Too Short A Time in London

I've discovered two things in the past two days: 1) I LOVE London! 2) One day is too short a time to be in London. Friday afternoon I literally ran into my grandma and grandpa at the airport; we were intending to meet at the hotel, and spent a wonderful 18 hours with them before their flight to Edinburgh, Scotland. It was sad to part after so short a time, but it made me excited for our four days together in London in two weeks. EEEEE!!!!

One thing that was enlightening was hearing details about the financial crisis back home. Without TV here, I feel so isolated from everything going on, even though it is splattered all over the internet. Being over here for the past two and a half months has really put me in a unique place of viewing from the outskirts and getting international perspective. One thing that is certain is that while I may know very little about the particulars of the French and German elections, the whole world is honed in on the American presidential election of 2008. A few weeks ago Mike and I arrived late one night in Strasbourg and two men walking down the street were discussing what would happen "if there was a change in regime in America..." A drunk fellow who stayed in our hostel in Switzerland loudly declared to a roomful of international people that if the world could vote, Obama would win. There was a general positive reaction throughout the room. Originally I was surprised that our election drew so much international attention and coverage, but I realized that whatever happens will end up effecting the whole world in one way or another. All the international attention makes it even more exciting to be an absentee voter. This is the first presidential election I am able to vote in, and I must say that even though I must do it from abroad, it feels good being a participating citizen!

Being an American in England has raised some subtle nuances that I did not expect, mostly because of our obvious similarities. It has been somewhat surprising to find that while we speak the same language, there are cultural differences which are more blaring because you almost feel like they shouldn't be there. The other international students asked if we have trouble understanding the language, and the truth is yes. For the first few days, I could not understand my flatmates, and I still have to ask them to repeat themselves a lot. It's almost embarrassing! In addition to that, they just have a dynamic in their talking and mannerisms that is not immediately natural to me, and I haven't quite picked up on it yet. I guess it goes to show that speaking the same language does not equal immediate comprehension.

I was talking with a new friend from San Francisco, and he said, "Don't take this the wrong way, but you and I... we're good Americans..." I was originally taken aback by this statement, but I know understand what he meant. Part of it goes back to the whole "ugly American" image that we constantly come up against, but there is more to it than that. Every time we open our mouths, we identify ourselves as Americans, and all the connotations that go with it. My friend, a very gregarious fellow, admitted that he typically keeps his mouth shut to prevent just that. In my first Contemporary Writing class, I opened my mouth and said "Hi, I'm Amber..." and after just that, the professor blurted out, "Ay, there are so many Americans in this class!" I don't know exactly why, but it bothered me to be so outwardly identified and labeled. He was absolutely right: I am American. But what does that mean to him? It's unnerving! We brainstormed the list of stereotypes the English accent connotes, such as trustworthiness and truth. When the BBC comes on, we perk up as if to say "Ah, here comes the truth about the war..." or stereotype of the old English professor that we get from movies.

London! I only had a few hours, but I walked from Leicester Square, which reminded of The Mystery of Edwin Drood when we sang: "How slightly west of Leicester Square you are...!" I then walked to Trafalgar Square, spent a good few hours in the National Portrait Gallery (which tells a very thorough and comprehensive history of England through portraits of its major figures...I loved it!), walked to Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament, and crossed the Thames and came up the other side, right under the Eye of London. It was a very visual view of London, but it was the perfect little teaser because it made me VERY excited to go back and explore it further with grandma and grandpa. The train ride is perfect too... two hours of beautiful views and a perfect opportunity to finally do some reading! After all, I AM here to study! heee hee he