Well this has been quite a week! After going out for a friends birthday on Monday, everyone was looking forward to Halloween. It was very strange to know that Halloween was so close, and yet it was nearly impossible to tell. Halloween is my favorite holiday back home and it was very surreal not to see the normal decorations outside people’s homes or stores filled with candy, decorations, and costumes. Although it is celebrated here in England, it does not seem to gain the massive hype and celebration that is does in the states. Well the big day came, and I finally saw what Halloween in England is all about-the party! As soon as it got dark there were ghosts and zombies creeping around campus as everyone prepared for a big night out.
One fun thing to note- costumes here are called “fancy dress”. When many of us Americans first arrived we were very confused when people asked us to a fancy dress party. We were thinking fancy as in dressy, like skirts and heels, but it turns out that fancy dress simply means dressing in costume. Anyway, around eight-o-clock everyone was in their fancy dress and gathering at the dorm next door for the big party, and it was certainly one heck of a night out!
Although I had a great time with my friends on Halloween I realized that I was starting to miss home. I think part of that may be because I missed the big party my family throws every year back home, and the other part because this was the first weekend where I wasn’t constantly surrounded by people. Many of the English students went home as reading week is coming up so they have a few days off, and many of the American students went on a trip to Scotland so there were not many people left in the hall for several days. I decided to through my orientation binder and found the acculturation curve we had talked about prior to departure and tried to figure out where I think I am.
The acculturation curve:
Right now I would say I am in phase 3: Acculturation. Luckily, I don’t feel that phase 2, or culture shock, was that long or difficult for me. This may be because I am in a nation whose culture is not extremely different from my own. There are certainly little differences, some of which can be very confusing, but in general it is easy to fit in and I don’t feel as though English culture as a whole is overwhelmingly different from my own in the U.S. I am glad, and a little sad, to say that the initial euphoira has worn off, and I am now adjusting to normal life again, just half way across the world.
One thing that was very comforting in the midst of my bout of homesickness was a small dinner party I had with some other international students where we made a pasta dinner and watched English TV shows. I believe Marissa commented about ‘Desperate Scousewives’ in her recent post-and I too think it is absolutely hilarious! It was nice to have a home cooked meal and talk with international students who were not from the U.S about their experiences and challenges living in England.
The Dinner Party:
Although this week has been somewhat challenging, I am looking forward to continuing the acculturation process and being able to really understand English culture and society. It will have to wait a week though, as I am off to Rome tomorrow morning for several days!!!
See you all next week with tales from Italy!!
Summer
Sometimes the culture shock phase passes quickly, like it did for you, then later on when there’s a holiday or a celebration that reminds you of what you enjoy at home, it’s easy to become homesick and miss the traditions your own family has such as the Halloween party at home that you describe. And once a person starts to become a part of the place where she is studying, the “everydayness” of having a familiar routine but in a new location kicks in. You’re a great observer. Michele