From LA to the UK

From LA to the UK

As I mentioned in my blog post Post-Grad, I am an Ethiopian-American woman from Los Angeles county, California studying in Britain. Instead of doing my Masters in Public Policy in the U.S., I opted to pursue my MA in Social and Public Policy at the University of Leeds in England. Even as an international student, I am paying half the price I would have had I gone to a similar university in Los Angeles while living at home with my parents. Not only this, but I believe my education is strengthened by learning about another culture, experiencing a different part of the world and hearing the views and opinions of people in this part of the world.

Because the pound (the currency used in England) is stronger than the U.S. dollar, I was shocked to find that the cost of living in Leeds is much lower than in Los Angeles. However, living in London, England is known to be very expensive. Leeds is much cheaper because it is not a big metropolitan city like London. The North of England, where Leeds is situated, is known for being smaller, closer to the countryside and more working class than the South of England, which includes London. According to locals, London's reputation as generally wealthier and "posh" or upscale means that it is more well-known, attracts a lot of tourists and even more investment within the country. The result: some Southerners look down on the North of England because they perceive it as less developed and poorer. I am personally glad that I chose to go from Los Angeles, a very fast-paced, flashy and touristy city to a quieter, smaller city in the North of England as opposed to London, another tourist trap.

I have only been here for around a week but I have learned a lot about England, the perception of the U.S. and some key differences with Leeds, the small city I moved to. I am constantly picking up on the slight differences in English here as opposed to my part of the U.S. People say "hiya" instead of hi or hey which I adore. Chips are called crisps and fries are chips (like culinary dish fish and chips). People refer to the university (or any university) as uni, like "Do you go to uni?" which I also adore. I have stereotypically been loving the accents, some more than others. Before, I rarely thought about the different British accents but now I am surrounded by them: there are different accents from all over England.

It was not until a British woman asked me where my accent is from that I realized I also have an accent: the way I speak English has always been the norm where I've lived. However, most people hear my voice and immediately identify me as American. A number of them immediately follow-up with an incredulous, "What are you doing here?" As in, Los Angeles must be so much better than a small city in England. When I ask them why they react this way the response is along the lines of America must be better because of its image as a very rich and powerful country. They recognize my accent from the TV shows and movies from America that they've watched (which is a testament to the U.S. media's prevalence around the world). However, they don't realize that the U.S. is rife with segregation and that right next to the fancy, rich neighborhoods where celebrities live in Los Angeles are impoverished ghettos/neighborhoods filled with Black and Brown people living in conditions that mirror third world poverty (or even worse). They don't realize that this racial/economic/social inequality lowers the quality of life for everyone in America, which is why European countries rank higher in almost all measures.

On the other side of the coin, some British people hear I am from America and they shudder with disgust before going on a tirade about Trump. I get the impression that they find America distasteful because they find Trump distasteful; I find this comforting. These people are left-leaning, believe in socialist and humane policies that benefit disenfranchised people and disagree with the conservative party, the Tories, that are currently in power here. I recently had a discussion with a British woman in my MA program that is close friends with an undocumented American living in the U.S. She understood the meaning of the Trump administration's rescinding of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) policy for the country. Mainly her friend, who happened to visit Europe with her before the decision was announced, told her how he fears for his life and cannot come to Europe again as he planned or he may not be let back into the U.S. This woman knew exactly how I am feeling about my birth country at the moment and my dilemma, calling the U.S. a hell hole (which is what I would call it in the state it's in right now). This conversation also comforted me because it meant that some Britons are aware of what is happening in the U.S. and understand what it is really like beyond the glamorized image that the U.S. media puts forth into the world.

I feel extremely privileged to be able to safely leave the U.S. and that makes me feel even more despair about the potential DACA decision. I am fulfilling an American girl's dream: living in the United Kingdom, experiencing that cultural exchange (a la early 2000s American teen movies) and traveling Europe. I hope to continue healing from the incredibly traumatic year the U.S. has been having and learn more about Leeds, England and the UK by making friends and attending classes.