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Abstract

me a proper English tea cup with a saucer to learn to drink slower and with more purpose.<h1 id="4b22">Complaining about (lack of) air conditioning</h1>We arrived in London at the beginning of the heat wave that spread across Europe. While 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) would hardly be considered a heat wave back home in Los Angeles, in London, it’s enough to make your life unbearable.Air conditioning, so abused and overused in the U.S. is rare in London, outside of the office buildings and occasional shops. Trains and buses get so hot people faint. Apartments (sorry, flats) and houses are unbearable. Most shops are unpleasant.There’s simply no infrastructure to support hot weather in London. Yet most Londoners keep calm and carry on, knowing that this too shall pass.I, however, found myself complaining to my husband that this lack of any kind of cold air (fan, anyone?) was simply inexcusable. To that, like a typical European, he answered that air conditioning was wasteful, and it was the ease with which Americans abused such a privilege that was inexcusable.Though I must say when the UK weather hit a record-breaking 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), my complaints didn’t seem so silly anymore.Still my husband was right. While countries across Europe do their best not to waste resources, even when it gets hot, the U.S. keeps their office lights on at night and AC running 24/7.“One office building in New York City can cancel out all the green efforts of a tiny resource-conscious country like Denmark,” my husband laughed.<h1 id="27ce">Being loud or dramatic</h1>“Living in big-city America is like living in a TV show,” my husband once noticed referring to all the drama unfolding around us.Walk through Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and you’ll hear a (loud) stranger discussing his “vulnerabilities” on the phone and another one yelling obscenities at an unleashed dog. In Starbucks, someone will always be complaining about their drink not being just right and someone will be FaceTiming their friend for everyone to hear. In Santa Monica, where we live, honking, talking at the top of your lungs, or blasting music from your phone is the way of life that no one seems to mind.Amongst all this crazi

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ness, I always considered myself a mindful talker when out in public, thinking I was the quietest person on the West side of Los Angeles. Yet, I must have forgotten what quiet talking sounded like.Here, in anything-but-boring London, the majority of people (especially in residential neighborhoods) still speak softly and don’t wear their drama on their sleeve. It’s entirely possible to walk down a busy street and not overhear a single conversation. If someone next to me was upset, happy, or agitated, I wouldn’t know.I found myself having to lower my voice to an uncomfortable level to make sure I didn’t outspeak others. My husband and I bickered in a comedic whisper that seemed so ridiculous it wasn’t even worth it.In London, no one around us is interested in other people’s drama, and keeping up a good spirit and politeness seem to be of great value.When people around you are calm you, too, become less dramatic.<h1 id="b600">Being anxious</h1>Likewise, being anxious, so dear to us Americans, isn’t common here in London. The English are, from what we’ve noticed, by far more relaxed about their lives and the people around them.Not once did we witness a complaint, an argument, or let alone a fight. Sure, not everyone is equally polite and occasionally you’ll hear a grumble, but flat-out anxiety or aggression, which we witness so much of at home, is very uncommon here.Being stressed, exhausted, or angry, all common states for people in Los Angeles, simply isn’t cool in London (though local cyclists seem to be an angry bunch). People enjoy themselves a whole lot more, too. Stroll through the city streets after 5 PM on a weekday and you’ll see crowds of office workers standing outside London’s many pubs with a glass in hand. In London’s endless parks, people enjoy picnics, concerts, and social gatherings at all hours.The air of light drunkness spreads throughout the city in the evenings, making for a joyous atmosphere and friendly attitude. Maybe with this fun-loving culture, anxiety melts away. And cheers to that!Nothing helps you to understand yourself and others better than traveling. This summer, I learned that I was a bit more American than I thought. And there’s nothing wrong with that.</article></body>

American Habits I Need to Drop While on A Trip To England

According to my European husband

After a long break, my (Danish) husband and I are on an extended visit to my favorite place in the world — London. The city is a perfect combination of old and new, busy and relaxed, traditional and eccentric. We’re so lucky to spend a month here.

Despite my usual efforts to fit in everywhere I go, especially since I used to live in England, I found myself slipping into my old American habits here. Sometimes, you just don’t realize how much you belong until you leave.

I do my best not to complain out loud when something doesn’t go my way but I still mumble under my breath.

Here are a few expectations I can’t seem to shake off, yet (according to my husband) I should.

Expecting giant cups of coffee

In our Airbnb in London, and previously in Bulgaria, we were presented with the tiniest coffee cups to go along with espresso makers. My Danish husband was more than happy to sip on his doll-sized coffees while I searched the cupboards for “normal” cups and boiled milk to make a latte.

In cafes, too, coffee sizes were smaller and takeaway espressos were served in tiny paper cups — something I haven’t seen in chain coffee shops in the U.S.

Luckily, this being London, buying a large drink (which would be considered small in America, of course) is not a problem.

Yet it got me thinking if my relationship with coffee was more American than I thought. The unhealthy obsession with large sugary drinks is something I’m too aware of back home, and I always thought my “tall”-sized lattes were very European.

But here in the UK, I learned that I couldn’t possibly enjoy a tiny cup of black coffee, even though I probably should.

For now, I’m planning to bring home a proper English tea cup with a saucer to learn to drink slower and with more purpose.

Complaining about (lack of) air conditioning

We arrived in London at the beginning of the heat wave that spread across Europe. While 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) would hardly be considered a heat wave back home in Los Angeles, in London, it’s enough to make your life unbearable.

Air conditioning, so abused and overused in the U.S. is rare in London, outside of the office buildings and occasional shops. Trains and buses get so hot people faint. Apartments (sorry, flats) and houses are unbearable. Most shops are unpleasant.

There’s simply no infrastructure to support hot weather in London. Yet most Londoners keep calm and carry on, knowing that this too shall pass.

I, however, found myself complaining to my husband that this lack of any kind of cold air (fan, anyone?) was simply inexcusable. To that, like a typical European, he answered that air conditioning was wasteful, and it was the ease with which Americans abused such a privilege that was inexcusable.

Though I must say when the UK weather hit a record-breaking 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), my complaints didn’t seem so silly anymore.

Still my husband was right. While countries across Europe do their best not to waste resources, even when it gets hot, the U.S. keeps their office lights on at night and AC running 24/7.

“One office building in New York City can cancel out all the green efforts of a tiny resource-conscious country like Denmark,” my husband laughed.

Being loud or dramatic

“Living in big-city America is like living in a TV show,” my husband once noticed referring to all the drama unfolding around us.

Walk through Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and you’ll hear a (loud) stranger discussing his “vulnerabilities” on the phone and another one yelling obscenities at an unleashed dog. In Starbucks, someone will always be complaining about their drink not being just right and someone will be FaceTiming their friend for everyone to hear. In Santa Monica, where we live, honking, talking at the top of your lungs, or blasting music from your phone is the way of life that no one seems to mind.

Amongst all this craziness, I always considered myself a mindful talker when out in public, thinking I was the quietest person on the West side of Los Angeles. Yet, I must have forgotten what quiet talking sounded like.

Here, in anything-but-boring London, the majority of people (especially in residential neighborhoods) still speak softly and don’t wear their drama on their sleeve. It’s entirely possible to walk down a busy street and not overhear a single conversation. If someone next to me was upset, happy, or agitated, I wouldn’t know.

I found myself having to lower my voice to an uncomfortable level to make sure I didn’t outspeak others. My husband and I bickered in a comedic whisper that seemed so ridiculous it wasn’t even worth it.

In London, no one around us is interested in other people’s drama, and keeping up a good spirit and politeness seem to be of great value.

When people around you are calm you, too, become less dramatic.

Being anxious

Likewise, being anxious, so dear to us Americans, isn’t common here in London. The English are, from what we’ve noticed, by far more relaxed about their lives and the people around them.

Not once did we witness a complaint, an argument, or let alone a fight. Sure, not everyone is equally polite and occasionally you’ll hear a grumble, but flat-out anxiety or aggression, which we witness so much of at home, is very uncommon here.

Being stressed, exhausted, or angry, all common states for people in Los Angeles, simply isn’t cool in London (though local cyclists seem to be an angry bunch). People enjoy themselves a whole lot more, too. Stroll through the city streets after 5 PM on a weekday and you’ll see crowds of office workers standing outside London’s many pubs with a glass in hand. In London’s endless parks, people enjoy picnics, concerts, and social gatherings at all hours.

The air of light drunkness spreads throughout the city in the evenings, making for a joyous atmosphere and friendly attitude. Maybe with this fun-loving culture, anxiety melts away. And cheers to that!

Nothing helps you to understand yourself and others better than traveling. This summer, I learned that I was a bit more American than I thought. And there’s nothing wrong with that.