British people think Americans do weird things. Americans think British people do weird things. So as an American, these are a few things that caught me by surprise.
1. 'Friends'
British people are obsessed with 'Friends'. They have merch tables in almost every store you go in. They even have 'Friends' themes christmas PJs and yes I bought some.
2. Scooters
People use scooters almost as much as we use cars to get around. Kids. Adults. Adults pulling their kids on a scooter instead of having them walk with them. They are all over the place.
3. Silence
Nobody talks in London. On the tube - silence. In a restaurant or store so busy you can hardly walk - silence. I freaked me out how so many people could be so quiet.
4. Walking etiquette
One of my biggest pet peeves is slow walkers. Not that people walk slow in London, they're pretty speedy. But they do not know which side of the road to walk on. They know that on the escalator you stand on the right and walk on the left - but once you hit the street people walk left and right and DO NOT MOVE FOR YOU. If I acted like a Londoner and didn't move out of people's way when walking I would have run into every single person. It was a real test of my patience that's for sure.
5. Brussels sprouts
Brussels sprouts are a big deal. I don't know why. But they are. Mugs, towels, trinkets, flavored chips. How does something like a vegetable become a trend? Same with avocados I guess...
7. 'Sorry'
Sorry I everyone's favorite word. This helped me fit in because if you ran into someone they would say sorry to you. I say sorry way too much, and so do they so I fit right in with this one.
8. They love dick jokes
I don't really know what to say for this one. They just do. They're like children.
9. Tea
The tea stereotype is 110% true. They drink soooo much tea. If someone asks if you'd like tea,it's rude to say no - so...I apparently insulted many people. If you are getting yourself tea and don't offer to make some for everyone else, that is also rude.
10. Brexit
They know just as much about what is happening with Brexit as we do. Which is nothing. Everyone is confused.
REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK
I didn't really experience culture shock going to London, but was really worried that reverse culture shock was going to hit me hard coming home. Now that I have been home for almost 2 weeks, the culture shock hasn't been to extreme (until I go back to school..rip) but there have been things that have caught me off guard and things that have made me really miss London.
1. Americans are loud
After being around people who avoid talking to strangers and talking in public in general, it is really easy to notice how loud americans are. I went Christmas shopping my first day back and every store we walked into, at least 3 employees came up to us asking if we needed help and checked on us every 5 minutes. After about 4 stores I was like oh my god...leave me alone.
2. Driving / crossing the street
Not going to lie I was a bit scared to drive and even cross the street coming back because my brain got so used to the backwardness of London streets. Turns out I remembered how to drive.
3. Public Restrooms
Public restrooms in Europe are a luxury. Why do our public restrooms not have stalls where the door is actually a door and you can't hear everyone peeing? Is it weird that I miss European public restrooms?
4. Jet Lag
Jet lag sucks. It was definitely worse coming back than it was going. Tired by 5pm, wide awake by 4am. Wake up every hour starting from 1am. No thanks.
5. Stress
Everyone these days are stressed, but British people don't express their stress at all times. It wasn't something I really noticed until I got back and realized how tense and stresses everyone was. You don't get that feeling in London - everyone is just minding their own business, living life, keeping their stress to themselves.
We'll see how going back to school goes, might be a little slap in the face the first week or so..but I'm ready for you Belmont.
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