What’s Normal Anyway?

“Wait, cheese in the form of dry powder? I don’t understand.”This is what my friend said when I tried to explain the concept of Macaroni and Cheese in a box. This is something that I have come to learn is not a worldwide phenomenon like it is in most colleges in the United States. I continued to make my quick lunch and she watched me put the ingredients together. We ended up splitting the bowl of noodles in the end, she loved it!

It’s funny how studying abroad in London has introduced me to a whole new idea of what I thought was ‘normal.’ The cultural differences tend to be small for me, but have definitely been an adjustment. For instance, ordering and then sitting to get your food, as opposed to the ‘wait to be seated’ custom in the United States. When I first discovered that I may not understand the new ‘normal’ I was facing, it was really difficult. I felt embarrassed when I did something silly, but the more time I spend in London, the more I learn and the more I embrace the things I don’t understand. Everyone is so happy to explain to me what I don’t understand, and sometimes that leads to interesting conversations I might not have had otherwise.

Recently, my flat mates and I had a Halloween celebration, where we got to introduce a few of them to American Halloween traditions, like hot apple cider and roasting pumpkin seeds. For one of my flat mates from Denmark, it was his first time ever carving a pumpkin. He took great care in carving his, and it turned out to be the scariest. This was definitely the best Halloween party I have ever been to, I’m excited to see what the rest of fall will bring!