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.

Hello all!

I have learned many new items following British culture in my mere two weeks of attendance,you can see a different in speech and the written word all around the city in its people and signs. For example they use alternative words for insults, clothing, and phrasing such as knickers for panties. It is interesting to see the contrast in language as both the British and Americans speech English, however use different words for different meanings. You can see the roots of the linguistics’ and at what point the two split in history; it is more apparent being within the city.

British culture additionally has scenery of different that provides to its surrounding culture. The buildings in many of the neighborhoods, even though some are new and involve more modern looks, hold the structure of its original design. Some even have the old stones in which they were originally built as well. It gives London a sense of timelessness as some portion seems to have been stopped in the 18^th century, or even earlier. This is additionally seen in the British Museum and the artifacts that it holds. There are many pieces, not only from the Kingdom, but from all over the world that attribute to the culture and it’s since of timelessness and maintain an aura of medieval. The collection of artifacts plays into the intelligence of the people within the city as well. The British seem to value intelligence in the early years of its community. Museums are maintained and multiplied throughout the kingdom, and schools are required to send their students to their grounds. To this point it would seem that the British schooling system is substantially different, and clearly more defined.  Most general courses are accomplished in the early stages of school, and upon entering college fine focus their skills for future career. Schools in the area are of a higher degree, and are generally in the Ivy League range. The college courses do not contain lectures required for a grade or graduation, as grades are no longer distributed and examinations lasting many days determine whether a degree is given.  I find the system of the schooling for the British the most interesting, and would like the Americans to adopt the system. It is a strong portion of the British culture and the types of individuals it produces to the outside world.

The last item of the British culture that was intriguing was their view on alcohol. It is not forbidden to the younger portions of the community as all ages are allowed in at all times. It is also considered normal to go to the pub after work for a drink, or have a drink during dinner. In the British culture drinking is a social item of interest, not a method of becoming obnoxious as is “normal” in American society. Many things in British culture that are forbidden in American culture are made differently because they do not adhere to obnoxious behavior or try to “hide” like to younger generation. You can assume that the idea of adulthood is made known early on. Overall there are many items of interest that make up the British Culture that have shaped my perspective, however the journey continues in its quest to further my knowledge!

Hola!

I am starting to feel like a month in Barcelona is the perfect amount of time! You can see all of the gorgeous sites, you can enjoy the weather, but just when you start to get homesick, you only have 5 days left! Luckily for me, I get to stay a few extra days because my parents decided to come visit spain as well. So even though I will be traveling en extra two and a half weeks in Europe, at least it will be with people I’m familiar with.

I made an effort to visit the beach more, and its so worth it. The water is warm but refreshing, the sun is hot, but there is a constant breeze too cool you off. I really like the fact that not once haveI felt nervous or uncomfortable here, either traveling by myself or in groups. I can’t believe I was so worried about safety!

Im also coming to the realization that I have to ay goodbye to some really awesome people… My Aussie roommates are hilarious and so easy to get along with, and with my two west coast friends I feel like we have known each other forever! And another girl from Ohio is one of the sweetest yet craziest people I know! Goodbyes are always hard, but not knowing when I will see these people again is tough.

On the bright side, I real have enjoyed my cross-cultural psych class. The teacher is very laid back, and discussions are very much directed by us students. It is one of the first psych classes that I truly wake up excited to go to!

Anyways, it is bitter-sweet that I am in my last week of the program, but I anticipate that it will be one of the most memorable things I do in life <3

Adios! Chao!

So, I have finished my second week here in London. It has had its ups and down. On the plus side I got to travel to Scotland this last weekend and I got to see the beauty that it holds. I finally got to ride on a open air double-decker bus. I took a tour of Scotland while sitting on the top of the bus. It was really nice not to have to take pictures through a window.

I climbed a hill called The Tor. it is a 518 foot hill and the climb is almost vertical, but I made it to the top and the view was well worth the climb.

I have made some really great new friends, many of whom I am already Facebook friends with. they are the kind of people that I know I will keep in touch with for a very long time.

On the down side, I learned that even with all its benefits, the train transportation isn’t always the best. I was stuck on the train for an extra 2 1/2 hours on my way back from Scotland due to electrical problems. 2 1/2 hours is a long time when you can’t really get up to move, there are screaming kids, and no bathrooms. But I made it back in one piece. Then, while changing lines on the tube some one stole my plug adapter out of my back-pack. they aren’t kidding when they say watch your stuff carefully on the platform.

All in all it has been a great trip. I have learned a lot and see a lot and I still have two more weeks to go!

It feels really good to be home to be honest. I missed my family and friends, so it’s nice to see them again. However, there also has been some adjusting that I am currently doing. First off, I had to stay in a hotel an extra day after the rest of the group left Ireland as I had arranged my flight to leave a day later. It was quite unusual for me to be on my own like that. However, I still had a great time as I visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Trinity College, and other sites in Dublin. Fortunately, I made it back to the states without any trouble. Another struggle adjusting to life back home is the time zone difference. The difference between Oregon and Ireland is eight hours, so that is a big difference. I think I’ve adjusted now at this point, but it took quite a few days. I would wake up really early and still feel exhausted at the end of the day. I’ve also struggled getting used to not having to do something everyday. It’s quite a bit more boring here than in Ireland. I’m so used to everything here, so I find it a lot less interesting here in Monmouth. Finally, I’m getting used to remembering to do more homework. I have an essay to write before the end of August. I need to write it soon so that I don’t forget all the details from my trip. Thankfully, I have photographic proof of what I did, so that’ll help. I loved that I was able to do this, and I hope to someday go back to Ireland someday.