Danielle Lee on Starting JYAN in England

When I began the London study abroad application process, I thought I was signing up for a year at a home away from home, only with people who have better accents and wider range of vocabulary. And, as a practicing Christian, I looked forward to finding a church community with whom I could pursue my faith and enjoy fellowship. However, after reading travel guides, blogs and Sarah Lyall’s The Anglophiles (an American journalist’s testimony of adapting to British marriage and life), it seems the American and British cultures have diverged much more than a simple difference in speaking style. Their approaches to politics, journalism, and social activity, for starters, make one question that America was born of Great Britain. Though in spite of the rift between the Americans and the Brits, our histories are inescapably intertwined; as I check British news, the main headlines are dominated by Obama, Brad Pitt, and the US Open. Then, in the midst of the paradox of same-and-different worlds, I attempt to find Church which is meant to be a universal home for all believers regardless of background or nationality. It may not be my main purpose to analyze the difference between myself and my British peers, but I cannot imagine that discrepancies (or non-discrepancies) between our views on politics, culture and religion would not become evident throughout my year across the pond. I hardly know what I will find out in the months to come, but I am excited to share it with JYAN and Georgetown.