As an international student, many people ask me where I am from and, after I say the US, they naturally ask what it's like or how it's different from Canterbury. It's actually difficult for me to describe because, even though I haven't traveled much (within the US even) and haven't really known much different, and even though this is an entirely new country across the ocean, it doesn't really feel all that different. Even the accents - people are always asking about the British accent - but even that isn't overly noticeable. I noticed it a bit at first and every once in a while it strikes me, but, for the most part, it sounds normal. Part of it is because I've been decently immersed in British culture prior - I've read a lot of British literature and seen several British shows - so there hasn't been much that's surprised me. And part of it is because I don't think there really are that many major differences. Originally, we adopted our culture from them, and then, as we grew, we've become such a dominant culture that the rest of the world is adopting ours.
England is a first-world, Western country with more than just a shared language. Actually, one of the first things I noticed was how similar we are. They listen to largely the same music; they have television and radio programs like ours; they advertise like us; they even have several American brands (Asdas, which is Walmart; Aldis; H&M; Starbucks; Subway; McDonalds). And they have local brands that imitate ours (instead of Starbucks, they have Costas).
In fact, Canterbury is even more like Columbia because it's a small town that's enlarged by being a university center. Because of all the students, it becomes busier. Half the population is students, and the permanent inhabitants are mostly families, which affects what sorts of businesses are here. It has the bustling air of a big city and some of its layout and benefits, with public transport and taxis, but it is still a small town - or a small city simulating a large one. But it doesn't have the modern architecture of big cities with towering office buildings and skyscrapers. It doesn't attract innovators or innovations; it adopts them in time, but it doesn't produce them - and, in this way, it is a bit different from Columbia, because Columbia isn't a major hub, but it does have a number of startups and small entrepreneurs. It isn't as expensive as large cities. It feels like I've come to the British version of Columbia.
One of the main and most obvious differences, though, is its history. I told my hostess that I was surprised they grant students free access to the Cathedral year-long, and she said it's because they have so many tourists, mainly Americans, that they don't need to charge students. And, at night, the inside is closed to the public, but the grounds are open and free to everyone. Even the townhouses have a more quaint architecture to them. They have a beautiful blend of progressive modernity and ancient history that coalesces, rather than clashes.
Because they're so close to the European continent, most of them have traveled to many different countries and fairly cheaply, which I'm a bit jealous of. The US is so large that the mainland contains four time zones, five including Alaska. From the UK to Russia is only three. So, for us to travel around in the same country is the same as for them to travel around the Continent to multiple countries, experiencing different cultures, cuisines, languages, and histories. I am a bit jealous of that.
The other differences are much smaller. They smoke a lot. We do too, but much more with vaping, with less aroma and litter. And I think they actually dress more liberally than we do.
The housing is different here too. We mostly live in apartment buildings or have our own houses and private lots with space in front, back, and on the sides, but they mostly have townhouses, each self-contained and individual but all conjoined together, side-by-side. They have front and backyards, but they're smaller and no outside area to go back and forth. In the halls (or dormitories), they are much more like apartment buildings. They're arranged suite style, so students each have their own rooms, and then they share a common bathroom or two, living space, and kitchen.
So when people ask me to describe where I'm from and how it's different, I don't have much to tell them. There are differences, but I've noticed more similarities
