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Tag: American

Published on

By kennatim

Looking back, the biggest shock when I arrived in Ireland was how American I realized I was. I have been fortunate enough to travel overseas prior to this trip, but to become a resident of another country was not an easy task. The change forced me to realize how much I relied and focused on American culture and way of life. I hunted for Oreos in numerous supermarkets, wore my backwards hats, and overly embraced my foreignness. Now my room here at DCU is filled with an American flag, an American flag towel, American flag backpack, American flag flip flops, and an American flag duvet cover with a matching American flag pillowcase.

While I have continued to embrace my home culture and individualism, I have slowly embraced a more European way of life and made sure to try new things. At the very minimum, I have evolved from my over-the-top American flag shopping spree. Throughout our time in Ireland and our travels to other cities, we have frequently used the adjective “euro.” My wardrobe is now a little more “euro” after buying a couple pieces of clothing at a local store. I am a little more euro in that I can now look the right way when crossing a street. I say “sorry” instead of excuse me, which is an easy way for Irish to spot foreigners.

When I was in Brussels, I visited European Parliament, and on nights out I made friends from Austria to Egypt. In Scotland we visited a local food market and I made sure to try as many local fares as I could (but I could not bring myself to eat haggis.) In Paris, I became an expert on the sprawling Paris metro system. This time I was a bit more adventurous when I tried roasted duck and absolutely loved it. We drank wine and ate croissants and crepes in every corner of the city.

I am so glad I have been evolving into someone more comfortable with a culture, attitude, and home that is not my own. It has been great to get to mainland Europe as well to compare/contrast not just the U.S. and Ireland, but the U.S., Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, etc. I have a few trips left and about a month in Dublin. I will be leaving behind so much but come back a person with a better level of cultural understanding. The transition back might not be easy but I will make it through. Even if that means covering everything in my room with an Irish flag.

 

Published on

By anishag22

Tomorrow marks my one month since arriving in England. As I'm finally starting to settle into more of a routine with my classes, I thought I would discuss one particular class that keeps me thinking about US/UK cultural differences every time I leave. My intro-level class called "Sacred Scripture and Popular Culture" examines the relationship and intersection between religion and pop culture, and it couldn't be more interesting. We've already watched clips from films like "The Passion of the Christ" and "Ben-Hur," but what I find most intriguing about this class is the fact that almost every single pop culture reference is American. And surprisingly, my British peers seem to be familiar with all of it.

It's hard to explain how it feels to be the only American in the classroom as the professor makes comments like, "In America, gun control is a big issue.." or "How many of you have American friends on Facebook?" The fact of the matter is that American pop culture is British pop culture, and I never realized that before coming to England. As I sit in that class, I feel like some sort of expert on American pop culture topics (and yes, the professor has consulted me about various topics mid-lecture).

In my time in Bristol, I've realized that American pop culture has not only "hopped across the pond," but has truly become another facet of British culture. Every movie that my British flatmates watch when we're hanging out is American. Their favorite singer? Likely Beyonce or Katy Perry. Several times, I have thought to myself: "British pop culture is non-existent." To be honest, these copious American pop culture references have made me feel more patriotic and American than I've ever felt in my life.

It will be interesting to trace my personal journey and American self-identification  through the course of this particular class. I wonder if, by June, I'll feel differently about British pop culture. In the meantime, I'm enjoying learning more about England through not only cultural differences, but similarities.

Until next time -

Xx, Anisha

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