Cultural Differences #HogsAbroad in England

I can hardly believe we are already a week into November! Here, it seems like the weeks are short but the days are quite long. As I said last week, it starts getting dark around 4:30 pm, which is rather early for me. However, I’ve just learned that pretty soon it will start getting dark around 3:00 pm! I knew England would be cold and rainy, but I completely overlooked the part about long, dark nights. I’ve spent the more significant portion of the last week rearranging my personal schedule because I feel motivated by the sun and find it hard to walk to the gym or library in the cold darkness. Didn’t I say I was going to be positive this week? I am, I promise!

This week I want to talk about some of the cultural differences I’ve experienced. I’m sure there are plenty of lists comparing British and American culture, but these are examples specific to me and my time here so far.

• Words: There have been many occasions where I’ve had to ask someone to repeat and explain what they just said; not because of the accent, but because of the words they use! For example, band-aids are called ‘plasters,’ a vacuum cleaner is called a ‘Hoover,’ and a truck is called a ‘lorry.’ Also, I’m still not sure if I should write my essays using the extra ‘u’ in words like colour and behaviour.
• Phrases: My favorite thing I’ve encountered is that the typical greeting you’ll receive is, “you alright?”. At first, I thought everyone somehow knew I was a lost foreigner who looked like she was going to cry, but I soon realized it’s the same thing as, “hey, how are you?” Also, ‘cheers’ is like thank you and they say ‘at the minute,’ not ‘at the moment.’
• Small talk: Non-existent. Vastly different from my southern upbringings, people don’t like to chit-chat on public transportation or in the elevator or whatnot. It doesn’t mean that they are unfriendly, it’s just the norm here.
• Supermarkets: The grocery store is one of the best places to see cultural differences. Most shocking to me, the eggs aren’t refrigerated. Also, the main cheese selection only consists of three levels of cheddar (all white), some mozzarella, and a little feta. Gallons of milk don’t exist – they’re sold in a pint. Lastly, there are a lot of ‘meal deals’ you can buy, ranging from a grab-and-go sandwich to single person meals that aren’t frozen. That last one is less of a cultural difference and more of a benefit, and I find it handy.
• Food: Food is typically the same, although some foods are called different things. For example, ‘jacket potatoes’ are baked potatoes, ‘crisps’ are chips, and a ‘toasty’ is a toasted sandwich. Also, ‘biscuits’ are cookies, and you typically have them with your tea. Lastly, and most upsetting to me, the popcorn at the ‘cinema’ isn’t fresh and is delivered to the theater in big plastic bags. However, you can get sweet, salty, or a mix.
• Drinks: Something I’m not too upset with is that tea is way more common than coffee. I don’t think coffee pots are typical, but everyone has an electric kettle. But, when you want that coffee, you’ll have to typically choose between a cappuccino, latte, or americano. There aren’t many places with drip or filter coffee. At first, I didn’t even know how to explain this and didn’t understand why the campus Starbucks didn’t just have a pot of coffee (it was embarrassing). Also, if you merely ask for a beer, you might get a warm ale. Lastly, and most notably, I haven’t had ice since I got here.

I’m sure there are plenty of other things I am forgetting, but you get the point. It’s so fun to live in a new place and experience all these new and different things, a lot of which you wouldn’t experience during a short-term vacation. While a study abroad is quite literally studying at a school in a foreign place, it’s also the study of a new culture which involves thinking in new ways, tasting new foods, experiencing new things, and increasing global awareness.

Also, meeting and interacting with other exchange students is a lesson of its own. I am amazed at the courage and ambition of people who come from places all around the world and overcome huge cultural barriers, including language. Most of my flatmates are foreign exchange students spending their entirety of university here from places like Malaysia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Nigeria, South Korea, and Brunei. Shamefully, I’ve even met someone from a country I didn’t know existed. Ever heard of Eritrea? Here’s a picture of all the foreign exchange students (not paying attention) taken on the first day.

Overall, I feel like I learn something new every day, whether that be through class, culture, or people. Although being faced with new and unfamiliar things can be uncomfortable and no one likes to feel ignorant, it’s those experiences you learn from the most. I am quite enjoying my time learning and trying new things, but also I’ve been craving chips and salsa for about a month now.

I didn’t go anywhere this past weekend, so no fun pictures this week. However, I did see Bohemian Rhapsody and would highly recommend the movie. Have a lovely week!

Cheers!

Brisa B.

--
Industrial Engineering major Brisa Bartczak is spending the Fall 2018 term in England with our U of A Exchange program at the University of Essex, Colchester with the help of our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship and the College of Engineering.

Read more from Brisa at https://sites.uark.edu/bsbartcz/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/