World Record: London, England

The United Kingdom, otherwise known as "Europeanized America," "America Junior #2" (after Canada), or "America with an Accent." My culture shock is not one that rivals that of my counterparts in Beijing – besides the accent, there are many similarities between things that are American and things that are British. At the same time, London has proven to be far stranger than I could have ever imagined.
Upon arriving in London, my BC comrades and I were excited to take part in the pub scene. The number of bars and clubs we have run into over the course of several weeks is staggering, and illustrates how having a pint is a centerpiece of British life. In our ventures, we soon realized that pubs are filled with adults, and that they close by 11. Bars and clubs are more receptive to our generation; they stay open as late as 6 a.m. and often feature heavily discounted student nights. Following these around can ensure American-style partying any day of the week. Having a student ID and being American has actually helped us enter some clubs on more exclusive nights. Bouncers believe that Americans love to live on credit, disregard the exchange rate, and buy as much alcohol as possible in order to have the best night, every night. All of which has proven to be true.
We have had to change our typical drinking habits because  we college students have  yet to find Solo cups or cases of beer. We know immediately when British students get excited about "those big red cups" or "huge cubes of beer" in American movies that we are just weeks into a five-month drought. Liquor is expensive because rampant alcoholism has forced high taxes upon the popular drink. Two-liter plastic bottles of Strongbow alcoholic cider provide a suitable alternative to 40's, prompting the intuitive proposal of an "Edward Strong-bow Hands" drinking competition. I am pleased to report that the craziest night out in London so far included American-style drinking games, much to the entertainment of our European suite-mates. Some Englishmen have told us we should not imbibe so much before heading out,  which we agree  to do – as soon as they abolish their £10 ($16) cover charges.
In Boston, I was getting a little tired of the extremely efficient snow and ice-removal from streets and sidewalks, a process that often forced  students to attend lectures in even the most severe of weather. Luckily, London is crippled at the mere sight of white, showing they are no better than home sweet home, Virginia, at coping with mere centimeters of powder. Although the temperatures are generally slightly warmer than Boston's, I do not know the London sky without clouds. After being here for 18 days, I have seen the sun twice, and only for an hour or so at a time.  However, I did  see my first sunset a few days ago. It was glorious.
British humor has finally given my straight-faced sarcasm a place to call home. Remarks which have often caused fights and misunderstanding in the U.S. are instead responded to in kind, often leading to an intellectual competition, Revolutionary War style. One confusing phrase is the British version of "how are you?" which they word as "are you alright?"  On several occasions, being asked this phrase has made me question my American accent, physical appearance, or overall body language in search of what could possibly cause the cashier or waitress to have concern for me. The first time I was asked this, the cashier carded me because my confusion was mistaken for nervousness caused from buying alcohol underage.
Surprisingly, the sink system is one of the few things that has made me utter my new favorite British phrase: "that's a bit crap." Throughout London, sinks have two taps – one for hot water and one for cold. As an alternative to scorching or freezing my hands, I occasionally place a convenient rubber stopper into the drain, making a scrumptious toothpaste, soap, and whatever-else-other-people-have-washed-in-this-sink-before mixture of warm water. Every time I wash my face British-style, I feel like Mel Gibson in The Patriot when he "showers up" before battle. Not because his shower consists of splashing his face with water, but because I want to kill the English every time I wash up. According to insiders (British folk), the UK is "currently moving over to the single-tap system." In response, the BC kids have proposed a European-style strike against sinks.
Many students studying in London and other places around the world are, for the first time, "different" than all those around them. Instead of blending in with the BC mold, we are now outsiders who look, talk, and act differently than the majority. This should not be a reason to act more restrained than usual, but should instead be an excuse to do what we want and claim we did not know any better. So much to do, so much time.