When Joe Donaldson, a 2005 Lake Orion graduate, decided to participate in the study abroad program at Oakland University, he figured that he was in for a little culture and a little sightseeing. And while he had both of those, he didn’t realize he was signed up to also experience a natural disaster and an attempted terrorist attack.
Donaldson, a junior who is studying archaeology and history, chose to spend six weeks in England, five of them studying in a program at Oxford and taking a class about medieval literature.
‘I’ve always wanted to go somewhere and see something different,? Donaldson said, adding that he selected England because there would be no language barrier and his family has a lot of English friends.
While he has done some traveling with his family, Donaldson believed that he would be able to experience the culture of the country by being able to immerse himself in it for a period of time.
His first culture shock came in an experience dealing with a member of airport customs.
‘When I got there, I figured I would just go quickly through customs,? he said. ‘I’ve been to other places and never had a problem.?
Unfortunately for Donaldson, it looks like things were going to be a problem as the customs agent didn’t believe him on why he was visiting England and wouldn’t let him into the country even though he had all the necessary paperwork from Oakland regarding his study abroad.
A couple of hours, and convincing a customs supervisor, later, Donaldson was allowed to leave the airport and start his trip into England. His bad luck wasn’t over yet though.
His cell phone company neglected to put his international coverage on his cell phone, and he didn’t know how to use the payphone since phone numbers are different in Europe than they are in America.
The first shining moment of the trip came at that moment though, when an older woman helped him make the call he needed.
‘They’re all really friendly people and want to help,? Donaldson said. ‘They talk to you like they’re your best friend.?
While there are many perceptions and stereotypes of the British people, Donaldson added that most of them seem really genuine and that you can stop anyone for directions.
Some of their friendliness is most visible on train or bus rides as everyone will take part in conversations with each other regarding various topics, rather than reading a book or newspaper as typical in America.
The culture shocks continued for Donaldson.
‘England is a lot like America if America was still in the 1980s,? he said, adding the Michael Jackson is really big in England.
According to Donaldson, other odd things included the fact that the English people only wear the colors black and white, and they drink their beer at room temperature. The beer, with the way that it is brewed, also does not contain any preservatives and goes bad after three to four days. Also, they do not put ice in any type of drink.
‘The food’s not as bad as everyone thinks it is, too,? Donaldson added, saying that it is just different types of food and it’s not prepared the same way as it is in America.
The big meal of the day was lunch, which typically featured a cold fish. Dinner was typically eaten later, around 7 p.m., and contained small portions.
And while dealing with the friendly people, Michael Jackson fans, warm beer and different food, Donaldson also got to experience culture shock with two major events that occurred while he was over there.
First was the flooding that occurred throughout England. According to Donaldson, some parts of the country were covered with two to three feet of water, causing damage that was cost-wise more than experienced in Katrina.
Donaldson said that he was surprised when visiting CNN.com that it did not seem like anything was being said to the rest of the world regarding the flooding.
Another surprise came with the way that the English dealt with the flooding that washed out their railroad tracks, preventing them from moving from city to city quickly and cost-effectively. They threw ‘flood parties? at the pubs.
‘Everyone would wear galoshes, drink beer and watch BBC,? Donaldson said, adding that they would look for their homes on the newscasts that showed the destruction.
The more adventurous Brits, Donaldson said, would ride their bikes down from the top of a hill, seeing how much speed they could gain and how far they could make it into the floodwaters.
‘Here, everyone thinks it’s the end of the world (when something bad happens). There, they just party about it,? Donaldson said.
The second big shocker for Donaldson came after an attempted terrorist attack in London. According to Donaldson, some Mercedes-Benz cars were parked outside a nightclub with bombs that would go off when the club let out for the night, but since they were illegally parked, English police towed the cars. Donaldson said that they were pulling the cars, and bombs, throughout England before realizing the presence of the explosives.
‘They handle terrorists attacks differently,? he added. ‘The next day people went about their day normal.?
One difference Donaldson did see the day following the attacks was the police, who don’t normally carry guns, where carrying them.
According to Donaldson, even the news did not make a big deal of the attacks, unlike American news with the constant reminder of terror alert levels. In fact, Donaldson said, the news made a bigger deal out of a stabbing that occurred in London. He added that the crime rates are really low in England.
‘I never felt unsafe in Oxford at all,? Donaldson added, saying that sometimes they would be walking the streets late at night and they never had a problem.
‘Guns are outlawed unless you are part of a private hunting club,? he said, noting that you also can’t just walk into a store and purchase a knife either. ‘If it’s harder to get access to the weapons then you are obviously going to have less crimes.?
While Donaldson had also sorts of different culture shocks during his visit to England, he would recommend, ‘everyone that has the financial ability to do it, should do it.?
‘Not only do you get to see culture,? he said, ‘but you also get to see America from a different standpoint.?