My Experience

When I first arrived in England there were not many adjustments I had to make, other than the eight hour time zone change. So after staying up for a little over 30 hours straight to get to the correct time zone, it was quite easy to adjust to the different culture. There were some intentional changes I made, such as speaking quieter than I usually do and trying to match the emotions and energy of the person I was talking to. As I mentioned way back in my first blog post, the English tend to have more subdued reactions to things, which I tried to stay aware of while visiting. However, overall, many changes did not have to be made for my three week trip. 

If I was going for a longer period of time, such as a year or more, there would be many additional adjustments for me to make. I would have to ensure I have the business culture understood such as the expected dress code and greetings, as mentioned in my blog post “Business in England”, to get a job. I would also have to adjust to more of the social norms while attempting to make friends and build a community around me. With genuinely living in the country instead of visiting for a few weeks, it is expected many mistakes would happen, perhaps I greet a professor wrong or dress down too much when going to a meeting, and that is why doing this cultural research is so important. 

That all being said, I do not just have to go to England to experience English culture, or interact with those from the United Kingdom. Today more than ever we can connect with people in any part of the world, and many of us have or will experience having co-workers from other countries. So therefore doing research on cultural norms is not something we only have to do when going to another country. By researching various country’s cultural norms in your daily life you can educate yourself in a way that will make your next visit to a separate country far easier to adapt to. 

When researching, a super important concept to understand and be aware of is ethical principles. Each country and culture subscribes to different ethical ideas and views, an idea known as cultural relativism, and having an understanding of these can save you from making a mistake that could greatly offend someone from another culture. It is important to recognize that while universalism sounds logical, the concept that certain ethical principles extend throughout all cultures, it is not a guarantee. 

I am so very grateful I got the opportunity to study abroad, especially in a country as stunning as England. To get the opportunity to dive into such rich history and culture was thrilling, and truly opened up my worldview in ways I could never have imagined. I toured and saw some of the oldest buildings I ever witnessed, saw the most stunning architecture, and got to learn about intercultural communication through actually doing it! Studying abroad right after my freshman year was such a gift and I hope to travel to so many more countries throughout the years. If I do get the opportunity to study abroad again, I would love to go to Italy, to dive into another culture of rich history and immaculate architecture. No matter what my future holds, I feel strong in my ability to adapt and interact with other cultures in a mindful way, which I know will help me in my future career!