Culture Shock Living Abroad (part 1)

If you have a plan to come and stay in the UK, of course you need to prepare for everything, right? So, here I am going to talk about the culture shock that I found as I am living here, in Liverpool as part of the UK.

First, the weather! As an Indonesian, all of my life, I lived in a tropical area, and I got used to the hot and warm weather. The temperature in my city is around 27 - 31 degrees Celsius. Even if it is a rainy season in our city, it never reaches below 20 degrees. So, when I came here, my first week was awful! The weather was always around 11 or 12 degrees Celsius. If you ever went to Mount Bromo, then you know the feeling. I was freezing all the time! Yes, all the time! Going outside was a challenge for me. I couldn't handle the weather and the bad thinking sometimes played in my mind, like 'What if I got hypothermia?'. That kind of thinking played around my mind every time I went out of my room, especially if I had to stay for a long time outside. There was one time, I waited over an hour for the bus after I watched a football game (I will talk about it in my next writing). I couldn't stand it, I was almost freezing and I was afraid that the cold would kill me.

Second, the transportation system. I can say that the system of transportation here is good and structured well. Let's talk about the bus first. The buses use a number system for their lanes. There are some shelters at the bus stop so the passengers can't stop wherever they like. I had to find the nearest bus stop to my destination then, I had to walk to my destination.

Because of that, walking now is my exercise here. Sometimes I could walk for 3 or 4 kilometers here or I could walk for 40 minutes a day (I use my Samsung Health so I can measure it every day). I can say that it's like in Trans Jakarta but a little bit different. While in my city, the government tried to make that system but it didn't work and I don't know why. 

Now, the red and green light for vehicles and pedestrians. As a pedestrian, I can't just cross the street wherever I like lol. So, I had to find the traffic light and push the button for the pedestrian to cross and wait until it turned into a green light for walking. Everything is in orderly here. Because of that, I can say that it is safe for pedestrians to walk around. Then, what if there is no traffic light and you want to cross the road? Of course, you need to be careful and look around, mostly the vehicle will stop and give a way for you to cross the road (if it's not a busy road). There was a time when I wanted to cross the road in front of my accommodation, there was a car approaching. Usually, in Indonesia, we would let the car pass by first then we can cross the road, right? So, I waited and stood still, but the car stopped in front of me and let me cross first. Then I said thank you and crossed the road. My friend told me that some nice drivers would let you cross first if they saw there was a pedestrian. 

Next, always say 'thank you' to the bus driver when you get off the bus. I noticed that during my first and second days here when passengers get off the bus they will say 'thank you'. At first, I found it strange since in Indonesia we don't have that courtesy, it's their job to drive us, right? Then why only for the bus driver? Is it for all professions? I couldn't find the answer but I think it's a good way to respect other professions. Actually, it's a good habit. Maybe in the future, Indonesia will adopt that. 

Finally, the food! The struggle to find Indonesian food, such as vegetables, tempe, toffu, sayur asem, or else was difficult. It's like you find a treasure if you get that. Another thing, you won't find Indonesian street food here, such as somay, seblak, es dugan, bakso, mie ayam, ect. During my first week here, mostly I ate indomie or supermie, or 'tempe kering' or 'abon sapi' that I brought from Indonesia. Then I have to adapt myself to food here, right? If not then I will starving. Even until now, I haven't found 'tempe' here in Liverpool. 

That's the culture shock I found here, it's been a month since I have been here, so now I am trying to get used to everything here so I can enjoy my stay here. My advice is if you want to come to the UK, you have to get ready for the culture shock you will find. But, as long as you have strong determination then it won't be difficult for you to adapt here. 

 

Liverpool, November 2024