Howdy! My name is Lauren Beyer, and I am attending the Europe Market Study Aboard. The program I am on is going to seven different countries in Europe throughout the month. Our first stop on the trip was London, England. London is a busy city with many historical landmarks and places. The city is like the United States, but it is vastly different at the same time. We first drove to Oxford when we arrived that morning. Seeing the countryside of England and driving on the left-hand side of the road. This was a significant difference as we drove; we noticed that the slow lane in the UK is the left-hand side, while in the US, the slow lane is the right-hand side. Once we checked in to our hotel in London, we were given an orientation on how to navigate going places using the “tube.” This mode of transportation is like the subway in New York. We quickly learned the tube was the most accessible mode of transportation. Getting to places such as Big Ben, Parliament, and Buckingham Palace was made much more accessible. I also learned that walking is another more straightforward way of transportation. I walked almost 10 miles each day, if not more.
Another big difference I noticed was that they have grocery stores smaller than they are in the US. I went into Whole Foods to get some snacks for in-between meals and found their selection to be very small compared to American Whole Foods. They also have a large arrangement of markets throughout the cities. I went to Borough Market. The market is one of the most well-known markets in London. Lastly, the government’s set up was the most significant difference I learned about. The UK has a King as its leader, a House of Commons, and a House of Lords as its government branches. The King is the President of their country. The House of Commons is similar to Congress in the US, and the House of Lords is similar to the Senate. Overall, these differences are what makes England unique compared to the US.
Furthermore, I am looking forward to the other countries we will visit and to experiencing the different cultures along the way. I am also looking forward to all the personal growth I will gain from this trip while working and leading others. This program has been so fun already, and we are not even a week in!
