Submitted by Kathleen Emig on the 2017 summer session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of English…
I just wrapped up my first full week of studying in London, and so far it has been amazing. Since England is an English speaking country, there isn’t as much of a cultural barrier as there would be in a non-English speaking country. However, there are some phrases that they use differently here than we do in America. For example, the metro is called “the tube”, and elevators are called “lifts.” Another thing I noticed is that the bar or “pub” scene is pretty different. If you visit a pub in London and want to sit down at a table and eat, you still have to go up to the bar to place your order, whereas in America, servers usually come up to your table to take your order. Tipping is different here as well, as it is not customary to tip since servers here get paid much more.
Our professor has been helpful in planning class trips and activities for us to do, as well as giving us time to explore on our own. Earlier in the week, we visited the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and got to visit the New York Times office in London. We also got to sit down for traditional English tea, another one of my favorite parts.
Yesterday, we took a bus up to Stonehenge, one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments, which was built in several stages – the first monument dating back 5,000 years. The final monument was built around 2500 BC. The highlight of the day for me was when we visited Bath, which in my opinion is the most beautiful part of England I have seen so far. We took a tour of the Roman Baths, which the town is known for. After our tour, we spent some time exploring the city, and got stuck in traffic on our way back. While it took over four hours to get back to London, at least we got to see a lot of the English countryside.
I was worried that I would get bored being in one city for three weeks, but every day that I’ve been here so far has been filled with exploring and discovering new places. I am looking forward to seeing what else these next two weeks will bring.