The answer to the question "What is one of your greatest fears about studying abroad?" is usually something along the lines of "being homesick" or even "getting mugged in a dangerous city." Not for me. In the months preceding my departure to London and continuing into the present, I have trembled at the thought of returning to Virginia with even a tinge of a British accent.
My friends would never let me get away with that, just as I would make fun of them if the tables were turned. I can see it now. All of them laughing and pointing, saying "Cheerio" to me in a mocking fashion, making T-shirts telling me to go back to Britain and putting up billboards with my face beside a portrait of the royal family. Years of ridicule would lead me to become mute, and eventually, I would have to move to England where I would die alone drinking tea with my last meal of fish and chips. I doubt it will go that far, but it is definitely a genuine concern. At this point, I worry that it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy - I fear the accent, so maybe the accent is more likely to get me.
Besides avoiding this prophecy, my immediate priority is to not be the ignorant American. Much of the rest of the world holds the stereotype that we are loud, opinionated and fat. I am very opinionated but I don't share with British people my opinion that I think calling cookies "biscuits" is silly. I can be loud but I don't scream "America rules!" on the street. And it would be a stretch to call me faProxy-Connection: keep-alive\nCache-Control: max-age=0
at 120 pounds. I have avoided these particular stereotypes to a degree but I'm sure I have induced some eye rolling. I definitely got some looks when I slowed the flow of foot traffic during rush hour, as I stopped on the sidewalk to take a picture of the sign for "Cumming Street." Yes, one of the students representing U.Va. in another country is just that mature. I am an excellent ambassador.
Another big concern right now is money. I'm starting to get past the comments I used to make to whoever went shopping with me about how much more expensive everything is in London than at home. I knew before I came here that London is an expensive city but I didn't comprehend just how much more everything would cost. Often, I look at a tag and think it's a fair price. Then, however, I remember I have to double the number to get the rough dollar figure. When I buy a can of Coke for the equivalent of $1.80, I sort of want to hit the cashier in the face.
Using money has been tricky, too. It looks different; there are more coins and some of the biggest coins have the least value. On my first day here, I took change out of my pocket to pay for a drink and immediately exposed myself as a foreigner. Holding all of the coins out in one palm, I used the other hand to flip them over to check the value, desperately flipping and re-flipping in search of numbers. Eventually, the woman said, "Show me what you have" and then she took the requisite amount. Luckily, other people weren't around to magnify my embarrassment. Because I arrived nearly two weeks ago, adapting to the British currency shouldn't be this hard by now, but I continue to use the one- and two-pound coins the majority of the time. It's easier than examining the pence coins. Staring at your money like you don't know how to use it isn't a good thing to do.
And it's not just how much things cost - it's how little you get for what you pay. The other day at McDonald's it blew my mind when I was handed a medium drink smaller than a small drink in America. They don't do refills here, either. It's quite the dilemma when sodas cost about the same amount as cheap beer. Adding to my frustration, I asked for ketchup and was handed a single packet. I didn't want to be "that guy," so I didn't ask for another. But seriously, come on, London. That's enough for three fries, maybe.
If I contribute to the black market, I think I could alleviate some of my concerns. Shipping over Virginia-priced cigarettes could be especially lucrative, and the deals I could provide might just put me in good favor with the locals.
Alex's column runs biweekly Tuesdays. He can be reached at a.foreman@cavalierdaily.com.
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