Prompt Six

Something that I have been able to pay particular attention to in my travels is that attitudes that I have encountered in regards to the "locals". In England, specifically in Grantham people are very friendly. I think that this may be due to the fact that they are more accustomed to tourists/americans in this area because Harlaxton is an extension of the University of Evansville campus. Therefore, Harlaxton pretty much always has American college students living there. The closest town is Grantham, therefore that is where many of the college students go for entertainment, shopping, and necessities. Therefore their kindness may be closely linked to this idea. When I am in need of directions, or wondering where to catch a cab, or where a particular store is, the people in Grantham are particularly helpful. However, as I have noted in earlier blogs, you usually have to ask for the help.

While for the most part the area surrounding Harlaxton is particularly welcoming, we have also encountered people who were very clear about not wanting us in their establishments. This was something that I had not expected at all. Based on my previous trip, I had assumed that everyone in Grantham was relatively okay with "tourists." Two years ago when I came here to study, the Gregory was closed. However, when I returned this year I was excited to find that it had reopened. We decided a few days ago to go and check it out. When we walked in virtually everyone went silent. As we walked forward to the bar, we recieved a plethora of dirty looks. We asked to see a menu, this was our first mistake, the bartender gave us a snide look. Then she replied "we stop serving food soon." Then she walked away, and did not address us agian. Obviously after this enteraction we opted to leave. We walked back to Harlaxton, and took a cab to the Blue Pig. Although, the establishment was virtually vacant, the bartender seemed a great deal happier to have us there.

In addition, an issue that we have had to deal with regarding acceptable behavior is this whole idea of tipping. In England if you tip a cab driver they get offended. However, if you ride in any other cab besides street car, the cab already has a price of £2.75 on the meter...isn't that just a built in tip? Furthermore, although it is not necessarily customary to tip bartenders in England they are not offended when you do. This is an issue that I was familar with on our last trip, it was always a debate of whether to tip or not. Another issue, is the volume of voices of Americans vs. the volume of voices of Europeans. As a tourist or outsider you can generally tell when the group you are with is too loud based on the looks that you recieve.

These experiences have taught me that sometimes I need to realize that people are not always pleased about their home town being invaded with tourists. Furthermore, as an American I need to be conscious of my volume when I speak. Also, I just need to be aware of the environment around me and keep that in mind in terms of how the other members of my group and I behave. In addition, aparently whether or not it is customary to tip seems to differ based on the situation and location.