How is 8pm considered "Open Late" - Jonathan

I am sure that everyone in the next few days will be speaking about getting settled in, but I want to explain some of the odd differences between the United States and London. Firstly, I did get settled in just fine and am having a blast with the exploring/shopping/eating.

Going out late in the United States is extremely common, but here in London most people go to sleep early. Shops and attractions begin to close around 6pm and "open late" means about 8. I can imagine this is very frustrating for people who work until 5 or 6pm. Just imagine that after you get off work not only is the bank and post office closed but EVERY STORE. There is nothing here open 24 hours like you see everywhere in the US.

Another major difference is spelling. While both the US and the UK use English as the language, the Brits like to spell in old English. Color is Colour and Center is Centre. This won't become a problem for me until I begin to work at my internship and probably look as if I have horrible spelling skills.

One final difference is that people will RUN YOU OVER! It doesn't matter if it is a bus, car, truck, or scooter the people here will not stop for people trying to cross the street. There are many streets without cross walks and you just kinda play a game of frogger and hope for the best.

I'm sure everyone else has fantastic stories of the sites we have seen thus far but culture shock is a real thing and it is certainly happening to me.

                                                      My first Fish & Chips in London

                                            A long line of fancy shops lit by giant snowflakes