. I was freezing the first week or so in London. I wore layers of clothes and always had on my green rain coat. It rained just about every day, sometimes several times a day, and each time the temperature dropped a few degrees.
There were several instances where I wish I’d had gloves and a scarf. I purchased four scarves from a street vendor at Piccadilly Circus. I was thrilled to know that my neck would now be warm. Ironically, the next day London was hit with a heat wave. London’s version of a heat wave is very different from St. Louis; temperatures peaked in the low 80s. However, I found it difficult to cool down since there was little to no air conditioning, and few fans and ventilation.
There were other smaller, yet noticeable differences between London and St. Louis. One big difference for me was the lack of Diet Pepsi and other soft drink choices. Apparently, England is a Coke country, and most soft drinks are served in glass bottles. While I found comfort in drinking Diet Coke, I come from a loyal Pepsi family and therefore relished the few places that stocked my favorite caffeinated beverage. I was encouraged to sample chocolate in London, having been told that it was far better than chocolate in the States. I tried several different candy bars, but was unimpressed. Fellow travelers and I talked often about public toilets and how it costs money to use them. We also found it strange that you typically go through two sets of doors before getting to the actual bathroom, and that the water pressure is much lower.
Other obvious differences between London and home were the use of public transportation, the abundance of stairs, driving and walking on a different side of the street, and the use of technology. Drop-in Internet cafes can be found on nearly every street, and few Brits piddle on their smart phones in public. Naïve, I assumed the British just didn’t use their phones as much as Americans. I was later told that the British find it rude to be on your cell phone in public. I also found out that Brits are avid users of social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter. In some ways, I feel that England is more technologically advanced than the United States. For example, most European credit cards have micro chips embedded in them for added security and faster service. Back at work in the States, I recently read a communication about micro chips in credit cards for easier use in Europe.
Although different, London and St. Louis share some similarities. English is the native language, and a mix of people from different countries and cultures live in both cities. I met few Brits during my time in London, and instead engaged in conversation with people from Turkey, Italy, France, Scotland, and New Zealand. While the British drive on a different side of the street, I think drivers in both countries are aggressive behind the wheel.
While some might find it difficult to narrow their list of London adventures to one favorite, mine was easy. My favorite part of the trip was the first class visit to BBC, the British Broadcasting Channel, for my British Culture and Social Media class. As a former newspaper reporter, this visit appealed to me because of my journalistic roots. It also had me missing my past career. I enjoyed listening to BBC employees talk about social media, the different types, and how it’s used in England. I found the discussion on developing your personal brand through the use of social media to be beneficial, and found it amusing that with social media you often come across more confident than you really are.
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