CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Besides the differences in the language and words, London and Brandon, MS have several key cultural differences that I can speak to. The United States (Brandon) uses the dollar and coins such as the penny, dime and nickel as their currency. London uses the pound, quid, and pence. Secondly, the Londoners drive on the left side of the road as well as walking up and down stairways and escalators. Whereas, Americans drive on the right side of the road and walk up/down the right side of the stairways and escalators.
The British have a monarchy. They revere their royal family with Queen Elizabeth as the head of the family. Even though Parliament has much of the democratic power in England, the people still love their royals! In the United States, we are governed by our three branches: Legislature, Judicial and Executive. One of my favorite days in London was being able to attend the Queens Parade.
One thing I really enjoyed about London was the open air markets and being able to buy items for my meals each day. In America, we are used to going to Kroger or Walmart and stocking up for the week. In London, it was nothing to go to the market and buy what you needed for the day's meals. In their stores, the bags were not free. There were smaller packages for more of an individual meal. Around where I live, we don't have open air markets with homemade jewelry and antiques. It was fun to see the true style of London through their fashion creations. My favorite market was the Spitalfields Market. I could spend all day looking around.
Another custom that I enjoyed was the "spot of tea". The British are known for their love of all that is tea and don't even think about asking for sweet iced tea that you would find in Brandon, MS. Interesting fact - did you know London police "bobbies" do not carry guns? Rarely do you see any Londoner carry a gun as a result of this. Whereas, many people in the Deep South do not get dressed without their side arm(s)!
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