Culture Shock

The first week of life in London has been hectic, fast, and culturally different, and time is needed to adjust to the new environment. The pre-departure expectation of life in London was what we typically see in movies and social media, where everyone dresses well and is adjusted to the environment. Subsequently, one of the highest expectations was elegance in a manner, which is stereotyped by tourists and social media. London is a fast pace environment where individuals get from point a to point b without much interaction involved within the period.

My expectation within the manner department was immediately overturned when I was in the tube where I saw individuals are mannerless than that of the movies and social media. On the tube, I expected there to be talking, interaction, and close community. Subsequently, I expected the train station’s modern environment to focus on green energy. However, people on the train did not talk or interact with other individuals but were silent; if someone dropped a pin, it would create more noise than the people. Everyone was on their phone, reading newspapers, sleeping, or staring at an empty space which was surprising to me because I come from an environment where interaction with people on a daily basis is normal and expected within a community. One thing that was hard to adjust to was riding the tube (train) to get to places since I am used to driving.

During my stay in London, I want to experience the diverse culture and explore the history of Great Britain since London is the epidemic center for politics. I noticed while going to places and on the tube that London is a melting pot for diversity. Within a minute of walking from your place, people from different ethnicities and countries around the world can surround you. On the tube, you will see people of different origins and a unique environment created by diverse communities. Remarkably, London encompasses the world and culture in one city.

I need to explore the city and the people around London. I have to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, which means attending social events such as a pub and meeting people. I need to learn to appreciate the enormous diversity in the city and take advantage of such opportunities to meet everyone around the world. One other thing will be to try all the different food offered in London because there exist every type of food from different cultures.