The Tube

One objective for our time here in London is to become better observers and analysts; therefore, I thought it was a good idea to observe the citizens of London on a common form of transportation. I decided to take the Circle line for a considerable amount of time in order to fully observe a large amount of people. While the citizens were similar to Americans in many ways, there were some difference I noticed of the people.
The most apparent difference was the vast range of nationalities on the underground. In just the first few minutes of my trip, I overheard at least five different languages, some of which I did not recognize. Everyone also seemed very comfortable with each other and did not seem to notice their differences. If someone began speaking Italian on a bus in my home town, many people would stare and attempt to listen in on their conversation. However, it was viewed as commonplace for this to occur, and it was very refreshing to be in the presence of it.
Another striking difference I noticed was the clothing of both men and women. There was a wide range of people from young to old, but the women tended to dress much more colorful and vibrant than the women in the States. I found that they wore many patterns and tried funky combinations of clothing, which would be viewed as obscure back home. I also noticed that the men dressed much more professional in London than they do in America. Most of the men were wearing dress shoes and shirts, and I did not see anyone wearing sweatpants! I find this odd because America has such a laid back culture that is set on comfort, and the people here seem more concerned about how they look in public.
One last difference I noticed was the large amount of luggage I saw on just one tube ride. People were constantly coming in and out with luggage, and I believe this describes a lot about the culture. It seems that they travel more frequently than Americans do, and it is an important part of their life to do so. All kinds of families and people were going off to different stations and airports in a rush to go enjoy some vacation time. While London is a big tourist spot, I felt that most of the travelers were Londoners themselves. Overhearing their conversations about places such as Germany, Italy, and Ireland made me excited to join them and begin my travels around Europe!!