This page is referenced by:

• 1 2019-05-05T10:39:16-07:00 A Discovery Like No Other 18 Megan Schlag plain 2019-05-29T10:40:03-07:00 Living in London for the past two weeks has presented me with many different perspectives on what it means to be ‘British’. From what I had known beforehand, I would not say many of my views have changed, but instead perhaps – intensified. The characteristics that I felt had intensified the most was the classic British dry humor that was seen everywhere I go. As my time in London continues, I find that our group draws all sorts of attention from the locals. Whether it be because we are young, loud, and quite clearly American, or the fact that this is just how the British are, we have had our fair share of strangers approaching us. Many of them we meet at pubs, on the tube, or at restaurants, and each have an underlying similarity: humor. Though it is dry humor, it is the kind that I find the best. Each joke is met with a smile and should be taken with a grain of salt. Though there have been many times I do not fully understand some of the jokes made, I can tell it is said with kindness, which has been an aspect of this trip that has shown me how important a sense of humor is to the Brits. Interesting, and worth delving into further. What might account for this particular type of humor? Can you give specific examples?
  
  Another characteristic of the Brits I have caught on is their tube etiquette. This is something that we caught on to very early on. There is a certain atmosphere the tube emits and when you disturb the daily commute, it is not hard to feel the difference in the air. The etiquette is quite simple: be quiet and keep to yourself. Talking in groups is something not seen and talking loudly in groups is unheard of. Which shows why it was so easy for a bigger group of young people to stand out. At first, it seemed as though we would always stick out, however I feel as though after the first two weeks it became easy to blend in. We learned how to talk so that there were no glares or even side glances our way, and learned how to position ourselves to best be aware of the exiting and entering passengers. I now find it easy to blend in and have even dared to throw one or two stares at groups of people who haven't quite caught on to the rules just yet. Does behavior on the tube connect in any way with the British sense of humor?
  
  When visiting Scotland, we got to see a different side of the UK. I fell in love with Scotland, and since Edinburgh is the capital it was wonderful to see how it operated both as a tourist hub and as a governing city. I found it interesting when talking to the guide of the walking tour about her views on Scotland leaving the UK. It was a perspective I had neglected to consider when first thinking about how the United Kingdom functioned. When talking about the Queen, I became aware of the lack of enthusiasm and the difference in tone than when I had talked about the Queen with tour guides in places such as Oxford or the Westminster Abbey. I became aware of the sense that maybe the royal family wasn’t as prominent as I had originally thought they were throughout all of the UK. Why might this be? Why might the Scots have a different perspective on the Royal family?
  
  In the week after Scotland, I was able to explore parts of London that I hadn’t been to such as Camden Town, Covent Garden, and East London. All three locations gave me different history, different people, and completely different scenery than before. It felt like the three could not possibly fall under the same city, and yet they do. Good point. Camden Town was a tourist hub, great for small shops, quick food, and a place for hanging out with friends. Covent Garden was in the posh part of town and that shined through; it was beautiful, expensive, and had an atmosphere unlike any other. East London was the most real of the three and showed the different backgrounds people come from and the gentrification that was taking over the city. Though all three places seemed so different I found that they all came together to show just exactly what being ‘British’ is all about. Being British means being accepting. The diversity in life, food, ads, and people, show that you can find anything in this country and there is no title of what it means to be a true Brit.  Judging from what you have learned in class, does it seem as though London has always been like this?  Some photos would be nice!