The Top 3 Differences Between London and Texas
For the majority of my life, I have lived in a small city in Texas called Lubbock whose only claim to fame is the fact that Buddy Holly was born there. About a year and a half ago, however, I crossed the pond to London for University. People always ask me what the biggest difference is between Texas and the UK is, so I’ve decided to comprise a list of my top three. 1. Grocery stores
This is probably the answer that surprises the most amount of people. Grocery stores definitely aren’t the first thing that pop into peoples’ heads when they think of the differences between Texas and London. However, the difference between these establishments in the UK versus Texas was glaringly obvious to me when I first moved over. For starters, grocery stores are like 10 times bigger in Texas than in London. I spent a month in Texas over the Christmas season and coming back I felt so cramped in London’s shops as I had grown accustomed to the abundant space that is always present in Texas supermarkets. Along with the additional space in these stores, there is also additional selection. At my local supermarket, an entire aisle of the store is completely dedicated to different flavours and brands of ice cream as well as one dedicated to cereal. Not only this but the aisles were rarely ever out of stock so I was always able to get my favourite brands and flavours. Something that was very common at the grocery stores in my home town was that the workers would always walk your groceries out with you to put them in your car. I find this quite funny now living in London as not that many people drive cars so this service would be quite useless here, which brings me to my next point...
2. Trains
The Trains in London are so extensive and vast compared to any transportation system in Texas, I find them absolutely amazing. In my home town, everyone and their child owns a car, most households own two or three, as driving is the only feasible way to travel around the city there are practically no biking or walking paths. While the city does have a working bus transportation system, the buses are infrequent and the bus paths are highly limited. The tube in London is one of my favourite aspects of the city, it makes it very easy for me to get around and it keeps the area interactive, not to mention how much better it is for the environment.
3. Humour
Another thing very different between London and the UK is the sense of humour. In London, many things that would be seen as taboo or vulgar are widely joked about here. When I first arrived in the UK I was absolutely shocked at how people talked and what they laughed at. London humour is very sarcastic and has a specific personality to it. I had never experienced conversation like this in America where humour is more varied and based around a person's specific interests. I have found humour in London to be largely used as a way of connecting to an extent that it doesn’t really exist in America, at least where I’m from. A lot of British humour involves being British and what exactly it means to live in this country. Now that I have gotten used to it I have grown to love it and have adopted this sense of humour as my own.
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