I am beyond grateful that I was able to have this experience and I’m very happy with how it turned out. I am also glad I was able to spend it with some other WOU students who are close by when I want to reminisce in the future.

When I first returned home, I was a bit shocked by the heatwave. It took a few days to get used to the valley heat, and I definitely missed the cool London summer. It was a but sad to be home. I wish the term was Longer because there is so much more I would have loved to do and see. Although I would have loved to have more time in London, I was very glad when the traveling ended. My favorite part about being back home is that there’s so much greenery to see. I do not miss being surrounded by concrete.

There seem to be a lot of similarities between British culture and American culture in the city. The way people dress, their interests in music, and other aspects of daily culture are much like those I see in people back home. It is interesting to see that there are so many similarities between people’s behaviors and interests here; before visiting a foreign country, I had overestimated the differences in culture and entertainment. That’s not to say the British exercise there interests in the exact same way that we do, but there are definitely recognizable patterns that show up in both places. For example, pop music that I have heard while at shopping is very similar to pop music back home, and sometimes the same artists we listen to in the states appear to be just as popular here, if not more so.
Something I have noticed about family dynamics here is that there don’t seem to be a lot of fathers out with their kids. I have definitely noticed more mothers out and about than fathers. I wonder if this is because a lot of households assume the more “traditional” working-father, stay-at-home mother dynamic. Perhaps I just haven’t been observant. However, it does seem that the majority of the fathers that I have seen out with their families seem to be of the younger generation, or older and more established in life. Something else I made a note of is that mothers and daughters can often be seen out in pairs. They also frequently hold hands as they walk – even the older daughters do not seem ashamed to be seen out with their mothers, and you can tell they respect and care for them deeply. This is an interesting contrast to a lot of girls in the U.S. It seems that many youths today are embarrassed to be with their mothers in this manner, and try to avoid people perceiving them as friends with their moms.I was happy to see these types of connections on display amidst such a bustling culture. This illustrates one major cultural theme I have noticed here: People still make it a point to make sure they maintain and nurture their family and social connections in a variety of ways despite their hectic and fast-paced lifestyles. I admire their commitment to nurturing their relationships, and their ability to relax and have fun without being overly obnoxious.

Hi everyone!

Not to sound just like everyone else from the Harry Potter class, but the highlight of week 3 had to have been the Warner Brother’s Harry Potter Studio Tour. I have been a fan of the series since I was little and the tour was one of the coolest things I have experienced in a very long time. It was enlightening (and super entertaining) to go behind the scenes and see just how much effort was put into each and every entity of the films – from costume design, to special effects, and even just in the early development stages; there is so how in depth each aspect of filmmaking really is. I definitely have a new appreciation for everyone who is involved in anyway with production and films in general. Plus, who wouldn’t love an excuse to buy knee-high Hufflepuff socks?

Alexis

Visiting London and the surrounding area of the United Kingdom has provided me with a sense of a vastly different culture, or I should say a sense of cultures. The diversity found in the city is greater than I have seen in any other place. Before coming to Britain, the greatest real-life example of diversity I had found was on-campus at WOU. I have heard more unique languages spoken aloud in the last two weeks than I had previously heard in the entirety of my experiences. The city here reminds me a lot of the big cities back home. However, there is a much greater sense of community here than I pick up in big cities of the U.S. Perhaps this is due to the close proximity of everyone in town. People of all races and classes appear to travel on the same path everyday. The trains and tube are always packed with all kinds of interesting folks that do not seem to mind being so close to everyone else around them, and it does not seem that anyone is deterred by the thought of using public transportation either. At home, the public transportation has certain negative connotations, whereas here public transport is just a part of the routine. The public transportation system also seems to be fairly well maintained compared to the systems I have seen back home.
Another aspect of the culture that lends to the sense of community here is the tradition of the pubs. No matter where you go, you are bound to find an assortment of these establishments. The pubs are always bustling during lunchtime, and especially after work hours. It seems that people here do not see alcohol as a negative influence as we do in the states. The people here are used to just grabbing a beer with their colleagues during the day, or after work without thinking twice about it. In the U.S. society in general has a very different attitude towards alcohol; alcohol is a forbidden fruit and people who drink may be judged for their choices. I think this attitude breeds the issue of young people feeling the need to drink to excess. The bars in America are often filled with people who are making a scene and taking things too far. In contrast, I’ve noticed that people here are more apt to go to the pub for socializing with friends and family; pubs are less about the actual drinking and more about the community aspect here. Of course there will always be a bit of mischief associated with overconsumption anywhere, but it doesn’t seem to be a major issue.
A final note on pubs: I was very encouraged when my friends and I were in a local pub and we noticed that not a single person there was on their phone. This was quite a novelty because back in the states, it’s almost a guarantee that half of the people in a restaurant or other public place will be staring at their phones at any given moment. It was refreshing to see that people were very present in the moment and not concerned with whatever social media had to offer.

Tuesday
Today we visited King’s Cross and St. Pancras train stations. Both of these stations are important buildings historically in London. However, I found them particularly interesting places because of their connections to the Harry Potter film series. The book tells us that Hogwarts students travel from London via the Hogwarts Express leaving King’s Cross station. However, we learned today that the movies actually depict St. Pancras as King’s Cross – probably for style and the rich history behind its construction.

Clock tower – St. Pancras Station                     King’s Cross Station

Thursday

Oxford is a town  that is home to one of the oldest working universities in Europe; it is made up of 38 individual colleges. Some of the most famous artists, writers, scientists, and other scholars were patrons of the school (including writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien). It was really amazing to see the location up close and personal, and to imagine how it served as inspiration to these brilliant minds.

Christ Church College – Oxford University

There is so much that went into pre-departure, that it seemed discouraging at times. I was worried that by the time I finished stressing out about leaving, I wouldn’t even have the energy to go anywhere! Luckily, I survived all of the tedious planning and packing (and repacking) , endless airport lines, and what seemed like never-ending flights — and now I’m in London! Wait what? I’m super excited to be here finally, but jet-lag is no joke. Hopefully I get my energy back soon, so I can make the best of this experience.