2008 Woodie Awards
Surviving the Shock
Krista Soriano
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: The Current
When you park in front of Kelly apartments thinking it's Smith, or you call the Restoration House the "Resurrection House" by some weird slip of the tongue, you know you've been away too long.
Over a third of my college career has nothing to do with Grantham, PA. I spent two semesters in Philly and one in London last fall, joining 97 other students in venturing abroad and away from the Bubble. Each place brought me further than I have ever been from home, and not just geographically.
I wouldn't consider my initial adjustment to London life challenging (with the exception of the exchange rate), perhaps because my introduction to the city via Philly prepared me more than enough. The people I shared my London experience with made all the difference, as explained in a passage on culture shock from my attempted blog written two weeks after I arrived:
They [referring to the Arcadia study abroad admen] babied us a lot when we first got here about transitioning into a new culture. My colleagues still ask me how I'm adjusting to the accent, the smoking ban (I don't smoke) and having a cup of Black English tea every hour. Frankly, I'm more concerned about my microwavable food intake and becoming broke before I book flights to Italy and France. As Prasana put it, "I experienced worse culture shock* moving to Philly last year." Amen!
We joke that the "culture shock" we're experiencing in London is running into a house mate of the opposite sex on the way to the shower, draped carelessly in nothing but a towel, and generally co-habitating with people who don't call themselves Christians. This is certainly not to say that back at main campus or in Philly did everyone act like well-behaved, self-controlled, straight-edge young adults, but somehow, after 14 years (and counting) in Christian education, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm in the real world.
So what did I miss here? Two Welcome Weeks, the South Side Café opening, Feist… In some silly na'veté, I assumed returning to campus and adjusting to Grantham life for the final three months of being an undergrad would be like watching an old favorite movie: you know exactly what to expect and maybe you even have more important things to worry about than Jack Black punting an innocent Baxter into the river. "Yeah, I'm going back today, classes start tomorrow. Want to help me pack?" What is there to adjust to, I thought, other than shorter walking distances, more movie nights and an 8 a.m. class? Never have I been so over-confident about anything.
Over a third of my college career has nothing to do with Grantham, PA. I spent two semesters in Philly and one in London last fall, joining 97 other students in venturing abroad and away from the Bubble. Each place brought me further than I have ever been from home, and not just geographically.
I wouldn't consider my initial adjustment to London life challenging (with the exception of the exchange rate), perhaps because my introduction to the city via Philly prepared me more than enough. The people I shared my London experience with made all the difference, as explained in a passage on culture shock from my attempted blog written two weeks after I arrived:
They [referring to the Arcadia study abroad admen] babied us a lot when we first got here about transitioning into a new culture. My colleagues still ask me how I'm adjusting to the accent, the smoking ban (I don't smoke) and having a cup of Black English tea every hour. Frankly, I'm more concerned about my microwavable food intake and becoming broke before I book flights to Italy and France. As Prasana put it, "I experienced worse culture shock* moving to Philly last year." Amen!
We joke that the "culture shock" we're experiencing in London is running into a house mate of the opposite sex on the way to the shower, draped carelessly in nothing but a towel, and generally co-habitating with people who don't call themselves Christians. This is certainly not to say that back at main campus or in Philly did everyone act like well-behaved, self-controlled, straight-edge young adults, but somehow, after 14 years (and counting) in Christian education, I'm finally starting to feel like I'm in the real world.
So what did I miss here? Two Welcome Weeks, the South Side Café opening, Feist… In some silly na'veté, I assumed returning to campus and adjusting to Grantham life for the final three months of being an undergrad would be like watching an old favorite movie: you know exactly what to expect and maybe you even have more important things to worry about than Jack Black punting an innocent Baxter into the river. "Yeah, I'm going back today, classes start tomorrow. Want to help me pack?" What is there to adjust to, I thought, other than shorter walking distances, more movie nights and an 8 a.m. class? Never have I been so over-confident about anything.
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