While still in the midst of their study abroad experiences, students at Linfield College write reflective essays. Their essays address issues of cultural similarity and difference, compare lifestyles, mores, norms, and habits between their host countries and home, and examine changes in perceptions about their host countries and the United States. In this essay, Maria Raquel Escalera Gonzalez describes her observations during her study abroad program at the University of Nottingham in England

Escalera, Raquel

English

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Person to Person in England

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Linfield College DigitalCommons@Linfield 2015-16 Field Notes Field Notes from Abroad: Person to Person 11-15-2015 Person to Person in England Raquel Escalera Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/intl_fieldnotes_1516 Recommended Citation Escalera, Raquel, "Person to Person in England" (2015). 2015-16 Field Notes. Essay. Submission 3. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/intl_fieldnotes_1516/3 This Essay is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield, with permission from the rights-holder(s). Your use of this Essay must comply with the Terms of Use for material posted in DigitalCommons@Linfield, or with other stated terms (such as a Creative Commons license) indicated in the record and/or on the work itself. For more information, or if you have questions about permitted uses, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. Maria	  Escalera	  Gonzalez	  England,	  Fall	  2015	  November	  15th,	  2015	  England	  is	  more	  than	  tea	  and	  the	  USA	  is	  more	  than	  my	  home!	  	   For	  my	  interview	  on	  English	  culture	  I	  interviewed	  first-­‐year	  student,	  Joanna	  Van	  Zeller,	  from	  the	  University	  of	  Nottingham.	  The	  date	  was	  November	  13,	  2015.	  Our	  teas	  were	  getting	  slightly	  cold	  from	  the	  long	  chat/interview	  we	  were	  having.	  I	  found	  Joanna,	  like	  most	  English	  people,	  enjoyed	  a	  nice	  cup	  of	  English	  Breakfast	  tea	  as	  much	  as	  I	  did	  so	  I	  provided	  some	  for	  the	  interview.	  Comparatively,	  I	  hardly	  drank	  tea	  in	  the	  United	  States,	  but	  here	  it	  seems	  more	  socially	  and	  culturally	  expected	  of	  you	  to	  drink.	  After	  asking	  Joanna	  about	  the	  importance	  of	  tea	  in	  her	  everyday	  life,	  she	  said	  that	  it	  is	  almost	  a	  staple	  in	  her	  daily	  diet	  to	  drink	  at	  least	  1	  cup	  of	  tea	  per	  day.	  In	  fact,	  English	  culture	  promotes	  drinking	  tea	  with	  daily	  rituals	  of	  having	  tea	  time	  or	  simply	  “tea”	  to	  suggest	  other	  meal	  names	  (depending	  on	  where	  you	  came	  from,	  as	  Joanna	  informed	  me).	  I	  suppose	  what	  surprised	  me	  most	  about	  this	  aspect	  of	  our	  interview	  was	  that	  the	  stereotype	  of	  British	  people	  drinking	  tea	  a	  lot	  and	  having	  designated,	  although	  not	  necessarily	  strictly	  followed,	  tea	  times	  was	  true.	  	   I	  am	  an	  Oregon	  native,	  born	  and	  raised.	  However,	  I	  have	  never	  accustomed	  myself	  to	  liking	  much	  rain	  while	  other	  Oregonians	  relish	  it	  for	  different	  reasons.	  Joanna	  too	  dislikes	  the	  rain,	  or	  at	  least	  doesn’t	  enjoy	  being	  rained	  on	  she	  said,	  despite	  being	  from	  England	  where	  it	  rains	  quite	  frequently	  just	  like	  Oregon.	  Joanna	  from	  an	  early	  age	  in	  her	  hometown	  of	  Birmingham,	  England	  was	  encouraged	  by	  her	  mother	  to	  play	  musical	  instruments	  such	  as	  the	  piano	  and	  recorder.	  While	  Joanna	  practiced	  to	  the	  lessons	  of	  her	  instructors,	  she	  developed	  a	  sense	  of	  rhythm	  for	  playing	  music,	  one	  that	  I	  do	  not	  share.	  Yes,	  though	  I	  have	  tried	  to	  develop	  musical	  rhythm	  in	  playing	  instruments	  such	  as	  the	  piano,	  I	  have	  tried	  in	  vain,	  for	  my	  playing	  could	  never	  quite	  reach	  the	  right	  notes	  that	  I	  sought.	  One	  point	  of	  difference	  in	  outlook	  from	  Joanna	  and	  myself	  is	  that	  she	  prefers	  to	  make	  the	  music	  (though	  only	  for	  fun	  or	  hobby)	  whilst	  I	  prefer	  to	  listen	  to	  the	  music	  but	  not	  play	  it.	  More	  profoundly,	  I	  gleaned	  from	  speaking	  with	  Joanna	  that	  playing	  music	  from	  an	  early	  age	  was	  a	  widespread	  practice	  that	  is	  usually	  encouraged	  by	  young	  girls’	  mothers,	  although	  the	  same	  could	  apply	  to	  young	  boys	  and	  their	  upbringings.	  An	  interesting	  point	  from	  this	  that	  would	  be	  interesting	  to	  further	  research	  would	  be	  the	  role	  of	  gender	  in	  the	  development	  of	  musical	  skills.	  	   Overall,	  my	  interview	  experience	  with	  Joanna	  was	  pleasant	  and	  informative	  on	  both	  herself	  and	  English	  culture.	  Joanna	  as	  an	  American	  Studies	  and	  History	  major	  seemed	  almost	  as	  interested	  in	  my	  U.S.	  culture	  as	  I	  was	  in	  hers,	  which	  significantly	  surprised	  me.	  Living	  in	  the	  U.S.,	  I	  never	  gave	  much	  thought	  to	  my	  own	  nationality	  being	  such	  a	  point	  of	  interest	  for	  someone	  as	  to	  have	  an	  entire	  major	  dedicated	  to	  it.	  It	  made	  me	  feel	  like	  the	  U.S.	  was	  this	  huge,	  distant,	  yet	  exciting	  “other”	  that	  other	  countries	  such	  as	  England	  sought	  to	  learn	  more	  about.	  After	  all,	  to	  me	  the	  U.S.	  is	  just	  home.	  Likewise,	  learning	  about	  Joanna	  and	  her	  English	  culture	  changed	  my	  views	  of	  England	  as	  a	  country	  that	  was	  only	  known	  for	  The	  Beatles,	  Harry	  Potter,	  and	  other	  popular	  culture	  icons,	  to	  one	  that	  was	  vast	  in	  history,	  rich	  in	  good	  tea,	  and	  home	  to	  an	  amazing	  student	  from	  Birmingham	  and	  Florence	  Boot	  Hall	  named	  Joanna	  Van	  Zeller.	  	  

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Person to Person in England

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