Recently, my cousin and four friends came to England on a five-day break to tour around England. On their last day before departing, I was able to see them and travel throughout Oxford for the entire day. I have never been to Oxford and all I had ever known was that I assumed Oxford University was there. Upon arrival in Oxford with my cousin, I got a dose of country shock.
I realize that it seems naïve to think that after being to London and Bath that I now know what all of England is like, but honestly, I could not imagine what could be extremely different from the capital city and the rural outskirts of England. Well the answer is Oxford. The architecture is completely different, as are the style of stores. The people wear different clothes and interact with foreigners differently as well. More than just entering a new part of England, I felt like I had entered a new country once again. Each time I got to a drastically new part of the country I start to see how different a country, no matter how small, can be. It also opened my eyes to how easy it can be to assume certain characteristics of a country are all the same in each part of the country. I also came to realize how hard it is to really say one knows a country without spending time living in each of the different parts of the country. However, how many people have even done so in the United State? Personally, it was not until recently that I had visited the Mid-West, and even now, I cannot say I know the culture there. Having been able to see family was comforting but to have my eyes reopened once again about another side of English culture was the greatest experience in Oxford.
No comments:
Post a Comment