My cultural shock in London
London, the cosmopolitan city known for its royalty, historical buildings and fashion, has always attracted people from all over the world for various different reasons. Having moved to London 4 years ago to do my masters sounded very prestigious and felt like an opportunity on a golden plate that I could not miss out on.
Leaving home, which was the polar opposite of London was a new experience I could not wait to embrace and having relatives living in here, made it the more easier. I remember the day I landed in London as if it was yesterday, full of excitement, energy as well as scariness, all at once.
Looking for an apartment was my first objective as soon as I landed and I hit the ground running and started my search the following day with the help of my cousin but I must admit, that was the beginning of the many cultural shocks I experienced. And still keep experiencing till today and have proudly learnt to adopt and adapt too
It started off when we had to take the tube to go view a couple of apartments. I could not understand why we could not drive down to central to check out the flats since that’s what I was used to- be driven around!
London transport being one of the best public transport services in the world was a fascinating way to get around- an important part of the London lifestyle. Surprisingly, it did not take me long to know my way around the tube and learn the different bus routes, not to mention all the different line colours that you more or less end up knowing off by heart.
This was alien to me because, back home, public transport is just not for everyone. Taking public transport is unheard of. We have personal drivers and that was not a luxury, in fact, having a driver is a necessity, otherwise women would be at the mercy of their husbands, fathers or brothers to drive them around which seemed absurd to a lot of people I’ve met here during the years but was the norm to me.
As I started to settle in, I started learning some of the English culture and lifestyle, like the importance of greeting cards for every single occasion, both good and bad.
My culture back home does not perceive sending out greeting cards an important gesture of showing love or well wishes especially if someone moves houses or is not feeling too well. I would visit them, send flowers and make a couple of phone calls to see how they are feeling. But as the years passed, I started realising how important greeting cards were, especially when I had my relatives buy greeting cards for me to send out on a couple of family occasions to avoid any awkwardness. Now, I make it a point to send out greeting cards in every occasion possible.
It had been a learning experience living in a country very different from my own
