Rambling Expat Thoughts

It is amazing how different the social culture is between the UK and the US. As part of my Expat experience, I have been taking courses with local programs. I have taken a series of courses on London taught by a London tour guide, and have also been taking a Creative Writing Class at the local college. So often I find someone tells a joke, relates a story, speaks about a TV show or a book that everyone seems to know about - but I don't. Prior to being an expat, I would rarely find myself in this predicament. Even if I hadn't seen the show or read the book, if it was common to our culture, I had usually heard about it.

When I go back will I be a misfit in both cultures?

Just as a clarification, colleges are not the same in the UK as in the US, unless we are speaking of a college within a University like the colleges within Oxford. College is for students who have finished their basic school years (I think that happens at around 16) but who are not yet ready for University or will not be going to University at all. Some of these are very distinguished like Eton College where both Prince William and Prince Harry received their further education, and some are more technical.

As as further aside, public school (such as Eton College) in Britain is what the US would consider private school - for children ages between 13 and 18, whose parents pay for their education. The children often live at the school while they are studying.

Confronting some of these basic differences takes time to understand. Some of the basic cultural differences probably take a lifetime to overcome. Being in a different country, even one that speaks English, is a wonderful lesson in tolerance.