Observations and Nonsense

   People watching is fun, especially people watching in a place filled with someone from a different country every time you spin your head around. I had tried to mentally prepare myself to the best of my ability for this trip, so I would not go into culture shock. It is not so much the city itself that is culturally shocking, as it is easily compared to a large U.S. city such as Boston, but it is the assortment of people within that remind me I am in a foreign land.

   When touring around the streets, I could very easily pass five people in a row, and they all not speak the same lick of language. I attempt to not make it as obvious as possible, but my subtle gawking gives away the fact that I am indeed a foreigner to the country, but the funny thing is when people come up and ask where I am from, but not usually pegged as an American girl. Up to this point in the trip I have been questioned on being Slovak, Australian, Norwegian, and German which humors me every time.

   Also, when touring around the streets, I can tell the difference between having lived in a Western culture versus the Eastern culture here in Europe. The distance of personal space is one indicator. People of Europe have a much smaller gap of personal space, lean in much closer to have conversations, and the one that does irritate me is the whole bumping on the street deal, without as much as an excuse me. Apparently it is normal to run right into someone without evening glancing back to sympathize with the person you just so rudely ran into. My experience in American “bumping” is you bump, apologize, and get on with your day as it is the courteous thing to do. Call me old fashion, but I believe in politeness.

   When the group is not touring, we are most likely eating. The food here is so delicious I cannot even being to go into detail about all of the striking flavours my palette has had the delight of interacting with. But, aside from the yummies in my tummy, the service here is different than that in the States. First off, I have not been as impressed with the wait staff. They are not always the friendliest of people and jump at every chance they can to serve you like waiters do in America. I think this is due to the tipping factor. It is extremely rude to not tip in the States, but in England it is not expected, and if eating at a “tipping” place then usually the most to tip is about ten percent of the meal, and that is considered generous. Also, when sitting down to wine and dine, expect to really be sitting down for a while to eat. The food establishments here serve slow, not because the staffers are lazy (although, I question that a bit), but because when out to eat you are to enjoy yourself, your food, and the people you are with. You are not to be in a hurry, but sit back and relax, which is quite the opposite of American dining where everybody is rushing around like a headless chicken.

   Stay tuned for more quirky observations by yours truly!