shapeshifters.

This morning in my gender, culture, and literature class we discussed the need to feel like we fit in in the city we live in. We read 'The Lonely Londoners' (yes i've already read a whole book!) and it portrayed London from the eyes of immigrants from the East Indies. We used shape shifter as the word to describe how they molded into their surroundings and did everything in their power to truly become a Londoner. And although they did becomes Londoners at heart, it was hard for most of the English at the time to fully accept them into the English culture. Although times have changed and London now is one of the most diverse cities on the globe, it's interesting to consider being a student studying abroad how I could possibly consider myself to be a shape shifter. In the course of this discussion i just had to mention that shape shifters are also found in the Twlight series...but my point was that the Native Americans in the book choose to turn into wolves, just like you can choose to take the shape of whatever you'd like. That is the point. I think in my time here I would like to get away from the illusion of American tourist as much as possible. I don't want to be an American studying abroad, I want to be an American living abroad and be able to experience all the joys that come with that title. I am learning the tube and buses, the random sayings that set our English languages apart, and if all goes well I think i will feel at home here by the end of the first month. When I wrote my essay to get into this program my main goal was to immerce myself in a different culture, not really knowing what that meant. I know what that means now, at mostly. We may speak the same language and some of us may say our ancestors were English, but in how we act and live, we are literally and figuratively an ocean apart. I can't name everything, but two things comes to mind and I both find them completely refreshing. The first is imagine you go to a bar, meet someone new and start up a conversation that somehow gets on the topic of politics. Now imagine having that conversation while both people have completely different beliefs and stand on different sides of the aisle, but can talk with respect for the others opinions and take no offense to what is being said. It's brilliant. The second is to imagine a world where guns don't really exist. Police Officers don't even carrying them unless the Royal family is about. People can't own them and there is absolutely no need to. They think we're crazy for our easy it is to get guns in America and I think they're right! Anyways, culture is different where ever you go, but these are just two things that have really stuck out and are prevalent in my mind as i'm out and about meeting people.

Cheers.