Final Reflections: What I've Learned about London

This will probably be me in a few weeks

Before this class, I had a very romanticized perception of the city of London and the British. I think that after browsing travel websites about England and reading my travel books I’ve realized that the things which have helped me the most are those that point out the cons or downsides of living there, mostly because it helps me feel prepared for anything (and the worst). I sometimes imagine a place I’ve never been to too far out of the realm of reality, and therefore when I actually get there it’s inevitable that I’m slightly disappointed by reality. I feel much more comfortable knowing about the high prices and exchange rate (although it has definitely been decreasing!), the serious drinking problem among the British, how easy it is to get lost in the city, how the British are still a “class obsessed” culture, etc…It’s comforting to know what to truly expect.
The articles we read at the beginning of the class on the challenge of finding authenticity and being a traveler versus a tourist also helped give me a reality check in regards to my “imagined London.” While the articles could be at times a little disenchanting, I realized that to personally get the most out of my experience abroad I will need to partake in both the typical “touristy” things as well as getting off the beaten path; the two seem integral to getting a true perception of a city like London, just like they are in New York. One of the things I was looking forward to the most was spending a weekend homestay with a British family in order to get a sense of what the culture is really like, but now I’m suspicious that maybe the program is a ploy or the family will have a sort of false façade, only showing me the part of their culture that they think I WANT to see. I’m still excited for this opportunity and think it will be enlightening to say the least, but I’m now planning to do a lot more unplanned individual exploring (both inside and outside London), doing more spur of the moment things and trying to travel more on instinct.
I tended to imagine London as this incredibly old city steeped in history and tradition, but I have been constantly surprised by how truly modern the city is in reality, and how close it is in so many ways to New York. Not to say that the city hasn’t maintained a unique amount of its tradition as well, but just as modernization is changing historic areas of New York, so is it changing the city of London as well (double-decker buses are becoming scarcer, antique houses are succumbing to modern buildings and skyscrapers). Also, London has become such a global city that a Londoner is hard to identify and define; I found that things which would be considered “quintessentially British” are harder to discover as the city becomes filled with multicultural shops, restaurants, and communities. Diversity itself is the new identity. With so many similarities to the city I’m residing in now, I’m just hoping that the experience will still feel like something new. I knew London wasn’t going to be a particularly exotic locale, but I thought (and still hope) it would be an environment and culture that was different enough to push me out of my comfort zone. Although I’m sure this will happen regardless.
I’ve read a couple of accounts (especially from Americans) that the British may seem cold or reserved at times, so meeting locals and socializing is still a small concern of mine but is the kind of thing that can only be quelled (or heightened) once I actually get there and experience the culture first hand. I still want to study more of England’s history and read more personal experiences and travelogues, but overall I think I’m a little more prepared to tackle some of these inevitable problems I will encounter on my stay. So I say bring on the Brits! An American is coming.