From New England to real England: It’s not the same in London

I had to explain what ‘badass’ meant to my tour guide

A semester abroad is very different than a semester at BC, and life in London is very different than life in America.

People who studied abroad before me were quick to give me tips and point out the differences between life abroad and life in Chestnut Hill, but hearing about the experience and having it yourself are very different things.

I’ve only been abroad two weeks and this is what I’ve found so far…

Don’t worry, it’s still cold AF

You can’t rely on a schedule
Us BC students thrive on certainty. We have our own schedules and our friends’ memorized in the first week of the semester. With how busy most of us are, it’s no surprise we make plans made well in advance. But not here.

Field trips (throwback to elementary school) are more common, my classes aren’t just a quick ride up the Maloney elevator, and there’s no dining hall which means no time slots to plan my meals around.

Weekend travel plans are made last minute – like the weekend trip I booked less than 24 hours before leaving – and time during the week is spent getting lost in London rather than claiming a table at O’Neil. To get the most out of the short time we have in a different country, we have to be able to make it up as we go and not be afraid to maybe (probably) mess it all up and figure it all out later.

Going to an English-speaking country doesn’t mean you’ll understand everything

As evidenced by my intelligent tour guide’s confusion over the word “badass,” we interpret English differently than the English. They may be speaking the same language, but I often find myself asking them to repeat themselves or explain further because I didn’t understand either the accent or the colloquial terms.

London is an extremely diverse city and though English is the dominant language, I’d venture to say I hear other languages (tons of them) almost as often. Even if the Londoners I interact with are speaking English, they come from around the world and have a variety of beautiful accents that I can admire while I stand there embarrassed and confused.

You have to pay for food with real money

This is a big one.

I like being able to go to Lower, grab a random assortment of whatever I want, swipe my card, and be given the food without feeling like I’m spending money. I know that I am, but having paid in advance and not having to actually show my credit card or cash, it feels more like Monopoly money than real money.

Here, I’m buying groceries and getting coffee with actual cash, and it’s way more stressful than I’d anticipated.

Sidebar: they said London was expensive and I knew it in the back of my mind, but being here has shown me just how expensive it is and it’s enough to make me want to cry as I glance down at my debit card…

You don’t have to be happy every second

That’s not natural – it’s creepy. People who appear to have no adjustment period and never get thrown off by anything are either in for an unwelcome surprise quite soon or are a walking Instagram feed. Social media is a lovely way to make everyone trudging through snow to the Plex and fearing a comeback of the norovirus jealous, but just like at BC, that’s not 100% accurate.

My first day here, I’ll admit, I was jet lagged, disoriented, didn’t know a single person, exhausted, and a generally disorganized mess. There were tears.

This is not BC, so I can’t act the same as I would at BC 

It seems obvious, but it doesn’t feel as natural as it sounds. The routine, culture, and social norms of the Heights do not apply to London.

How I act on the T would be stupid on the Tube, asking for an iced coffee most places is useless, and calling an Uber to go two miles doesn’t even feel like an option.

The culture is different and I’ve seen already that I have to let the experience, people, and change me. Though I wish I could successfully impersonate a Londoner and the locals would accept me as one of their own, I’m happy to settle for changing how I act to fit in just a little better.

In London, the great outdoors doesn’t shut down for the colder months – people walk almost everywhere and even eat outside.

The Tube is far more efficient than the T so I haven’t needed to call a taxi or an Uber once.

I’m not here with anyone I know from home, there’s no campus to constantly run into people on, and everything I need is not within a five-minute walk I can convince my friends to take with me.

That means I’m spending more time alone exploring a place I don’t know, tasting food I don’t know and buying brands I don’t know, and that’s ok.

Being abroad is an amazing time to get to know people you may have never met otherwise, but it’s also an experience for you as an individual, and that requires spending some time as an individual, away from your BC friends. There’s nothing wrong with doing things on your own. I’d argue it makes your experience better.

More
Boston College