A Year In The USA | Weeks 5 & 6

Yellowstone during my first few weeks in the USA

The past two weeks haven't been as eventful as the first few, so for this post I want to enhance a little on the differences in culture I've experienced whilst being here.

What are the main differences between Utah and the UK?

Of course there are many differences, one prominent difference being the religion. Most people in Utah are born and raised LDS or Mormon, which was something I knew VERY little about before coming here. Before leaving the UK a lot of people joked around saying I'd come back Mormon, but since being here, I've learnt that the LDS faith is not very different from any other religion. In fact what surprised me most, is that most Mormons are very cultured and educated because they go on missions all over the world when they are 18, 19 or 21; I've met people who are fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian! One of my best friends here is Mormon and she's no different to any other American girl you'd cross on the street. 

The major difference though, is that Utah is prominently a 'white state'. It's fairly rare to see a non-white face whilst walking through campus. So that was really strange for me to get used to because London is so diverse and you wouldn't walk down the road without coming across someone of a different nationality. Saying that though, it's not a big deal because the people here are so friendly, no matter what their race.

What are the similarities?
Well, when it comes to similarities it's actually really difficult to think of them! I guess the only one really is the mindset of college students! We all just want to do as well as we can in our course but at the same time, we want to have as much fun as possible!

How does being born in the UK affect my social life? (BTW my friends came up with this question)
Honestly, I don't think it's affected me in any way except that I've been exposed to many different cultures, religions and races so my knowledge of these things have been enhanced, perhaps more than if I grew up in another country/city!

Weeks 5 & 6

Apart from the excitement of having midterms during the past two weeks, there were a few other events which really stood out. The first being a panel which I chose to be apart of. I joined the Black Student Union (BSU) here at my US university (kinda strange considering I'm not apart of the ACS back home). Anyway, a Multicultural and Societies class were having panels of students from the Black, Latino, Polynesian and various other student unions, in order to ask questions and understand other cultures better. I opted to be on the panel for the BSU, which I was excited about but we were warned beforehand there may be some strange and ignorant questions asked. However when it came to it, the students in the class (who were 99.9% white) were respectful and asked genuine questions like "how did you feel when you came to Utah". It was great to be apart of, and it was lovely to know I was helping others understanding of different cultures.

Saturday night was spent at PoBev i.e. Poetry and a Beverage. A few friends and I snuggled up (literally, it was cold) with a few blankies out in the Quad (the main outdoor's space of the uni) and listened to amusing songs and heartfelt poems by some very talented students. Plus we got free Apple Cider (non-alcoholic of course)!

My highlight of the two weeks though, was the play we went to see at the Caine Lyric Theatre in downtown Logan, the town where my university is based. It was called Bus Stop and a friend was performing in it, which is why I went. And I'm honestly glad I did. It was funny, romantic (sort-of) and pulled at your heartstrings; literally everything you could want in a play. And it was free because we were students...WOO! The first of many plays and musicals to come I hope!