Roehampton Diary: Culture Shock

Roehampton Diary: Culture Shock
By: Devin McDonald

During the first week of my Freshman Semester Abroad experience, I was dealing with continual culture shock. Every aspect of my new life in London was chaotic. As the guinea pigs of the brand-new program, there were some aspects that were unforeseen. Take, for example, an easy trip to the grocery store. It is not like back home with a meal plan and a mother an hour away.

My first trip to Asda, the British form of Wal-Mart, was quite the thrill. I looked out my window, expecting to make a left turn with extreme difficulty in the rush hour of southwest London. Yet the double-decker bus made an easy turn into Asda.

Within the next few days, I had to wonder why I had a “pound” of change in my wallet. I would pay for a ₤1.80 coffee with a five-quid bill and receive coins galore. Was everyone trying to rip off the American girl? I soon felt renewed richness when I realized that the Brits not only have coins for one-pound pieces, but for two-pound pieces as well. Being unfamiliar with the foreign currency, I have to admit that my experience has been strange. By the way, what is a “p”? While I’m at it, why do the Brits complain incessantly about “q’s”?

Despite my whinings, the culture and chaos of the city of London defines the word vivacity in my life. There are still moments, when I wonder, am I really living in London at age 18?

Caught in a multicultural whirlwind of people on Regent Street, I stop in one of the three H&Ms in Central London and gawk at the fashion that won’t arrive at home until a few years from now. While riding on the top of a double-decker bus, which dashes past Putney Bridge pedestrians, I feel very much a part of London. I stare at the architectural designs of every building, from picturesque window shops to brick, Georgian-style homes with multiple chimneys and sash windows. I cringe when a man on a scooter zips closely between two lanes of traffic, but his sense of daring makes me smile. Taking the 265 bus to Putney Bridge Tube Station, switching from the District Line to the Central Line at Nottinghill Gate, and arriving at Tottenham Court Road for the Dominion Theatre’s “We Will Rock You” or the British Museum’s Augustan Rome exhibit, is exhilarating. Along with two million other Londoners, I witnessed England’s defeat by South Africa in the Rugby World Cup in a pub; and as the crowd rang out with “England till I die!” I thought, ‘is this really happening?’

The answer is yes, all of this is happening around me nonstop. The real question is: Will I still be caught up in the culture and chaos of London long after I leave?