Culture Abroad - Essay Example

In order to learn more about a culture abroad, I decided to interview my close friend Alexandra, who spent a summer in England in between her sophomore and junior years in college. She studied at the University of Sussex near Brighton. During her month of study in the country, she developed a good picture of a subset of English culture that is encapsulated in the major cities of the United Kingdom. Although the cultural experience of England is fundamentally similar to the United States, and Alexandra’s experience was limited to major cities and the opportunities given to a student in an American-run program, she still offered a number of very interesting examples that created a fruitful discussion of cultural immersion in a different country.

Because interactions with native members of a different culture are inevitable when one spends time abroad, there is always the potential for linguistic confusion. While the UK and the US share a common language that is mostly similar, there are subtle differences that have developed through time. For instance, when Alexandra traveled north through the country on a road trip with some native English people, at some point while they had stopped at a petrol station, one of them asked her to clean the windscreen, without consciously realizing that Americans actually refer to that part of the automobile as a windshield instead. Although this was a relatively minor confusion, there are small signs of being an outsider that can affect the psychology of people traveling in different countries.

Alexandra also seemed pleased with the British healthcare system, which she made use of as a legal immigrant and someone who came down with the flu while studying abroad. For Americans, it is a hassle dealing with an insurance-based healthcare system that does not provide free coverage and equal access to the drugs and treatment that will make one recover faster. Because the flu was threatening to limit the time she could have an enjoyable experience in this new country, she sought out medication and treatment, which were both provided to her only with a simple check of her legal status. Alexandra described the root of universal British healthcare as a higher feeling of citizenship in England, by which she meant that English people feel more responsible for their neighbors than Americans do. This is important to realize in other areas of English culture, such as in the desire to help others in one’s day-to-day life.

Another aspect of English culture that Alexandra touched upon was the dense population of the UK, which can come as a surprise to someone like Alexandra, who grew up in a rural environment. Because of the UK’s relatively small size but large population, the cities tend to be compact and expensive. In addition, this tends to mean that British people are very private, which Alexandra first mistook as coldness. However, putting herself in the perspective of British people, she understood that since privacy is very important to her, she could understand the need to be reserved in others’ company. As a consequence of the UK’s small size, relative at least to the US, the weather also plays a crucial role in British culture, to the extent that most days in London and Brighton are cloudy and rainy, especially during the spring and fall months. Although Alexandra traveled to England in the summer, much of the time was spent inside because of the weather.

After doing some research about the differences between American and English culture, I asked Alexandra about some observations that others have made. I asked her if the differences between American and British English were insurmountable. She knew correctly, however, that although differences between the languages can create embarrassing situations, they are still fundamentally the same languages (Barton, 1996). Lastly, I asked her about the British sense of humor, which she did not see as significantly different. Some English do see a difference, which they describe as Americans’ lack of sense of irony (Pegg, 2007).

Overall, Alexandra had a very useful perspective to provide on this separate culture. From our discussion, I would enjoy visiting England, especially during the summer when the weather is much nicer. Despite the subtle cultural differences, I feel like I could blend into the country very well in order to enjoy what the UK has to offer. Of course, I should conduct more research into what an American needs to do before traveling there. Regardless of the preparation needed before traveling, I would love to have the same kind of immersion that Alexandra and others have experienced.