lear I 1ng a new Al<{1 - With the holidays on the way, the streets of London, England, were bustling with shoppers, Christmas lights shining on Leicester Square and fall leaves covering the ground. For the 2011 HUE (Harding University in England) students, it was a holiday season to remember since they were also learning the customs of a new culture for the first time. Although London shared a common language with the U.S., adjusting to the culture was not as easy as some might have thought. In fact, the subtle cultural differences often proved to be quite confusing. "London is a lot like a big city in America, but it has still got its little things that make it different," sophomore Gage Gwaltney said. "I thought I was ready for the cars driving on the other side of the road, but I still got thrown off by it for the first couple of days." One of the more obvious differences was British food vocabulary. In a city where "lemonade" meant "Sprite" and "biscuits" meant "cookies," it could be difficult at times for students to get the meal they thought they had ordered.Junior Kaleb Lape, however, enjoyed the risk of trying new foods, tackling some infamous dishes in the process. "The tatties (potatoes) were tasty," Lape said. "I also tried haggis, which is a dish containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion and traditionally simmered in the animal's stomach." All of the HUE students agreed wholeheartedly that, despite any challenges they had encountered in one of the largest cultural centers in the world, the knowledge they had gained there was priceless. "My time here in London has been entertaining from the start," sophomore Candice Meadows said. "Seeing some of England's greatest sites has been a dream come true. At first it was a true culture shock, but now it just seems like another home. We are all experiencing this together and growing to love London more each day. It's a city full of wonder that makes waking up each morning exciting." Sarah Eason International +3
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