Submitted by Jesse Cresswell on the 2017 fall semester study abroad program in London, England…
It’s week 4 in London, and I’m feeling more comfortable than ever. One thing I thought about a lot before the trip was the chart with the stages of culture shock that we were given before we came. It showed an initial high, followed by a dip, and then an adjustment upswing. I feel like I’ve been analyzing my actions and trying to see how they fit the different stages, but so far, I feel like I skipped from the “honeymoon” phase to the “adaption phase.” I feel comfortable on the Tube, get irritated with tourists when they slow things down and was even able to give directions to a Londoner two days ago! I went to Munich, Germany, for Oktoberfest and I couldn’t wait to fly “home” to London by the end of the weekend. The only thing that I would say is tripping me up in a way are our classes. We only have each course once a week, and I personally don’t have class on Thursdays or Fridays- it makes it a little difficult to have a set routine. This coming weekend though, I am traveling to Ireland with other students from the program and can’t wait!
This week has been full of exploration of the city. My classes are big on field studies, so I went on tours of Whitechapel and Brixton. Brixton was my favorite of the two. It is a predominantly black neighborhood, and I found a place I can get my hair redone soon. We got lunch at a cool offshoot of one of the markets there, and went to the Black Cultural Archives to see the Black Sound Exhibition. Brixton is also the home of the famous Electric Avenue. I also went to Covent Garden with my roommate this weekend, which I had been to before, but is still an exciting place to be!
