Berkley Center

Of the well-wishing directed at me before my year abroad, none of the sentiments contained warnings about culture shock. This was to be expected. After all, I would be studying in England—an English-speaking, well-developed, “mother” nation of the United States. I hesitated, however, to characterize England as an older version of the United States. I was keen on seeing England for what it was, and perhaps even actively looking to spot differences between the United Kingdom and the United States.

As it turned out, the differences weren’t difficult to spot—the formality and historical importance of certain everyday events far surpass anything I have attended in the United States. Afternoon tea culture, while not mandated by any means, still exists and in fact flourishes. There are a few cultural crossovers, though, that I have amused myself to think upon, which I will comment upon here.

Having celebrated Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November for as long as I can remember, I was mildly surprised to find that Thanksgiving had rapidly crept up behind me. For the first time ever perhaps, I have no definite plans for Thanksgiving, and if I so chose it, the day might pass completely unremarkably—a Thursday like any other. This is, I’m sure, a situation that every study abroad student faces: Do I conform to American tradition even while in the United Kingdom, or do I “do as the British do” and ignore the holiday?

In reality, my options are not that stark. There are a fair number of Americans here, and I’ve been asked by a few British classmates and professors what my Thanksgiving plans were. One of the girls in my college had even been invited to a “true” American Thanksgiving by an American in her dorm. Thanksgiving is by no means an active holiday here. It is, after all, an American holiday, but the attitude, especially at university, seems to be “do what you will.” All of this is to say that there has been a fair amount of cultural fluidity here.

The amount of exchange between Britain and the United States did not come as a surprise, far from it. I have long thought of the United Kingdom as a bridge between Europe and the United States, and for the most part, this belief has held true. I learned just yesterday that until recently, the British had used the English system of measurement rather than the metric system. The change occurred about 10 years ago in order to integrate more closely with the rest of Europe. Though there was some public outcry over the matter, Britain has transitioned quite smoothly to the metric system, with one exception. Beer is still sold by the pint, rather than its metric equivalent—568 milliliters—because that would be, well, strange. And so tradition has been granted this one exception. With some obvious differences, the United States has adopted certain British mannerisms and habits (though I do wish Americans would start consuming tea and scones—delicious!). And so, while Americans and Brits may sometimes profess to not understand one another’s peculiarities, on the whole, the two are alike enough that those peculiarities may be seen as such, rather than as wholly foreign behaviors.

I generally see two main paths for the relationship between a previous colonial nation and its former colonizer over time. On the one hand, we see nations that grow independently of their former colonial power, developing its own political and economic systems, and becoming what we might deem a successful nation. On the other hand, certain former colonial nations remain dependent on their colonizers or on another powerful nation to supply technology, markets, and sometimes even political willpower.

The US-UK relationship, however, seems to be an exception to this (overly simplified, I admit) model of colonial politics. Sometimes deemed the “special relationship,” the connection between the two countries is at least very unique. The United States has grown both independently and alongside the United Kingdom. After the initial 75 years or so of turbulence after American independence, the United States and the United Kingdom have developed and grown as equals, a situation that I have not seen elsewhere.

In the end, I think it is this unique relationship that makes the United Kingdom such an appealing place for an American student to study. I will be leaving the United Kingdom in less than two weeks, as my first term here wraps up, and I can truly say that the experience has been both comforting and exciting. This seemingly split characterization stems from the very fact of the United Kingdom's relationship to the United States. The two are similar enough that I find life here normal and comfortable, yet different enough that I can travel and explore this country like any other study abroad student and find new and exciting aspects of British culture that very much tickle my fancy. I wholeheartedly look forward to returning here in the spring!