An American in England Part 1

In a matter of about 12 hours I managed to have two completely diverse experiences with the British here in Norwich...

Part one of my experience started last night when I was waiting outside a local pub with a number of my American cohorts. A man, clearly a bit intoxicated, started off his conversation with us asking us if we were Americans. Of course, at least for me, I am always wary of a person when they ask that question because you don't know what their reaction is going to be. After we all answered a timid yes to the question, the man clapped his hands with joy and thus began his words of praise. From what I gathered from his scattered speech to us, he had fought alongside Americans in WWII during the Battle of Britain. To just give a quick history lesson, the place where I am studying, Norwich, is apart of the county of Norfolk, from which there was a big airbase that supplied much of the army and went through damages from the war. Since Americans were a big help to the English during that part of the war, some people hold us in very high esteem. This man contined his praising with blowings of kisses and many "bless you all"s. He also relayed to us that, "We Brits had never seen coffee before you Americans came, all we had to drink was tea (at this point he makes a letter "T" with his arms) and then you introduced us to the world of coffee...". Anyways, after chatting with this fellow, or I guess I should say, him chatting with us, we backed away slowly from his attempts to blow kisses at us and give us a hug. Overall it was a nice gesture and something I thing none of us ever expected to experience.

Part two of my experience happened in my Visual Display class (which is all about well "visual display" in museums, life, art, culture, nature, etc.) the following day. It was actually a rather good class, where the guest lecturer was discussing Vauxhill Gardens, a place in 18th Century London that was about art first and foremost as an aescetic. It was also about British identity and nationalism, put on display in an area to show off to other visiting cultures and people as well as to make fellow Englishmen and women proud of their country and themselves. To begin with, it is also a little awkward to listen about British nationalism during the 18th century (at least for me). The class concluded with a discussion about finding this sort of naivity, non-political correctness in society in a place where nationalism is put on display. People were discussing how nationalism is not really thought of as a tasteful thing in society. The kicker was though, when my professor decided to bring up the difference between American and British soldiers today. Her comparisson was that, "British soldiers are often perceieved as 'nice chaps' you know where American soldiers are all about might. So maybe we [British soldiers] don't wear helmets on our heads or metal vests and we get blown to smiterines for it, but at least we are thought of as nice chaps." Hmmm. So much for being all "PC" there huh? It was quite a different attitude on American soldiers than I experienced only a mere twelve hours or so before.

I am quite sure I will have many more experiences and encounters either similar or different or whatever to this, so I will be sure to post them!

No Place Like London

This past weekend my boyfriend decided to come up and visit me both at my University and in London. It had been over two months since I had seen him (which is not a whole lot of time apart, but still enough) so I was looking forward to seeing and being around something, someone from "home". One of the things I remember from the first few minutes together was how "American" I thought Matthew, my boyfriend, looked. He was wearing his typical New York Yankees blue ball cap, a bright blue windbreaker, jeans and sneakers. And he was talking loudly. I don't want you to think that I was embarrassed being around him, but it was just interesting seeing him in the English culture where I have been around and tried to adapt and learn the customs.

I took Matthew all around Norwich first. I had to show him all the lovely 70s concrete architecture that was oh so scenic. We then met up with friends of mine and his to go out on the town and show him a night in Norwich (which isn't as exciting as it may sound). As tradition, we went to our favorite pubs for dinner and some after dinner treats with a few of my close friends. It was a good, relaxing night with great company and lots of laughs.

On board the "Hogwarts Express" to London!

Then we were off to London by train! Since I had lived in London for a month I was interested to see what it would be like returning after a month had gone by living in Norwich. I must say, I did not realize how much I really missed London...going back felt like home. I had missed the Tube, the atmosphere, the places, everything. Of course, I had to take him to a typical pub at first and get some pub grub. During the meal, I convinced him to try HP Sauce. For those of you who don't know about it, HP sauce is quite vulgar. It is a mixture of molasses, beer, and salt and the English put it on their chips, burgers, etc. Matthew was so happy with me after trying it.
Matthew, after trying the HP Sauce, and oh so happy.

One thing that Matthew and I really wanted to do was to go to Madame Tussauds, the wax museum. Neither of us had ever been to one, so we didn't mind waiting in line to take pictures next to creepy but realistic looking people. The wax museum was pretty big, with many rooms filled with celebrities, famous sports starts (that we didn't really know because they were all English), famous famous people, and royalty. Then there was a "scary" part where you got to walk through dark corridors and have costumed people scare the daylights out of you. The scariest part for me though was what came afterwards. The next room was of wax figures of famous murderers and an exhibit on the guillotine, with the actual blade that beheaded Marie Antoinette. There was even a ride at the end all about London and how it is a wonderful place. All in all we had a great time and I would recommend to anyone to go to at least a wax museum once in your life.
Matthew taking the Queen Mother for a walk.

Us spending some time with B. Spears.

Spirit fingers!

Madame Tussuad's making light of the French Revolution...


After spending some time exploring parts of London, we met up with other Dickinson students and friends that were there with him from Malaga, Spain. We went to a museum or two with them, ones that I had already gone to. My one friend constantly kept asking me about a place to get "authentic English tea" and how he wanted to go out for "tea time". Not to burst his bubble, but I had to tell him that "authentic English tea" is everywhere, just go into a pub or a cafe and order a cup of tea. People have this idea that the tea here is so much more exceptional than back at home. It's really the same, tastes the same, smells the same, it is the same. The only places that I've seen that have cutsiey little tea shops are in English country towns that want to cater to tourists. I think he ended up going into a cafe and ordering some regular tea...

Got my "Eye" on you.

Being back in London again, as tour guide Alli, and among friends who had not lived with me in London for a month, it was interesting to observe the situation. I always like to find out what each person really wants to do when they get to London...for some people it's the typical touristy stuff, like going to see Big Ben and the Eye, but for others it is just as simple as going to a park. Since I had been here long enough to get to know the city and the sites fairly well, I felt confident enough in showing Matthew around to some of my favorite places. We did a nice variety of museums, parks, Indian and pub food, sight-seeing and markets. At the end of the trip, it was hard to say good-bye to both my boyfriend and the city again.

What I have learned so far...

It has been almost 2 months since I have been in England and so, I felt it fitting that I share my observations with all of you so far.

1. A common greeting is, "You alright?" meaning "What's up?" I must say this still throws me off because I feel like I have something on my face whenever my flatmates say that to me. Cheers! is also a common universal phrase here. It can mean anything from "good-bye" to "thanks" to well, "cheers!"

2. There are no cookies here, only "biscuits". And they sell loads of them in stores for 'tea time'. My favorites are ones called 'Digestives'. It took me a few weeks of curiosity until I finally tried them and realized that they aren't for digestive purposes, just meant to be "digested".

3. Just like we have preconceived notions about British people in America, British people have the same things towards us. A sampling of questions asked are:
"Is Pennsylvania above New York?"
"Are you from California/Florida/New York?
"How do you say...[insert word here] aluminum?"
"Don't you say "garbage" instead of "rubbish?"
"Are you an Evangelist?"
"Is high school in America like 'American Pie' the movie?"
"What do you think of Obama/Bush?"

4. To some British, dinner is often called "tea". So it get's a bit confusing when one of my flatmates will say that they are "having tea" when it actually means they are making dinner. So if someone invites you to "tea" you have to make sure it is "tea time" and not dinner.

5. The water systems in England aren't necessarily the best. Over the 2 months I've been here, I've mastered flushing the toilet. Yes, I am serious, there is a trick to it. Some toilets will only flush if you push down the handle twice consecutively, others you have to hold the handle down for about a minute and others will flush normally.

6. If you are in a "line" here in England it is called a "queue". There is also queue etiquette you must learn. For all other queues, there is no "queue jumping", but at the pub it is basically a free-for-all for drinks. You are also not served at the pubs, you must go up to the bar and order or you will never be served.

7. While drinking non-alcoholic beverages here, there are also some things to note. First of all, Sprite is often known as lemonade here, which can be confusing because I am afraid one time I will order sprite and it will be actually lemonade. Also, fruit drinks are called "squash", which took me awhile to realize when my flatmates would tell me they bought squash today.

8. Jacket potatoes are baked potatoes. They are one of the biggest foods here. They eat them with beans and cheese (white cheddar always) or just white cheddar or tuna and corn. Almost every night one of my flatmates has a jacket potato. They are rather delicious.

9. I've also learned that anything with the words "spicy" before it, means it isn't spicy at all. It took me about 4 or 5 disappointed tries of such "spicy" foods to realize that spicy is often a misnomer. Unless you go to an authentic Indian restaurant and ask for it to be spicy.

10. Cornish pasties are the best food you will eat here besides chips and Indian food. They come in many different varieties and they are the best way to warm your inners when it is chilly out. 

11. Fancy dress parties here do not mean wear your best attire. Fancy dress means wear a costume. Luckily I did not attend the first fancy dress hosted party on campus for I would have worn a nice dress to a "farmers"-themed party. Whoops!

12. Never say you are not wearing pants, or you don't have pants on because you are wearing a skirt, etc. Pants=underpants. Trousers=pants. Underpants=Knickers. People will look at you very strange if you say any variation on the pants/underpants theme.

So far, those are my various encounters with the oddities of the English culture. It has been very fun and often embarasing making some of the discoveries, but here they are for you to enjoy.

A Narnia in Norwich

Adjusting to life here at my Uni in Noriwch has been a bit different and bit harder than adjusting to life in London. In London, we were extremely busy every day, and the city is just one big distraction. Here in Norwich, I finally have a room and time to myself, with spare time being put towards classes, reading, research, walking, and meeting new people. On the one hand I miss London, for it's adventure and ever-changing nature, but I believe I will grow to love Norwich even more, for its country charm, beauty, and it just feels like home.

When I first decided that I was going to study abroad in Norwich, England, one of my first thoughts of joy was the fact that the campus was probably going to look like Oxford or Cambridge and be old and charming. Wrong! I forget that in England they are constantly surrounded by "old" and so, when designing this campus, they went to "new". Of course, this "new" is "70s new" which means it is rather quite hideous. All the buildings are sterile, bland, grey, unemotional, concrete placed into a lovely English countryside. I try not to look at the buildings or become emotionally connected to them when I walk to class.

On of the many "aesthetically pleasing" buildings on campus.

The campus also makes me appreciate Dickinson a bit more. First of all, Dickinson is absolutely gorgeous when compared to what the 70s thought what aesctically pleasing. Secondly, there are about 14,000 students on UEA 's (University of East Anglia) campus, whereas Dickinson has about 2,500. The walks around campus take at most about 30-40 minutes, whereas Dickinson is about 15 (and everyone still complains about the "long" walk at Dickinson ha!). But, I can't just sit here and compare and contrast home and now because that would take away from my experience. I just realize how much I appreciate the little things back at home.


In my backyard!

One of my most recent discoveries though will perhaps make the bad 70s architecture tolerable for some time. On a whim after a lovely pasta dinner, my friend Sarah and I decided to go exploring. A short walk past our flats and down a little dirt path, we were awestruck by a beautiful stream that was cleverly hidden by the residential halls. In the stream we also saw a wild swan, which is common in England, but rare in Pennsylvania. After walking along the stream and taking some pictures, some very friendly Brits told us that there was farmland and a big hill "over yonder" that you can see the entire town. Sarah and I were all over that.
A wild swan.

After walking over a bridge that went over our newfound stream, we entered into a small wetlands, which lead us to the next part of our journey. Stretching before us was English countryside and farmland. We then spotted "Corses" or "Hows", horses that we thought were cows, some sheep and real cows further out. The pathway ran right inbetween the farm animals and it was apparent that the farmer had laid out the pathway for anyone to walk it. The sun was setting, so we never made it up to the hill, but the sites around us were still incredible.

"Corses"


It reminded me of home, yet it was very much not like home. I find myself lapsing into my subconscious that I forget that I am in England. In my mind sometimes I feel like I am just walking around somewhere in Pennsylvania or I am going to class at Dickinson. Sometimes, I cannot believe I am here in England, but I am so glad I have this opportunity to be here.

I'm an International Student?!

On Wednesday I arrived here in Norwich, UK, which was about a 2 1/2 hour bus ride from London. Upon arriving on the campus, we were all greeted by a sign that said, "Welcome International Students" and it was quite strange, but we are international students! After getting all sorts of useful information and my room key, we were bused to our flats.

O little town of Norwich!

A hill and three flights of stairs later, I was finally in my own room with my own bathroom. The room is rather cosy, with a long desk, a very board-like bed, a closet and the toilet/shower/sink-in-one bathroom. It is a cross basically between a portapotty and a cruise ship bathroom, but it really is not bad.

The rather spacious room.

The shower/toilet/sink all-in-one!

After getting settled in, we were invited to our professor's house for a dinner and some goodies. Apparently every year the professor invites over his students and lets them divide up things left from the previous year's students. There was everything there from coffee makers, comforters, lamps and pots. Basically we all picked a number, waited for our numbers to be called and got to pick out one item for three rounds. After three rounds it was a free for all. It was a bit crazy! I did manage to get two pillows, one comforter, silverware, a pan, a skillet, a towel and some plates. Not bad for it all being free.

View of the flats in The Village.

We did pay a price for it all being free though, for our professor lives about a 30 minutes walk from campus. So after we collected all our spoils, we had to carry them all back. Everyone's arms were sore the next day, to say the least.

Today my flatmates all moved in and I have 5 in total. All are from Britain and are freshman. It was definitely quite strange because, just like Americans like to talk to British people because they are from Britain and they like to hear their accent, they were doing that to me! I got such questions like, "Say 'aluminum" or "You say trash instead of rubbish, don't you?" The best ones though, are when people want to know what state you are from. Of course, I answer with Pennsylvania. One answer I got was, "Oh, isn't that above New York?" or "Are you from California then?" They are generally nice though and are just curious about various American customs.

They are particularly interested in our schooling system. Apparently there is no "high school" here, it is called "college" and it lasts for 2 years. So when I say I'm in college, I'm really in University. I guess some English schooling systems are beginning to take the "American" approach of having a 'high school', etc. All in all, I am an international student and I am having fun both learning about their culture and teaching them about mine, however strange it may be for me...

Final Days in London

Monday was our last free day in London in which we could do whatever we wanted. What does one do with all of London and a free day? How do you choose? Well, one activity was chosen for me, for I had one last place to visit on my class’s required list. So my friend Sarah and I headed over to the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum that morning. Even though I am a history major, I am not all that knowledgeable about any modern or post-modern history, so I was kind of looking forward to learning something new.



The Cabinet War Rooms were, if you don’t know about them, the place where Prime Minister at the time, Churchill, and his closest advisers and workers met in secret underground, somewhat “safe” from potential bombings. Now the museum has tried to preserve the underground lairs to what they were like when Churchill and his advisers lived there during the war.

Fun history "games" at the Churchill Museum!

Next to the Cabinet War Rooms is the Churchill Museum, which is basically a shrine to Prime Minister Churchill. Sarah and I spent about 2 hours in the museum because there was so much to read, see and do. This was one of the most technologically advanced museums I have been to yet. They have this giant interactive digital time line that is about 6 metres long! There were other interactive "games" where the computer would ask you your opinion on Churchill and then give you further information to either confirm or perhaps change your mind. Even though the museum basically praised Churchill extensively, it was a really fun museum to explore.

View from the top o' the London Eye.

The best way, I felt, to spend my last full free night in London was to go with a few friends up on the London Eye. We all thought it would be interesting to view the city from night instead of when most people go during the day. The city is absolutely spectacular from the air and when you are at the top of the Eye you are almost in the clouds! The entire ride takes about 30 minutes and you get a big pod to sit or walk around in that could fit about 20-30 people. The London Eye is worth the pricey ticket.

My friends and I on the Eye.

The next day was my last day in London, but the group had much to do. We still had to pack, go out for a group lunch and then go to a Dickinson Alumni reception at a very well-to-do exclusive clubhouse. We were supposed to have our last class outside at a park, but because of the nasty, rainy weather, my professor just decided to treat us to a lunch out in Hampstead Heath.

After getting soaked coming back, all of us had to get ready for our big night. Our reception with the alumni would consist of a few of my fellow classmates giving a presentation about what we have learned from our time in London and then mingling with trustees, donors and other alums from the college. It was a bit intimidating for me to be talking with a man who is the CEO of Barclay's, the big bank, etc. out here in London. Overall though, my professor said the alums were blown away by how well-spoken and how much all of us knew. Many volunteered to give the group tickets to things, take us places, etc. It felt very rewarding after working so hard and learning so much that it has all been paid off!

A group of us looking classy at the alumni reception.

Now, onto Norwich and even more adventures!

Fireworks, Swing Dancing, and Bad Musicals.

Today is my last free day in London before we leave in 2 days for Norwich and the start of classes, so I wanted to give an overview of the past few days...(and I am also sure you are all wondering about the title of this blog post too...).

After seeing about 5 plays during my time here in London, I was quite pooped out of sitting through another production. Especially since The Pitmen Painters that I just saw was incredible. My professor, not being overly fond of musicals, decided to give one a go called Blood Brothers. I love musicals, and although I was a bit "play-ed out", I was sort of looking forward to it. I was wrong. The plot of the musical was predictable and much overdone. Worst of all though, was the music. It was 80s-90s-synthesizer-Kenny G -smooth -jazz-skid row, all sorts of bad. Plus there was this awkward narrator that creeped on every scene and sang strange parts. The actors and actress were talented, no doubt, but the play was flawed. The one good thing about the musical was the amusement factor during and after it. Everyone had the same thoughts about it, even my professor. We all agreed it was terrible, yet incredibly amusing. Here's a clip from youtube of the creepy narrator and bad music, Blood Brothers.

My swing friend Kim and I post-swing dancing.

The Thames River Festival is an event all weekend long featuring swing dancing, yummy foods, fireworks, shows in front of the National Theatre, and street vendors. Yesterday I noticed that there was swing dancing pretty much all day and fireworks later that night over the Thames. Of course, I could not pass up either of those two. My friend Kim, who also swing dances, and I decided to head over to the dance floor after dinner. We picked up some spicy chicken and rice at a Korean food vendor and then got ready to swing. It was so neat, both dancing on the banks of the Thames and noticing the differences between American and British swing dance. Leads kept asking Kim and I if it was alright if they improvised, and I was puzzled by why they kept asking us. After all, that is what swing and jazz is all about, improvising. It just must be the swing culture here. All the leads were excellent dancers and Kim and I just had a wonderful few hours dancing, swinging and singing.
A sign for the event, The Big Swing and hard to see in the background is Tower (aka London) Bridge.

Then we headed off down the Thames in search of our friends and a good spot to watch the fireworks. Unfortunately, we did not get to find our friends due to mass amounts of people around the bridges. Luckily though, we did find the best place to watch the fireworks with minimal amounts of people. In front of the Globe Theatre there are stairs that lead down into the Thames and faced in the direction of the fireworks. It was perfect. We got to sit, spread out, and enjoy the fireworks. And by American standards, they were pretty good.


Now it is our last free day. I am not quite sure what I want to do with it, since I hope I will be back sometime in the future! Some of us are planning on going on the London Eye at night because I love viewing cities at night. There are also one or two last minute museums that I want to visit. After spending a month here I still feel like there is so much I didn't do, and yet, I did so much. That is the beauty of a big city.