I would like to think I fit in seamlessly to the British culture, but as I have an American accent and sometimes forget simple word differences like saying hob instead of stove, it is fairly easy to tell I am not from England. One person thought I was from the Netherlands, which would be neat, but everyone else has been on target at guessing I’m from the United States (or States as most refer to them here). Talking with people I’ve met has made me appreciate being from New York as many people dream of going there for vacation or “holiday” as it’s called here.
I made my class wait for an extra few minutes outside a bookstore in Faversham, which is a small town outside of London, because I was deep in conversation. Faversham was one of our day trips out of the city and was such a quaint, traditional English town rooted in history. As I paid for postcards, a volunteer in the back overheard me saying I’m from New York. He came up and started talking to me about the month long holiday he took with his family to the States and how much they enjoyed it. He highlighted the sites they saw in New York City, as well as their trip to Disneyland and seemed to be happy to share his holiday tales with someone who had experienced many of the places as well.
Then, days later, the tube (subway) station in London I needed to use was suddenly closed. I met a friendly Irish woman outside and we navigated to the next station together. When I mentioned where I was from, she lit up as she started telling me how she went to New York City years ago and how magical it was. She described how she was trying to convince her husband to go for her birthday but he wanted to go skiing in Europe again. My mouth dropped open for a second as she nonchalantly said how they ski in the Alps almost every year but she would rather go to New York for a shorter period of time. I would jump at the chance to go down the bunny hills in the Alps.
And finally this week, I had to show my ID for buying kitchen utensils at the local grocery store and started talking to the cashier about how we don’t ID for utensils in the States. She got excited when I said I was from New York and described how she always wanted to go there and would love to save up for the trip. She told me how her cousins went during Christmas last year and had a wonderful time. I might go to the city once or twice during the holidays but tend to avoid it because it is so crowded and cold! And yet, her relatives can’t stop talking about their time in New York, making her want to plan a trip.
I left each conversation smiling and thinking about how the places I’ve visited have impacted me. I have wanted to study in England for years and travel around Europe. But traveling thousands of miles away from home has given me a new appreciation for the area I’m from. I guess just like New York can occasionally get boring or routine for me, so can skiing in the French Alps and it really just depends on your perspective.