my first few weeks in england: an experience

I have been living in Manchester, England for almost three weeks now (!!!!). That’s so crazy to type out because it honestly doesn’t feel like I’m abroad, not because it is super similar but just because I have been feeling pretty much at home. Manchester is a beautiful city (despite the locals insisting it’s trash) that reminds me of Chicago: big but slow and easy to get around. I live in a student accomodation that is about a 15 minute walk to campus and about a 40 minute walk to the middle of the city (or 10 minutes on the free bus that isn’t actually free but I somehow always manage to get on lol). In short, I am LOVING it!!! Here are just some things I am up to and/or culture shocks I am finding.

Classes – nothing more exciting right?

Even though classes just started this week, they definitely (no, obviously) are the reason I’m here! Currently I am taking Human Physiology, Microbiology, and Molecular Genetics. While I feel like a little smarty pants, the classes are just as difficult, if not a little more frustrating since the lectures are 2 hours long. And when you have three 2 hour lectures almost back to back in one day, your mind will turn to mush. But it’s cool because the professors for each respective class will change to match the topic we’re covering. So if someone is studying molecular metabolism, they will be our lecturer for that day and then the next lecture will be another expert on a new topic. I also start labs next week which I’m dreading the most, buuuut they did give us cute lab coats with our names on it so that’s cool.

Food

I have many thoughts on the food here. First, since Manchester is one of the biggest cities in England, they really have unlimited options for foodies of all shapes and sizes. They even have bubble tea with a cup the size of your freaking head!!! Nando’s, which they do have in DC and Chicago, is just as good as all the Brits rave about. It’s a chicken restuarant kind of like Cane’s or Chick-fil-a but not at all. It’s a sit down and they have amazing dishes, even really good veggie options with all these different spicy sauces to try. But I won’t go on about the restaurants, that’s for you, the reader, to come here and discover yourself! But what I WILL talk about is how Starbucks doesn’t have anyyyy refreshers 😦 As a coffee hater, I love refreshers because they’re sweet and caffinated juice/tea things. But they are nowhere to be found in the UK… or iced teas. I didn’t think I was addicted but I cannot tell you how often I dream of buying one. But Starbucks isn’t the most popular chain here either so maybe that’s why their menu is tiny. Now: food selection in grocery stores. There’s a few grocery stores here, like Aldi’s, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland, etc. I have tried going to as many as possible to see where I want to buy different foods because the fresh food selection is a bit different here. At Tesco, buying premade food is your best bet because fresh selection is limited. At Aldi’s, you have a better chance at finding most veggies, but they don’t have strawberries??? and their watermelons are the size of a rugby ball which is also sad. I would just say that everything they offer is in really, really small options and sometimes there are some American products you’d think they’d have but don’t. Speaking of American products, there is literally a jar of hot dogs in water in the American aisle so if that didn’t make me cringe about my nationality along with numerous Trump jabs, gun laws, and healthcare questions, I don’t know what will.

The Weather… dun, dun, duuuun

Does the weather actually suck here? Mmm.. The first two weeks it didn’t rain at all and went between 60 and 75. The third week it has rained everyday. BUT it doesn’t rain all day and it isn’t rain that’s so hard that you’re instantly soaked. It’s definitely not southern Europe, but it truly is not THAT bad as everyone leads you to believe. I’m sure that will change in the winter but then it sucks even in Ohio so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Making friends!

I miss my American friends back home a lot but I also have met some really great people here too. I hang out with the Toledo students but have been in the works of making other friends! I joined the Rambling Society (kind of like hiking but not super intense) and the Equestion Team. Everyone is really nice and I know after a bit more of coming out of my shell I’ll start meeting some really cool friends. It truly is a process but I am definitely trying!

*~* locals *~* and culture shock (including drinks)

To be honest, I really do feel at home in Manchester and I love interacting with British people. Everyone (except grocery store workers?) are friendly and usually ask where I’m from and proceed to give reccomendations. I will say that it is annoying when I ask for certain products while shopping and the sales associate will ask if I’m looking for tourist knick knacks. *sigh* I have yet to truly not be able to understand someone’s accent, but there are a couple of basic words it takes getting used to to understand. For example, they say “Are you ok/alright?” when asking “How are you?” and it will throw me off (but I’m getting better!). They say trainers not sneakers, tea not dinner (???), cheers instead of thanks, and my fav: chips not fries and crisps not chips. Oh and for your entertainment, here’s a wonderfully awkward story: I was getting ready to go on a date and he called me to figure out a time when we should meet up. I said a couple of minutes because I just needed to change my pants. He laughed and I realized that British people will say pants instead of underwear (!!!) and trousers instead of pants. England: 1 Jen: 0. Anyways, they also drink A LOT. Its (usually) not large quantities, but just many many manyyyy times they’ll go out and grab drinks. Welcome event being held by the uni? Drinks! Social for all the clubs on campus? Drinks! Get to know other international students? Free drinks! Getting your nails done? Complimentary drinks! Watching a rugby game in the middle of a field? You bet there’s drinks. Not to mention if you go out with friends for a snack, its at a pub with (you guessed it…) drinks. There’s literally a pub in the student union. It has just really taken me aback by how readily they consume alcohol and how their culture really circles around it. Because honestly, America would never.

Day 18 of 300

I’m excited to see how my outlook will change in a few more weeks because it hasn’t even been a full month yet!! If there is something that you want to hear more about, let me know and I’ll try to answer those. Or if there’s a British food or event that I should try, let me know too. Cheers! xx