Stepping outside a hotel, you observe your surroundings. People are walking around with umbrellas in their hands, and a few are using them as a type of walking stick. They are speaking English, but the pronunciation of several words is different than you are used to hearing. Cars drive past you traveling in the opposite direction on each side of the road compared to the United States, with their drivers situated in the right-hand front seat rather than in the left. A restaurant sign offers something called “bangers and mash” for what seems to be a very affordable 3.00, although the symbol in front of the number is a strange symbol that most certainly isn’t the traditional S-shaped dollar sign. An apartment building has “To Let” written on its window in large red letters. An elderly gentlemen concludes a conversation and departs with a “cheerio,” while a young boy asks his friend if he has a fag. WHAT?
Welcome to the United Kingdom, or if you’re in our class, Stratford-upon-Avon to be precise. We’ve all had to adjust to some cultural differences while experiencing life away from home, both expected and unexpected. Some of these changes have been positive, like better tasting Kit-Kats and other desserts having a sweeter, richer flavor. Others, like lower water pressure in the hotel showers, constantly changing weather, and needing to use a converter before plugging in any electrical appliances can be either minor or major inconveniences. Perhaps one of the most difficult adjustments has been the seemingly strange monetary system in which coins might have significant monetary value and purchasing power. All in all, I think we would all agree that this first week of our trip has been one of not only learning, but also of transition and adaptation.
The culture shock while travelling to any foreign country can be intense, but we are luckily visiting a place that happens to speak our own native tongue. A language barrier that prevents basic communication with locals can be problematic for foreign travel to any number of places, and is fortunately not much of a concern for us (although I’m sure all of us can recall a time in which British slang or an accent left us completely unaware of what someone was trying to say to us). More importantly, however, is that each member of our class and many of the locals have another language in common with one another aside from English: Shakespeare. As we observed this weekend, Shakespeare is a passion that we share not only with one another, but with most of this country as a whole. Here, William Shakespeare is a cultural icon whose influence can be seen all around the town, from various Shakespeare themed knick-knacks on sale in the gift shops, to statues of his famous characters in the park, to images of his face painted on the sides of barges selling ice cream. With a shared knowledge of his plays, characters, and life itself, we already have a common ground for conversation and understanding with the various inhabitants of this foreign land. As the motto goes in Stratford-upon-Avon, “Shakespeare lives here,” and as long as his spirit continues to reside here with us, we’ll all take some comfort in knowing that not everything is our surroundings is as unfamiliar to us as it might have initially seemed.