Culture shock

What is a culture shock? Does it happen to all of us? I know I am in England and it's not really that different compared to our culture in Finland, but there are lots of small things and some with bigger importance, that separate us from each other. I have been here for almost 3 weeks now, which isn't much, but it feels like months. Of course it might be that I am still in this honeymoon phase when everything new seems so exciting and interesting. Anyway, in my mind I feel like I have settled in about million times better and faster than I could have thought. I have always known I could be living in the UK, and when I applied to the exchange program, I didn't even think about any other choices than the UK. And here I am now, and it's just like I had imagined.  Only in a positive way.

I do not miss Finnish culture at all. I've wanted to get out of there for a long time, and I wonder if something is going to change about that in these next 4 months. I really wish I could learn to love Finland and appreciate all it has to offer. I don't hate it either, not seriously, and I know my relationship with my home country is like a rebel teenagers relatioship to her parents. You are a little embarrassed with them, sometimes hate them, but you are still part of them and can't escape that reality. However, there are more and better gigs here with cheaper tickets, nicer people, polite strangers, better sense of humour, more interesting culture, more interesting history....
Today I almost bought another tickets to Placebo concert to Edinburgh. It is so much harder to miss the gigs when you are there where everythings happening! Anyway, to make myself forget about that I will just go to the museum of Royal Armouries and be a tourist with my camera all afternoon :D 

Anyway, some pictures....

 There's lots of shopping possibilities, what ever is is that you may want. This is from Leeds. Corn Exchange.

 This pic is from the way to Manchester almost 2 weeks ago, but it actually snowed in Leeds and the whole country last Saturday. There was about 5 centimeters of snow, and the buses were not running, nor were the taxies. As proper Finns we walked to the bar....

 

This is from the beautiful city of York. Last thursday we visited the original York and it was totally worth it! Such a gorgeous small city, with a stunning old town city centre. I can recommend it to anyone who loves small weird shops, narrow streets and cute houses. It is so English in a good way, and if you go there, don't leave before the sun has gone down. The streets are so beautiful when it's dark. 

 From the River Ouse

York at night, you can see the York Minster at the back.