Well, my first week in London is going swimmingly. I actually start classes tomorrow, yet I can't even complain because I'm super excited for those too. I actually just discovered that I'm taking a weekend field trip to Belgium for my war history class!
This past week was all about getting settled in our new home. From learning how to use the tube (the London subway system), to finding the local grocery store, to just making new friends, this week was chalked full of education (and we haven't even started classes yet). To initiate the cultural transition, a few of the Boston University London professors held lectures on British culture. We had two lectures each day for the past two days (much easier than my five course schedule last semester) and learned about the politics, stereotypes, culture, and government of England. Here are a few things I learned throughout the week (see Mom and Dad, I am learning over here).
1) Queen Elizabeth is on one side of the 10 pound bill. Charles Darwin is on the other. Although England is a predominantly Protestant country, there was little uproar regarding the evolutionist's appearance on the bill.
2) The Beatles are a symbol of power for the working class. In England, people aren't discriminated against by race as much as they are discriminated against by class. The Beatles were seen as one of the first working class groups of men to go from rags to riches. In England, religion is considered a private manner (our professor said it was similar to how people choose not to talk about their sex lives). However, the Beatles were seen as a religious movement by the way they were able to freely express love.
3) The difference between the UK, the British Isles, England, and Great Britain:
i) England is the country where I'm studying abroad now - London is England's capital
ii) England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland make up the UK
iii) The British Isles consist of England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Scotland
iv) Great Britain consists of England, Wales, and Scotland
4) British parliament is made up of the Lords and the Commons - whichever group holds the most seats generally has a larger say.
Okay, enough lecture. I'm sure you're nodding off already.
One important lesson I've learned on this trip is to not sweat the small stuff as much. On Monday, BU hosted a pub raffle/ trivia night at the Builders Arms pub. My roommates didn't get tickets so I decided to walk over on my own. I arrived at 7:30 on the dot and I didn't see a single other student. Guess who didn't get the email saying the event was cancelled? I sipped my glass of wine in silence for the first five minutes and debated calling it a night all together. Then, two other BU girls, who apparently missed the memo too, strolled in. I didn't know them, but we started chatting and learned that the pub was hosting a free comedy night. We decided to stay and met about five other Americans from all over the country. The comedians rigged on the Americans all night and everyone had a great time. Also, my two new friends and I would "whoop" and clap every time a new act came on - something the Brits don't do apparently. So, we were deemed "the whooping girls" and helped welcome each new act with a round of applause and yelps. We also met a guy from France and a guy from Italy who joined us for a pint of beer - so far I've only tried Fruli (a strawberry beer), Guinness, and hard cider. All in all it was a great night filled with new friends. I'm so happy I decided to stay and learned to meet new people.
Cheers
If only we could learn how to carry home 20 bags of groceries. My roommates and I went grocery shopping at a local grocery store - Salisbury - and bought so many groceries for the upcoming weeks (to avoid eating out) that we had to take a cab home to carry them all. They were heavy! :)
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