Hello Collegiettes!
This week in London has been slightly less adventurous than the previous three, as I finally had to get down to business with the academic portion of my study abroad semester (I know, so silly). So I have spent most of the week cooped up in the library or study room researching for papers.
Since I have been in London for almost a month now I thought I would report on some of the difficulties/challenges that I didn’t necessarily think about before arriving her in the UK, some sort of “Good to Know” facts for any of you planning to study abroad in the future!Â
1.      Our American Credit/Debit Cards Can Cause Problems– Few notes about cards. The biggest one being that in the UK, credit cards are embedded with a chip sensor that our American cards do not have. Thus in many machines our American credit/debit cards don’t work. Many places such as grocery stores have the ability to swipe your card, and you can sign for you purchase, but other stores have to break out the old manual machine and imprint your card. It’s something to be aware of, and in many instances it might just be easier to take out the cash. Also the machines to top off your oyster card (The card used for underground and buses here) don’t take our American cards at all, so you have to use cash or go to a teller. I found this out the hard way, and the machines don’t tell you that your card doesn’t work, just nothing happens as you insert your card a million times. I had to wait for a nice Englishman to inform me my card wouldn’t work.
Second note about credit/debit cards is that banks charge you a small fee every time you use your card here, so again in many instances in makes sense to just take out the cash. The exchange rate also changes so frequently that your bank account might be fluctuating up and down by 10 cents for the whole month, and it makes it harder to track your spending and balance your checkbook!
2.      Laundry is Expensive– Laundry is sooooo expensive here. I know many of you collegiette’s have to pay for your laundry at your schools in the states, at Fordham we are lucky enough to have free laundry, but the prices here will make you cling to your machines in the states. It cost me 12 pounds to do 2 loads of laundry, which equates to about $20!! So make sure to budget laundry, and pack enough clothes so that you don’t have to wash as frequently as you might back in the states.
3.      They Don’t Know How to Handle Snow – I know not all of you collegiette’s are from snowy climates, but I grew up in Massachusetts and go to school in New York Cit; a little bit of snow is just a normal part to a winter day.  This is definitely not the attitude in London. First off, they don’t even have plows here; as my professor explained to me today, Londoners would see plows as a complete waste of money and space. So over the weekend we got a decent few inches of snow, nothing major in my New England eyes, but for London it could be equated to a paralyzing blizzard. From the minute the snow started falling the Tube started displaying delays, buses ran at snail pace, and every single person I saw was using an umbrella.
4.      The British Do Not Shop in Bulk–  There is no jumbo jars of peanut butter, no huge value packs of chips, and alcohol is not sold in handles. Everything is just as expensive in the states, if not more so, and in much smaller quantities. For example I have had a pretty miserable cold here for the last two weeks, and I went to the drug store to stock up on cough drops and cough syrup. There were no bags of cough drops, only a pack of 10 cough drops that cost me 1.25 pounds. That is almost $2, for 10 cough drops!
These are some of the biggest challenges I have faced while in London, but once I adjusted they have just become another part of my experience and a part of embracing the culture of my new home!
I still have not heard about my internship, which is starting to become extremely nerve-wracking, but my placement counselor assures me I will be hearing soon, so I really hope for next time! Also this weekend I am going to my first ever UK football game and to Dover Castle! So I am sure I will have plenty to report then. My brother is also coming to visit in just over a week and we will be heading to Scotland in just 2 weeks from today!
Until Next Time,
EmilyÂ
Read all my previous posts from arrival to now:Â
 Hopping Across the Pond!Â
 Being a Tourist
 A Food Affair in Brussels