When moving around as much as I am going to and have been so far, it is difficult to move past first impressions. London is the city where we will spend the longest time, and we will only be here for five days. Though, in my short time here, I have learned many differences between British culture and American culture. The people here seem to be more reserved but still friendly. The country, and the city especially, has deep rooted history that seeps into the culture more so than in the States. The city is flocked with statues, centuries-old buildings, and long-standing traditions. I saw the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, and it was an elaborate display of marching and music that is not of this era. There were thousands of people watching this fifteen-minute event, and our local tour guide said this was normal. I could not imagine living in a city with such a large and constant flow of tourists. It seems as if the locals do not necessarily love having all the tourists around, but they have embraced it. The tourist attractions and the tourists themselves have always been there, so London would not be London without them. Also, the tourism industry employs a good amount of the locals, so the city depends on it. Something that confused me was how compact everything was, yet every city has its own identity. For example, we went to Oxford on the first day, and it is about an hour from London. However, the people seemed to feel so removed from London. In Texas, you can drive an hour and be in the same metroplex of the city you left from. Texas, in general, has such a big culture in itself, it would be strange if each individual city acted as removed from each other as they do in the UK. Though I have loved London, I am thoroughly excited to explore more cities and more cultures. I am hoping to learn to embrace cultural differences, even if I do not completely understand them. I have already learned so much in a short time, I can only imagine what I will experience in six other countries. History is also a big interest of mine, so I hope I will get to learn and understand the history of the next countries I go to. I cannot wait to continue this journey and learn as much as I possibly can.
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