1.) Using American words that have different meanings in Europe
It took a few odd looks in response to my use of American English to realize that many words in America have different meanings in London. Here are a few phrases you should avoid using in London if you wish to avoid puzzled looks:
“I drank cider everyday as a kid” -> Cider is an alcoholic beverage, not juice.
“I got food stuck in my braces” -> Braces are suspenders, so getting food stuck in your suspenders would be questionable.
“I would like gravy on my biscuit” -> Biscuits in England are cookies. There are very few things that can truly ruin a cookie, but I would definitely put gravy in the top 10.
“I need a new comforter for my bed” -> Comforter in London is a pacifier. Although, technically speaking, this phrase makes sense; being 20 and seeking a pacifier for bed sounds like a personal problem.
French fries in London are referred to as “chips” but this shouldn’t be classified as a word that you should avoid using, because whether you get Lays potato chips or French fries, it’s really a win-win situation now isn’t it?
2.) Not Branching Out
It has certainly been refreshing to step outside of the Dubble (Duke bubble) for a semester and meet new Duke students, other American college students, and most importantly, the locals. Every student who is abroad is in the same position upon arrival: out of his or her comfort zone and anxiously trying to meet new people. Branching out is easy when nobody cares which sorority you’re in, which formal you were invited to, or which floor of Perkins you call home. Going abroad with friends makes it easy to stay in your comfort zone and not branch out. That being said, even if you do go abroad with a group of friends, take the semester to venture out of the Dubble and to meet new people that you would have otherwise never met.
3.) RyanAir
Most European airlines are questionable and sketchy, partially due to the fact that the flight attendants rarely speak English, and partially due to the fact that their fares are exceedingly low. No amount of economic efficiency, however, makes RyanAir worth it. They don’t believe in pre-booking a seat, which leads to Metro 8-esque lines, which involve excessive elbows and shoving. Then, if your bag exceeds the allotted size by even half a centimeter, expect to fork out the monetary equivalent of 10 nights at Shooters to pay for your mistake. Perhaps I’m biased because last weekend I missed my RyanAir flight and they didn’t make it easy for me to continue on to Barcelona in neither a timely or cost-efficient manner…but then again, that’s probably my fault. In turn, it’s possible that my series of unfortunate events is totally hindering my ability to fairly judge the airline, but either way, RyanAir is no JetBlue and they don’t serve complimentary chocolate like Swiss Air.
4.) Overpacking
On September 4th, I waltzed into the Florida airport wearing 2 winter coats, a scarf and my heftiest boots, in order to make room for the excessive amounts of clothing that I somehow squeezed into 2 large bags. In order to save myself the embarrassment, I’ll refrain from stating the exact weight of each of my bags, but let’s just say that “overweight” would be an understatement. Luckily for me, the man at the check-in counter was having a good day and let the hefty bags slide, but getting those 2 bags to my flat (read: apartment) and then fitting everything into a cramped triple was nothing short of impossible.
2 months later, I can confidently say that I have yet to wear 75% of the clothing that I packed. There are just some things that you will not wear in London: rain boots, summer dresses, sandals, bright colors…basically anything that’s not a sweater. Save yourself time, effort, embarrassment and strenuous physical activity needed to carry your bags, and just pack light. Note: not all of the bags in the picture below belong to me. I promise.
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