Cultural Adjustment

Before coming to England I didn’t really think about how England would be different from the United States. There are definitely similarities such as English being the first language which is good because I do not know how to speak another language. However, some of the terms that people in England say are different than terms that we say in the United States.  Before I left people told me that English people call the bathroom the Lu but as I have experienced people call it the toilets. Also, England’s money system is the pound and one pound is equal 1.6 American dollars. The dollar’s value is not very good but since Huddersfield is a smaller city so food and other necessities are cheaper than bigger cities like London.

As pretty much everyone knows British people have a different accent. It does differ depending on what area of the country you are from. Huddersfield is located in North Yorkshire people that I have met from the University who live in this county seem to very patriotic about their area. Some of them haven’t even gone to London. This proves the point that even though you live in England, London can still be a foreign place that one has never visited. Similar to when one says they live in New York and people assume the “city” automatically, but a majority of people do not live in the city. Expanding further on where I am from, New York, most people that I have met are shocked that I am Huddersfield. There notion is why come to this small place called Huddersfield when New York, where you are from, is this grand and majestic place. Usually, I explain to people that I like living in a town not far from nature, and that big cities are nice to visit but not somewhere I would stay for a while.

I have lived in my flat for about 2 and half weeks. My flatmates and I have settled in and every week we try to do a family dinner. I made a family dinner the week of Rosh Hashanah and I prepared foods that my family would eat for the holiday. This past week my flatmate from Germany made German food which was very good. I am not a very good cook, but I make simple things and am attempting to improve my skills. Also I must add that I love tea so England is definitely the right place for me and I even put milk in my tea. Huddersfield is famous for Yorkshire tea which I think is very good.  If you go to a restaurant or some cafes and order tea they give you a personal tea kettle with tea which you pour into a cup. I really enjoy this method of serving tea and I think it should be done in the United States. Stay tuned for my next blog on academic adjustment which I will post soon!

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