By Dana Armstrong
Originally published in Dog Street Journal's February 2020 issue.
For those who don’t know, your Editor in Chief of the DSJ is operating more as a foreign correspondent for the semester. I’m studying abroad at Cardiff University in Cardiff, Wales! Now that I’ve been here for a little over a month, I’ve been able to spot quite a few differences between the US and UK. In no particular order, here are some of the stand-outs (for better or for worse):
1. Power Outlets
If you’ve been outside of North America with an electronic device, you’ve likely realized that you need an adapter that fits the different orientations of the power outlets. For the UK, the design is three rectangles—two horizontal and one vertical—that are arranged in a triangle. What you may not realize is that here in the UK, there is an on/off switch beside each power socket. Instead of unplugging your device, you can simply switch off the power at the source. It’s a small difference, but one that I’ve found revolutionary. Making sure that the oven is off has never been easier. Just remember to switch the outlet on before charging your devices or you may be disappointed by your battery life later.
2. Coffee
Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by the Daily Grind when it was in its prime, but the hunt to find some decent quality yet low-priced coffee here is unexpectedly difficult. The Brits may have tea down, but it doesn’t seem like everyone’s on board with good coffee yet. Starbucks is Starbucks and there’s a coffee chain called Costa that I’ve admittedly yet to try, but even the coffee from the independent shops can be pretty hit or miss. One of my friends here has been basing her judgments off of lattes, and I’ve been trying out the Americanos and pour overs. I’ll continue to experiment in the coffee shops around here, but all around, tea is your safest bet for a quality cuppa. (Plus, you can buy a box of 240 tea bags in the grocery store for around $6.45!)
3. Keep Left, Please
The road rules are one of the hardest things to get used to. Though I’m not driving while here, it can still be disorienting to figure out which way to look when crossing the street or which side to move to when passing a person on the sidewalk. However, the sidewalks are kind of lawless zones. Even when I try to walk on the left, there are still many people who meander along the middle or right side or weave in and out others. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don’t use road rules on the sidewalks. So, if I had to pick my biggest frustration about the UK, the lack of order on the sidewalks would be it.
4. Health Consciousness
The British seem way more health conscious as a society, partly because their government and food/drink regulations are much stricter. It’s rare to find many snacks or drinks here with artificial colors or flavorings—and those that do tend to be US brands. If you look on the ingredient lists for packaged foods, the lists seem way shorter and the ingredients more recognizable. We even discovered that the selection of sodas in McDonalds are different. While Sprite Zero, Diet Coke, and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar are all the same price, you have to pay $0.15 extra for a Classic Coca-Cola with the sugar and a regularly sugared Sprite isn’t even an option.
5. “Cheers!”
In this instance, the stereotype actually turns out to be true. The Brits say this a good deal in place of ‘thank you’—not just when drinking on a night out. Instances for hearing cheers include: passing a handout to a classmate in a lecture, holding open a door or gate for someone else, and unloading your laundry from the washing machine when all of the other washing machines in the laundry room are in use.
6. Drinking Culture
For starters, the drinking age here is 18 so students can get into clubs as soon as they enter university (or, from what I’ve heard, slightly before then with fake IDs and lenient bouncers.) But what baffled me the most is that the Student Union at Cardiff University contains a pub that is open daily, and parts of the Student Union convert into a club with a DJ and bar on the weekends. There are student discounts at different pubs across the city every night of the week. Though the weekend is still the most popular time to go out, Wednesdays also seem to be particularly popular—and no one would bat an eye if you said you were going out on a Monday or Tuesday. So, basically, you can turn up every night of the week if you want.
7. Country-wide Introversion
I honestly think I seem like less of an introvert in this country because people tend to keep to themselves so much more than in the US. The Brits are known for hating small talk—unless it’s about the weather—so starting up a random conversation with them can be a bit of a challenge. They feel most comfortable interacting within the friend groups they’ve already established. When not rooting for their favorite rugby or soccer team, they also tend to speak quieter than many Americans. Of course, there are plenty of extroverts here too. I’ve just noticed that, in general, my sociality fits in a lot better here.
8. University Classes
I’ve received the most detailed class syllabi here that I’ve ever received in my life. There are paragraphed descriptions for what we’re doing every lecture, and (for some classes) I even already have our final essay questions. Every class you take here has separate lecture and seminar components. While the lectures teach the main course material to the class at large, the seminars are like smaller discussion groups where you can ask questions and apply the material you learned in the lectures. Most students here only take three courses totaling nine hours of in-class time per week. Although you have a lot more free time because of this, you’re expected to do a lot more research and studying outside of class. And, since your entire grade for class is made up of only one or two essays or exams, you want to make sure to use your ‘free time’ wisely.
9. Environmental Consciousness
The UK has been doing a lot in the past few years to minimize its impact on the planet. When grocery shopping, you have to pay for every single-use plastic bag you use at the check-out, therefore encouraging you to bring your own reusable bags. I’ve seen more paper than plastic straws used in restaurants as well as far more vegan/vegetarian options on the menus—even at fast food joints. Undoubtedly, my favorite initiatives are the ‘Wonky Veg’ or ‘Too Good to Waste’ food boxes in many of the grocery stores. In the mornings, grocery stores sell boxes of its excess or imperfect looking (but still perfectly fine to eat) produce for very cheap prices in order to combat food waste. To put it in perspective, I picked up a box with 12 mandarin oranges, 8 potatoes, 5 carrots, 5 bananas, 2 pears, and one red pepper, rutabaga, melon, red pepper, onion, and avocado for only $1.93!
10. Contactless Payments
Perhaps this is starting to catch on in some parts of America, but the Brits have been doing this for years. Paying for your groceries, cappuccino, or cinema ticket has never been easier. You can simply tap your card on the pay station, and you’re good to go. As a foreigner who has to pay foreign transactions fees every time I use my card, this convenience quite literally comes with a price. But, with so many stores converting to card only payments, I’m forced to use this system a little more than I’d like to.
Despite of and because of all of these minor differences, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in the UK so far. As cliché as it may sound, I’m so grateful for this opportunity and so excited to see what other little differences I can discover over the course of this semester. Plus, I always thought it would be fun to be a foreign correspondent so I suppose I’ve checked off another box on my imaginary ‘things to accomplish’ list.