This past weekend one of my best friends came to visit me in Liverpool, all the way from Michigan! The travel bug has surely spread through my friend group as she left me to head for Ireland, Germany and Poland.
A curious thing happened this weekend – I became a tour guide of sorts. What a shock for me! I know it’s a bit ridiculous for study abroad students to come back home saying things like “I’m a local now” or “I know the city like the back of my hand,” since we only get to experience these new locations, cultures, and histories for a short amount of time. But, I realized that I’ve absorbed enough knowledge of my little slice of Liverpool to share with a newcomer, and it made me proud; from the funny heads up of “Woah! You’re going up the wrong side of the stairs!” to seasoned tips of “make sure to take the 82 bus and hit the stop button at the second light after the gas station.”
The memories we made this weekend are ones I will cherish forever, especially since it is basically already Christmas here! We were also very lucky to be able to experience the Tate Liverpool art museum as well as the stunning Liverpool Central Library.
Having another Michigander around also meant watching someone experience the same culture shocks I did! Which means… hot takes part 2:
- The whole ground floor versus first floor debacle – when you walk into a building, that’s the first floor! calling it floor zero makes no sense.
- Doppelgängers – 100% real, we’ve seen all of you here at least twice.
- The cafe servers on campus – have our hearts, hearing “here’s your coffee love” or “enjoy the toast lovelies” is the best way to start the day.
- Christmas starting in November – AMAZING!! Add more lights!!
- The old man that plays the accordion on the street – also amazing, also has our hearts.
- Streets – a bit more bumpy than in Michigan, but less potholes for sure.
- Calling cross walks zebra crossings – funny, adorable and should be adopted all over.