Post-Trip Cultural Reflections

I’ll definitely treasure these summer experiences for a lifetime. I couldn’t have hoped for a better first trip abroad. I’ve learned a lot about law, about Europe and about myself.

Surprisingly, my trip also taught me a lot about my approaches to culture. Embracing internationalism comes naturally to me; I have always had a diverse group of friends and I enjoy learning about other cultures and engaging in new experiences. I’ve continued these traditions at Vanderbilt, taking classes in various cultural and religious traditions, and joining a multicultural sorority. However, when deciding to attend the Cambridge Pre-Law Institute, culture was farthest from my mind. I was going to study international law, not necessarily to experience culture. Culture is found elsewhere: in Africa, in Asia, in Latin America, even in Denmark, where I’d be studying in the fall. But the United Kingdom…aside from its history, it’s just another U.S.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. Of course, you’ll hear American music on the radio stations (there’s more British music on my iPod than on British pop radio) and there are McDonald’s and Pizza Huts on every corner. And yes, we speak the same language and have similar governments. But as I dug deeper into British history and questioned what I saw and experienced around me, I learned that although British culture may not seem so “foreign” to an American, there is a lot to be appreciated.

Just to name a couple things:

- The European sense of history and time. Europe is so old that 100 years is “recent history.” Thus, the sense of what’s recent and what’s “ancient history” is different and leads to a different appreciation of time and connection to the past. When you’re surrounded by medieval architecture and your university is celebrating its 800th birthday, an event like World War II seems very recent in comparison. But if you’re from the U.S., a frontier land with less than 300 of (Western) history, you may define “recent” a bit differently.

- The Justice System. The English have some different ideas about what constitutes justice than Americans do. For example, they have no death penalty (as most of the world doesn’t). Sentences tend to be lighter than in the U.S. Lawyers are divided into two groups: solicitors and barristers, the latter group being those who advocate in actual court proceedings and solicitors doing almost everything else. Big brother is everywhere, via CCTV (closed circuit television). Defendants don’t sit next to their barrister in court, but in a closed-off section in the back, complete with its own entrance/exit. And of course, the judge and barristers still wear robes and those funny-looking white wigs. :-)

Although my stay was short, I did learn a bit about English culture and that there is much to appreciate anywhere you go, no matter how similar the people may be.