Our stay in England has exceeded my expectations. Though I anticipated finding myself enamored with the surrounding antinquity (the statues on the streets, the reliefs on the buildings, the museums with their ancient artifacts), I had no idea how lovely--on a social level--that this trip would be.
With a rare exception, everyone here has been so friendly! During our first weekend in London (when Darla, Cythia, Erika, and I) were trying to find our way to Leicester, pedestrians went out of their way to help us when they noticed our confusion. When I purchased souvenirs at the British Museum, the clerk at the counter smiled and said that she'd give me the student discount for my entire purchase--even though technically I should only have received the 10% for my books. Yesterday while walking through Bath, a gentleman walking past stopped to offer information about a building that I was looking at--just because! Today I accompanied Darla to visit her family in Watford, and I was absolutely touched by how they treated me (a complete stranger) like part of the family!
I wish we encountered such friendliness on a regular basis back home. I wonder at the differences in personality between the two countries. Is this contrat perhaps because England is so small and crowded whereas the U.S. is so expansive? I admit I have experienced a limited amount of England in a short amount of time... but I really feel at home here.
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