THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
FEATURE
NEW TO THE UK? 5 Suggestions ...if you want to be appreciated by the British Carol Madison Graham has advice for getting out there and immersing yourself in British culture 1. Assume you are in a Foreign Culture It is a truth universally acknowledged that Americans and Britons moving to each other’s country often fail to grasp that they are living in a foreign culture. We assume we have the same set up, but in reality it only appears that way. Attitudes to government, religion, social mobility through education and local versus national politics are four major areas where our cultures and historical experience dramatically diverge. Americans expect presidents to say “God bless America” but the British find that sort of statement off-putting. The Mayor of London has nowhere near the power of the Mayor of New York City. There are interesting stories behind these and thousands of other differences in our societies but it is easy to miss them if you assume that our accents are the only difference. To really appreciate Britain it’s best to approach the culture as you would Japan: carefully, respectfully, noticing similarities but expecting difference. Assume the culture is foreign and you will discover how fascinating it really is. 2. Seek out Majority British environments! Thousands of Americans work and live in cities across the UK. It is not unusual to go into a store in Oxford or a restaurant in Edinburgh and realize that the person serving you sounds like you – or like someone else from outside of the UK. If you came to Britain with the express purpose of having a British experience, you need to seek out British people. Places of worship are good places to start. They have the advantage of being places where visitors are very welcome and you will find friendly smiles over coffee after the service. Volunteering is another way of meeting people and becoming part of a British group. To find volunteer positions look at websites like www.volunteering.org.uk. You can also google your local council. Many council websites advertise temporary volunteer work for festivals and the like. Newspapers are another source of information on volunteering, particularly the Wednesday Guardian which is also online. If you like sports, join a local sports team or get into the habit of going along and watching the games. Soon you will be one of the regulars, chatting with your fellow supporters who will appreciate that you have taken an interest. Another way to meet British people is to take a class. Many people make friends through learning or improve a skill while they are overseas. Local knitting shops often hold or advertise classes and, despite the stereotype about British monolingualism, many British people take language classes. When I took a crash course in Spanish at the Instituto Cervantes, I was the only non Brit and I thoroughly enjoyed speaking with my classmates at break time. Finally, there are community theatres. Naturally, the British frequent the main theatre districts but in London it’s no secret that the many plays and musicals cater to the tourist trade, especially Americans. There are excellent community theatres all over the UK, performing classics as well as modern plays about British society – a bonus. And you may recognize some of the actors from film and television. 3. Take trips elsewhere in the UK (before going to Paris) Many Americans visiting the UK find that after the initial excitement it feels a little too much like home – especially if they have not heeded suggestion one! The stores contain very similar products, the cinemas are mainly Hollywood films, the British accents soon sound normal, and of course many spend more time Skyping than discovering. As a result, they quickly lose the thrill that comes from adjusting to a foreign society. So they set off for Paris – like typical tourists. By all means visit other places but imagine a visitor to the U.S. running off to Mexico for something different when they had only seen Manhattan! This is a very beautiful country and there is a tremendous amount of diverse scenery, history and even language crammed into a short amount of travel time. A few hours on the train and you are in an entirely different environment trying to understand what people are saying all over again. Once you have begun exploring English villages, cathedral towns, Scottish highlands, Welsh castles and cities like Liverpool and Edinburgh you will want to see more and more. So before you hit Dalloyau in Paris, I recommend afternoon tea at Betty’s in York. 4. Learn about Britain post 1945 One reason Americans and Brits sometimes misunderstand each other is the knowledge gaps we possess. Americans learn something of British history for the simple reason that some of their history is ours as well. But the UK tends to drop out of U.S. textbooks by 1945. The British on the other hand learn very little about American history in school but our contemporary culture is constantly in the media as are U.S. national politics, so they know a fair amount about contemporary U.S. culture. I used to tell British Fulbright scholars on their way to the States that this lopsided state of affairs meant that “we think you live in the past, and you think we don’t have one.” The British do not live in the past but (like all of us) have to deal with its legacy. Major changes in how their society and politics were organized occurred post-1945 when the party of Winston Churchill left office. The postwar period is more germaine to present day British society than the medieval period or the pre-war era of the costume dramas we are all so fond of. The more you learn about post-war Britain, the more interesting the media stories will be and the more interesting questions you will have for the British friends you will meet. In fact, the more interesting your questions, the more likely you are to attract friends. 5. Don’t be self-conscious about being an American Although there is anti-American feeling in Britain there is pro-American feeling as well. Having said that, there is no question that once you speak, many people are sizing you up. What sort of Americans are British people a little wary of? The kind who think Britain is just like the U.S., who ignore the big issues in their society, who think of the UK purely as a base to go to the continent and who make no effort to integrate into the community. In other words, if you follow the first four suggestions you will not need to worry about number 5. Carol Madison Graham has worked for the U.S. Diplomatic Service, and after moving to Britain was appointed executive director of the U.S.-UK Fulbright Commission. Currently, she works with the Marshall Scholarships and writes a blog with ideas for enriching study and living abroad at www.engageabroad.com |

