A majestic picture of sheep on the rolling hills of Dartmoor National Park in Moretonhampstead!
I am naturally a very curious person. Even before studying abroad, living in Abilene could bring experiences of wonder; I can walk down a sidewalk and marvel at the trees, my friends, God’s hand in my life. That was only magnified during my semester at Oxford. You like meeting new people? Great, there are students that come from all over the world, studying what you’re studying. You like exploring new places? Fantastic! Oxford has some of the oldest buildings in the English speaking world, from the first college quad (that patch of grass with buildings on 3 or 4 sides) ever built, to Godstow Abbey just a 2 mi walk from the house, a nunnery built in the 1100s.
One of the ways this curiosity grew in the UK was by speaking in the accents of the different places I went. One time we were listening to a demonstration and the presenter said “I bet you can tell I’m not from around here from my accent!” Um, no, I couldn’t. There is such a diversity in accents in the UK, and it fascinates me. So, whenever we went somewhere, like Edinburgh, the next few weeks I would be chatting in my Scottish accent. I still have to listen to the audio recording I took of our tour guide so I can brush up.
Whenever we went to Moretonhampstead, the cutest small town in Devon, I tried chatting in my Devonshire accent. When we went to Wales, wait, no. That accent is way too hard. But I learned a few Welsh words! A few times when I was by myself, I would commit to the part and speak in a British accent in conversations. The first time this happened was for security, a way for those to not ask where I was from. But eventually it just became a fun game and a way to connect! My friends say that sometimes I adopt the sing-songy cadence of the accent when I order a coffee or tea at cafes. Here, they don’t say mocha “mO-kah” they pronounce it “moCH-a,” they don’t say Paul like “pAll” they say “Pole,” essentially. During my time volunteering, I would call out orders and often would have to say their name how they said their name, with an accent! If I didn’t, they might not pick up on it in the buzz of the room.
Exploring another culture through the tongue was very powerful for me. To not only see the difference in the cultures, but to hear it, and to try to bridge that gap by speaking the same way made the experience so meaningful. I would make Brits laugh at either how bad, or good it was. I could acknowledge how difficult some sounds were, like the “ll” sound in Welsh, and bond with strangers over silly little details. Studying abroad broadened who I am by enhancing how closely I listened to people everywhere, and challenged how far my curiosity might take me. Study abroad! Experience different cultures, be the outsider. You never know how you might be speaking when you return home.
Me on the Champs-Élysées with the Arc de Triomphe behind me in Paris!
This is a clock in the Exeter Cathedral that describes the solar system with the earth in the middle! It still runs and works. The Fleur is the sun!
Celebrating my birthday with my favorite people with a tea party on a rainy day!
The Scotland highlands and our tour guide, James!