Learning Something New Everyday

Living in Richmond, London has been such an adventure. I have made so many friends and have had the opportunity within such a small frame of time to learn so much about myself and the many cultures here.
So far, I have traveled throughout Central London, Kingston, and Richmond and each city has a different breath and vibe of its own. I have enjoyed going to the National Theatre where I saw One Man and Two Governors performed and to the Rose Theatre where I watched The Importance of Being Earnest. I was able to absorb many aspects of British culture that I was not able to initially take in just by roaming through town and interacting with people that I had the opportunity to by watching these plays. I learned much about British humor and some deep socially imprinted aspects of England’s history. It framed a kind of conviction or enlightenment within me as to how much there really is to learn although British culture and American culture do not seem extremely different.
Living overseas during a study abroad experience like this provides students with tangible tools that are inaccessible in a student’s native country no matter how much education one acquires. Knowing about cultural differences and experiencing them are two different things. Adapting and embracing a different culture or cultures brings a higher awareness to one’s knowledge of their own culture as well as the host’s culture obviously, and sharpens their social and interpersonal skills on a more global level. The work place is becoming more global as we speak. Without some form of intercultural experience, students are not fully prepared to enter the workforce, in my opinion.
There are some experiences that illustrate some important learning elements for me as of right now. One is learning how to balance the time that I spend between those from my native country and those with the students from around the globe that attend Richmond American International University. It is pretty easy to get comfortable with your own and not branch out. A second experience I can note that was really pivotal in my intercultural learning as of right now is when I attended a church in Central London and afterwards to fellowship the pastors encouraged us all to go to a bar across the street. That was a total shock because in the United States that would be considered taboo. This clearly drew out cultural lines within an international religion that I did not even know existed. That was a funny learning experience. The last one that I can note is the nightly college girly talks. Here, many of the girls that I have spoken with have traveled around other parts of the world before coming to London. During our nightly talks many of their crucial experiences seemed to have several different settings other than the country they spent a majority of their time in. Although I have lived outside of the country before, hearing these colorful and adventurous stories encouraged me to branch out even more and to look for as many opportunities to travel to expand my book of international adventures.
This is some of what I have experienced and learned so far and I am so excited and curious for the many ventures to come during my stay here in England.