Conversations with Random Britons... And Myself

Q: "So where are you from, Marques?"

What do they mean? Should I tell them what country I'm from, or is that already assumed? Do they know what the hell Seattle is? Do they know what the hell Washington is? Do they know where the hell Notre Dame or Indiana are? Which hood should I rep? And why is my elitist American self assuming that Britons are geographical idiots?

A: "Um, I'm from Seattle, but go to Notre Dame."

Q: "Really? So you're on some kind of exchange program?"

Well, I am studying abroad. Is that what they mean? Or do they really care that some of their own fellow citizens go to the States and study at Notre Dame? And how is it that I'm already referring to my home country as "The States?" I guess that British culture has had a profound effect on me already.

A: "Well, there isn't really an exchange going on, per se."

Q: "So where are you studying here? University of London? LSE?"

How do I explain that my school sends its students to study in one of the cultural meccas of the world, only to study its own curriculum on its own campus, without sounding like a self-centered American?

A: "Well, my school has it's own school building here in London... It's right next to Trafalgar Square."

Q: "Wow! Trafalgar Square, huh? And do you live near there?"

I wish. Instead they make us trek 40 minutes to a 9:15 class, navigating around cars and people who drive like they're in Grand Theft Auto. In fact, I almost got killed by a speeding double-decker bus today. Should I tell them that?

A: "No, I live in a building about 45 minutes away in Clerkenwell."

Q: "Do you live with other American students?"

Well, technically I live in an annex of The Bubble, in which I am exposed to nothing but people I have already seen on campus back in The States (is this States thing a subconscious thing now or something?), and who still think it uproariously hilarious to mock British accents and travel to pubs in groups of 20. I live in a million pound flat with a view that a very small percentage of Britons can even afford but would kill to have, when I technically can't afford to move out of my parents' house during the summer.

A: "Actually, there are about 130 of us from Notre Dame, all living together in two buildings."

RQ: "Oh really? Interesting..."

And the conversation eventually trails off into other irrelevancies.

Lesson #1 for Notre Dame students wanting to study abroad in London: You're probably going to experience this conversation dozens of times. I've already gone through this process no less than 10-15 times in the three weeks since I've arrived. The process of external and internal dialogue gets no less confusing each time. There really is no way to relay this information to Britons without sounding like a pretentious elitist, no matter what your intentions. There's no way to gently say, "I love your city, but apparently we don't think your institutions of higher learning are good enough for us". Yes, we are lucky as Notre Dame students to be in such a fortunate position, but I suspect some Britons might take offense to our utter Americaness.

The fact is, our school is loaded. And our school can do whatever it wants. It wouldn't surprise me if Notre Dame's expansion into London is some sort of beginning step to expanding the Notre Dame empire and dominating the world. I wouldn't put it past our administrators, though it's kind of a far-fetched hypothesis given that we can't even dominate a football game anymore. Given that creepy, singular portrait of Fr. Jenkins (creepy given the utter randomness of it) affixed to a wall on the ground floor of the Notre Dame London Centre, smirking at the students who pass by, I don't know what our school may be planning.