A few cultural differences between the U.S. and the U.K.

I have to admit that in my choice of study abroad destinations, I chose a country relatively similar to the United States. The United Kingdom shares not only a language with America, but many other qualities. But this, I think, just makes the subtler differences stand out more sharply in contrast than in a place where the cultures are dramatically disparate. Here are just a couple of things I’ve noticed in my first two weeks studying abroad in London.

Spending hours at a restaurant. In America, everything is fast-paced. As London is a large and bustling city, a lot of things are here, too. During rush hour, it’s not unusual to see people speed walking through the city on their way to work. Eating at a restaurant, however, is quite different. It’s expected for people to linger over their meal, and even once the food is finished, the bill does not appear immediately — or sometimes at all, until you specifically request it. If I were to be in a rush, it might be kind of annoying, but it’s been nice to learn to enjoy food and company and not feel in a hurry to be on to the next thing.

Enjoying an afternoon in a cafe. The same philosophy that applies to eating out applies to afternoon tea and coffee in England. In addition to the full on high tea, just normal coffee shops such as Starbucks or Europe’s version, Caffe Nero, all have comfortable seating where patrons linger over afternoon drinks served in ceramic mugs rather than to-go (or should I say “takeaway”) cups.

Talking on public transport. In London, if you want to be spotted as a tourist, a sure way to do so is to speak loudly on the Tube or a bus. During rush hour, despite how crowded the train might be, it is just about silent besides the whooshing sounds of the subway traversing the city underground. If you do dare to speak, expect to get some disapproving looks from the locals. Apparently, public transport is quiet time.