Discovering England: From Media to Daily Observations
Going into this summer abroad program, most of my ideas for the city and those who live here were based off media. Whether it was from pop culture, like the Royals and James Corden, or sports, like tennis player Andy Murray. After being in London for two weeks, traveling around not only the center of the city but other surrounding cities, the way I think of London and what it means to be “British” has been altered. I do not believe my perceptions in the beginning were in anyways incorrect but traveling around, going to local pubs, and visiting historical sites and museums did challenge those perceptions.
History has never been one of my strong suits, and after visiting the multiple museums and castles, it was obvious that the history of England is a huge part of who they are. Learning about the different monarchies and certain wars/battles that England was involved in was very new to me. The tour that made me realize how important the history of England was to those who live here was Westminster Abbey.
When walking around the Abbey and seeing the tombs of Elizabeth I of England and James VI of Scotland and I of England, it was apparent how important the monarchs and the history of the country are to those who live there. Although the history of England did not have an impact my perceptions beforehand, they relate in a way when talking about the pride the English have for their country. With Andy Murray’s win at Wimbledon, the pride of the country was very evident and after learning how much history England has and how many people know about the history and take pride in it, the love for their country is shown.
It also is shown just in the number of museums that are available for the public to go in for free. Just in the two weeks, our group has visited the National Portrait Gallery, the Imperial War Museum, the British Museum, the National Maritime Museum, and the British Library.
It is crazy to think that is not even close to all the free museums in and around London. The availability and number of museums makes it clear that England wants to show off their great history and achievements along with other artifacts/items they have acquired over the hundreds of years.
Another previous perception of the “British” was their sense of humor and how sarcastic and witty every English person is, purely based on comedian James Corden. This perception has been confirmed, mostly based on the local pubs and the bartenders and locals that I’ve encountered within them. For example, at one pub a group of us went to, we were obviously Americans and some of the only people there. When we went up to the bar to try and purchase drinks, the bartender was joking with us on how we called the money a “one dollar pound”. The comments he made were sarcastic and funny, exactly as I expected an English person to react.
Besides what I mentioned in my previous perceptions of the “British” one thing I have noticed is how independent, or how comfortable the people are with being alone. From traveling the tube to eating in a park, no one second guesses or thinks that it a strange thing for someone to be doing. Back in Ohio, especially at school, it is often looked as “weird” if a person decides to go to a dining hall or sit outside by themselves but in England, there is none of the judgement. I think it is a great thing to see that being with others does not impact how a person can go on with their daily life.
I believe that most of my perceptions before the start of the trip were confirmed after being in England for over two weeks now. It is apparent how proud the people are of where they come from and the history that their country has. My thoughts on the witty, sarcastic humor of the Brits was confirmed by an encounter with a local bartender and other observations were made about how independent the people are. I am interested to see how, or if, my view on the “British” changes any further with the remaining two weeks.
