While in London, I discovered that my views were much more narrow-minded than I thought them to be. While I am open to talking to new people, and what I think to be a very friendly person, I discovered that not everyone is willing to speak to you like I am. Londoners, in general, were not too receptive to us "tourists," and much preferred to be left alone by us. This was different than the small-town culture I grew up in, and I found myself almost insulting others at times by saying hello to strangers.
I now will have much more patience when I see someone from another country who is struggling with directions or understanding what I am saying. There is definitely a language barrier that I noticed even between people native to London and us. I had a difficult time comprehending certain words that were in English even! I think some cashiers were frustrated with me when I was trying to figure out which coin was which at checkout. I spoke with a couple from Ireland on the plane ride to London, they had three girls with them. The parents were born and raised in Ireland (actually the mother was from another country) but they had lived in the United States for 30 years. They were going to London to visit some friends. Point being you never know who the person next to you is or what their story is. You could have a lot in common even though you would never think so. Unlike Chelsea, I found most people to be fairly nice and always asked where I was from and what I was doing in London. I met two men from Canada at the pizza place in Shepherd's Market. They were from Montreal and the one wanted to go to college in the US. It was very interesting talking to them. I found visiting London to be an excellent learning experience about multiculturalism.
I completely agree with Emily. In the past i have not been to patient with tourists as they look for directions or are just trying to get around. Having been in there position i understand just how hard it is to understand with the dialect barrier because although we spoke english it was still hard to understand the british dialect of english. I also appreciate talking to people more and learning there story and where they are coming from
The variation in culture between the U.S. and the U.K was astounding. Going over I expected that our culture would be somewhat similar to theirs, being that our country is directly descended from theirs, and only broke away 2 1/2 centuries ago. This could not be farther than the truth. While the language is the same, the dialects are completely different, and sometimes it sounded like they were speaking a different language. Their history and traditions are also very different from ours. This experience made me realize the extent to which cultures vary from country to country. It's easy to get caught up in the idea that your culture is the way of life for the rest of the world. This experience made me look more outside the box and view the culture from a unique perspective.
Well, it's official.. Europeans (in general) do not like Americans. I've always heard that the French especially detest Americans, but I definitely felt the hatred at times while in London. There are some obvious explanations for this and I'm sure traveling in large groups looking like stereotypical tourists didn't help our situation. Regardless, I feel like if I was visiting alone or with a small group, some of the stand-off situations would have been the same. Like someone mentioned in the "Overall Experience" blog, the cashiers were not the friendliest when it took me a solid two minutes to pay them in the exact amount of coins.
When I say that Americans are hated, I don't mean to be harsh or judgmental, but rather point out some clear observations (and obviously this doesn't apply to every European). My point here is that as Americans, we need to be especially aware of our opinions and comments towards and around those not from America.
While in London, I learned that almost everyone is from somewhere else. I don't think I really talk to anyone who was actually originally from London while I was there. It was interesting talking to people who were from places like South Africa, Australia, and Italy. It almost seemed like everyone was their either on travel or business purposes. I did find it was sometimes difficult to find a friendly face while there and people seemed to appear annoyed as soon as they realized I was from America and clearly had no idea what I was doing. My first visit to a pub I learned very quickly that if you don't act like you know what you are doing with confidence then it is going to be assumed that you are incompetent. Luckily, I am a quick leaner and by the end I felt like a Londoner myself. I also learned to hold onto your purse, because pickpocketers will attack that opportunity the first chance they get. Even now back in the US I find myself a little paranoid when I feel someone walking too close behind me.
I love to travel and meet people from different cultures. London was full of diversity. I encountered people from all over the world from Australia to Uganda. The most interesting person I met was a man from Uganda, and he sat next to me on the plane ride home. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, a city that I have been to twice on a mission trip. He now lives and works in London at a hotel. He was traveling to the US to visit some friends he met when he worked at Disney World. He has worked and lived in several countries, which is a dream of mine. He gave me his name and told me if I ever go back to Uganda to let him know because he’s never been back since he was two months old. It is really such a small world and you can learn so much about a person or another culture simply by saying hello to a person and starting a simple conversation.
London was a very interesting city as far as the diversity and differences from the United States. I, like Evan, was very shocked to see how the American and British societies contrasted given that the United States was essentially just a derivative of the culture of England. Unlike Chelsea and Liz, I didn't find that the people in London really had any animosity towards Americans over people of any other origin. I just think that their norms for what is considered rude and what is acceptable behavior is different from the norms here in the United States. I even asked a few Londoners that I met at the Pub in Shepherd's Market if truthfully, in their opinions, they believed that the English specifically just disliked the Americans and they said absolutely not. I have considered my experience with the people over there and have come to the conclusion that they don't act any differently towards tourists than people from our biggest cities (such as New York) would act. They just want to keep business moving. Overall, I did think it was very interesting to see the people of many different cultures and countries while I was over there as well as the different restaurants and churches.
The conversations and experiences I had with Londoners were not much different than a conversation I would have right here in Kentucky. I think no matter where you go, all people are about the same. Like in every big city, most people in London were in a hurry to get where they were going, and weren't really interested in talking to tourists, or anyone else for that matter. But after all, I'm not very willing to strike up a conversation with a total stranger, either. Many of the conversations I did have were with beggars on the street, who were very persistent, and would do anything for a pound or two, including cry! I had some of the best conversations while I was at church. The people there were really kind-hearted, genuine people, and were more interested in me than they were themselves. One guy even invited me to go to a pub with him and some other people from the church. I also found it interesting how many different cultures London consists of. I'm sure many of these people from other countries were tourists, but it was definitely cool to experience all of the different languages and nationalities. Being around these people further developed my realization that these people were not much different than us. This led me to be a little more accepting of other cultures than I was previously.
After visiting London, I find myself much more receptive to people here that ask for directions, or are visiting. I work at a restaurant right off the interstate,and a large population of our customers are travelers. This being so, many of them ask for directions often. I sometimes find myself so busy with serving tables that I blow people off or direct them to someone else with their questions or need for directions. Now, however, after having been blown off and ignored by some Europeans on the trip, I never direct them to anyone else and answer their questions as best I can. I agree with Megan in that so many of the people I spoke to, a majority of them actually, were not from England, which I found very interesting. It seemed that these people were much more receptive and willing to help. At the beginning of the trip, it was hard for me to find my way around, and I felt intimidated by everyday things such as riding the tube. However, toward the end of the trip, I was comfortable finding my way, and knew my way around the tube stations with no problems. I definitely learned to keep my belongings close and to always travel with someone. Overall, the trip opened my eyes to a whole new world of multiculturalism, and gave me a greater appreciation for it.
Being in London was extremely different than being anywhere in the United States that I've ever been. One reason is the language barrier. I know we speak the same language but it was almost like they were speaking a different language sometimes because they were hard to understand. There were also a lot of other people who didn't speak english. I definitely felt like most locals of London did not like us tourists because we asked a lot of questions and we just act differently than they do since we're from a dofferent country. However, there were also a lot of locals that were very friendly and had no problem with helping us. Overall, I feel that being in a different culture opened up my eyes to see a different way of like and I can definitely respect the differences of our culture.
While in London, I felt as though I was an outsider looking in. As I mentioned in a previous blog, it was interesting to be the minority in order to gain a better understanding of how those people feel in America. After returning home, I have used this empathy throughout my teaching experiences. Multiculturalism can be experienced anywhere at home, not just when you go away to another country. I have so many students in my class this semester that are hispanic english language learners. While teaching them, I reflect back on my feelings in London of being an outsider and not truly being able to grasp the culture like a native. When putting myself in their shoes, it is easier to help get them from where they are to where they need to be. Helping multicultural students achieve their goals is now becoming a strength of mine after experiencing being a minority in London.
Being in London, was a culture shock, but a great one! Being from Toronto, one of the worlds more multicultural cities, I've always had a lot of respect and patience with other cultures. Being in London was nice because I got to see many, many cultures living and working together, yet we were still in an english speaking country (which is always convenient!) I also agree with Karissa with our teaching background and future. Possibly working in an urban environment means that we will encounter many cultures and difficulties in the classroom. The key here is patience and understanding for these students, because although they may be different, we must respect them and give them the same education as the rest of our students. R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!
While in London, I discovered that my views were much more narrow-minded than I thought them to be. While I am open to talking to new people, and what I think to be a very friendly person, I discovered that not everyone is willing to speak to you like I am. Londoners, in general, were not too receptive to us "tourists," and much preferred to be left alone by us. This was different than the small-town culture I grew up in, and I found myself almost insulting others at times by saying hello to strangers.
ReplyDeleteI now will have much more patience when I see someone from another country who is struggling with directions or understanding what I am saying. There is definitely a language barrier that I noticed even between people native to London and us. I had a difficult time comprehending certain words that were in English even! I think some cashiers were frustrated with me when I was trying to figure out which coin was which at checkout. I spoke with a couple from Ireland on the plane ride to London, they had three girls with them. The parents were born and raised in Ireland (actually the mother was from another country) but they had lived in the United States for 30 years. They were going to London to visit some friends. Point being you never know who the person next to you is or what their story is. You could have a lot in common even though you would never think so. Unlike Chelsea, I found most people to be fairly nice and always asked where I was from and what I was doing in London. I met two men from Canada at the pizza place in Shepherd's Market. They were from Montreal and the one wanted to go to college in the US. It was very interesting talking to them. I found visiting London to be an excellent learning experience about multiculturalism.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Emily. In the past i have not been to patient with tourists as they look for directions or are just trying to get around. Having been in there position i understand just how hard it is to understand with the dialect barrier because although we spoke english it was still hard to understand the british dialect of english. I also appreciate talking to people more and learning there story and where they are coming from
ReplyDeleteThe variation in culture between the U.S. and the U.K was astounding. Going over I expected that our culture would be somewhat similar to theirs, being that our country is directly descended from theirs, and only broke away 2 1/2 centuries ago. This could not be farther than the truth. While the language is the same, the dialects are completely different, and sometimes it sounded like they were speaking a different language. Their history and traditions are also very different from ours. This experience made me realize the extent to which cultures vary from country to country. It's easy to get caught up in the idea that your culture is the way of life for the rest of the world. This experience made me look more outside the box and view the culture from a unique perspective.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's official.. Europeans (in general) do not like Americans. I've always heard that the French especially detest Americans, but I definitely felt the hatred at times while in London. There are some obvious explanations for this and I'm sure traveling in large groups looking like stereotypical tourists didn't help our situation. Regardless, I feel like if I was visiting alone or with a small group, some of the stand-off situations would have been the same. Like someone mentioned in the "Overall Experience" blog, the cashiers were not the friendliest when it took me a solid two minutes to pay them in the exact amount of coins.
ReplyDeleteWhen I say that Americans are hated, I don't mean to be harsh or judgmental, but rather point out some clear observations (and obviously this doesn't apply to every European). My point here is that as Americans, we need to be especially aware of our opinions and comments towards and around those not from America.
While in London, I learned that almost everyone is from somewhere else. I don't think I really talk to anyone who was actually originally from London while I was there. It was interesting talking to people who were from places like South Africa, Australia, and Italy. It almost seemed like everyone was their either on travel or business purposes. I did find it was sometimes difficult to find a friendly face while there and people seemed to appear annoyed as soon as they realized I was from America and clearly had no idea what I was doing. My first visit to a pub I learned very quickly that if you don't act like you know what you are doing with confidence then it is going to be assumed that you are incompetent. Luckily, I am a quick leaner and by the end I felt like a Londoner myself. I also learned to hold onto your purse, because pickpocketers will attack that opportunity the first chance they get. Even now back in the US I find myself a little paranoid when I feel someone walking too close behind me.
ReplyDeleteI love to travel and meet people from different cultures. London was full of diversity. I encountered people from all over the world from Australia to Uganda. The most interesting person I met was a man from Uganda, and he sat next to me on the plane ride home. He was born in Kampala, Uganda, a city that I have been to twice on a mission trip. He now lives and works in London at a hotel. He was traveling to the US to visit some friends he met when he worked at Disney World. He has worked and lived in several countries, which is a dream of mine. He gave me his name and told me if I ever go back to Uganda to let him know because he’s never been back since he was two months old. It is really such a small world and you can learn so much about a person or another culture simply by saying hello to a person and starting a simple conversation.
ReplyDeleteLondon was a very interesting city as far as the diversity and differences from the United States. I, like Evan, was very shocked to see how the American and British societies contrasted given that the United States was essentially just a derivative of the culture of England. Unlike Chelsea and Liz, I didn't find that the people in London really had any animosity towards Americans over people of any other origin. I just think that their norms for what is considered rude and what is acceptable behavior is different from the norms here in the United States. I even asked a few Londoners that I met at the Pub in Shepherd's Market if truthfully, in their opinions, they believed that the English specifically just disliked the Americans and they said absolutely not. I have considered my experience with the people over there and have come to the conclusion that they don't act any differently towards tourists than people from our biggest cities (such as New York) would act. They just want to keep business moving. Overall, I did think it was very interesting to see the people of many different cultures and countries while I was over there as well as the different restaurants and churches.
ReplyDeleteThe conversations and experiences I had with Londoners were not much different than a conversation I would have right here in Kentucky. I think no matter where you go, all people are about the same. Like in every big city, most people in London were in a hurry to get where they were going, and weren't really interested in talking to tourists, or anyone else for that matter. But after all, I'm not very willing to strike up a conversation with a total stranger, either. Many of the conversations I did have were with beggars on the street, who were very persistent, and would do anything for a pound or two, including cry!
ReplyDeleteI had some of the best conversations while I was at church. The people there were really kind-hearted, genuine people, and were more interested in me than they were themselves. One guy even invited me to go to a pub with him and some other people from the church.
I also found it interesting how many different cultures London consists of. I'm sure many of these people from other countries were tourists, but it was definitely cool to experience all of the different languages and nationalities. Being around these people further developed my realization that these people were not much different than us. This led me to be a little more accepting of other cultures than I was previously.
After visiting London, I find myself much more receptive to people here that ask for directions, or are visiting. I work at a restaurant right off the interstate,and a large population of our customers are travelers. This being so, many of them ask for directions often. I sometimes find myself so busy with serving tables that I blow people off or direct them to someone else with their questions or need for directions. Now, however, after having been blown off and ignored by some Europeans on the trip, I never direct them to anyone else and answer their questions as best I can. I agree with Megan in that so many of the people I spoke to, a majority of them actually, were not from England, which I found very interesting. It seemed that these people were much more receptive and willing to help. At the beginning of the trip, it was hard for me to find my way around, and I felt intimidated by everyday things such as riding the tube. However, toward the end of the trip, I was comfortable finding my way, and knew my way around the tube stations with no problems. I definitely learned to keep my belongings close and to always travel with someone. Overall, the trip opened my eyes to a whole new world of multiculturalism, and gave me a greater appreciation for it.
ReplyDeleteBeing in London was extremely different than being anywhere in the United States that I've ever been. One reason is the language barrier. I know we speak the same language but it was almost like they were speaking a different language sometimes because they were hard to understand. There were also a lot of other people who didn't speak english. I definitely felt like most locals of London did not like us tourists because we asked a lot of questions and we just act differently than they do since we're from a dofferent country. However, there were also a lot of locals that were very friendly and had no problem with helping us. Overall, I feel that being in a different culture opened up my eyes to see a different way of like and I can definitely respect the differences of our culture.
ReplyDeleteWhile in London, I felt as though I was an outsider looking in. As I mentioned in a previous blog, it was interesting to be the minority in order to gain a better understanding of how those people feel in America. After returning home, I have used this empathy throughout my teaching experiences. Multiculturalism can be experienced anywhere at home, not just when you go away to another country. I have so many students in my class this semester that are hispanic english language learners. While teaching them, I reflect back on my feelings in London of being an outsider and not truly being able to grasp the culture like a native. When putting myself in their shoes, it is easier to help get them from where they are to where they need to be. Helping multicultural students achieve their goals is now becoming a strength of mine after experiencing being a minority in London.
ReplyDeleteBeing in London, was a culture shock, but a great one! Being from Toronto, one of the worlds more multicultural cities, I've always had a lot of respect and patience with other cultures. Being in London was nice because I got to see many, many cultures living and working together, yet we were still in an english speaking country (which is always convenient!) I also agree with Karissa with our teaching background and future. Possibly working in an urban environment means that we will encounter many cultures and difficulties in the classroom. The key here is patience and understanding for these students, because although they may be different, we must respect them and give them the same education as the rest of our students. R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!
ReplyDelete