The Great Starbucks Rebellion

Mmmkay, so I’m getting really behind with posting, and I don’t see myself having more time in the future to keep up any better. So in the interest of not just giving up on updates all together, I’m going to skip a few days. I’m sure you’re all dying to hear about the joys of module signature-garnering and registration, but you’re just going to have to live without knowing the details. My apologies. :) 

I will just say, however, on that subject, that the old joke about the Brits having a special affinity for “queuing” (American: “standing in line”) is oh-so-accurate. During registration, I spent no fewer than 4 and a half hours waiting in lines. I got through one line and was sent to another, then another, then another. They have lines to wait to get into the actual line that gets you somewhere. (Like at H&M today, there was a line to get into the line for the fitting room. No joke.) Multiple times I have been standing in line, *just had a feeling* that I should verify I was in the correct one, and upon asking, discovered the line I wanted was across the room. No one thinks to properly label lines, of course, because this is England, and you jolly well had better fend for yourself. For example, during registration, I happened to notice that all other the American students (yes, you can pick them out. Mostly because the ones here are loud and from New Jersey) were one-by-one being sent to a different line. Upon inquiry, I found that, “All US students must have their passports and visas scanned. You need to be in that queue over there.” This is after I had obviously been standing in line for a good hour. No apology, no help offered, no “sorry-you’ve-been-standing-in-the-wrong-line-for-an-hour-gee-maybe-there’s-a-communication-problem,” only a “go stand in that queue” like it’s no big deal. But I got off easy; I hear that some students had to wait for 9 hours because the server crashed. So I’m glad I got there early! 

Anyway, I’m now registered for two 300-level archaeology classes (Funerary archaeology and Neolithic and bronze age Britain) and one 200-level literature class, Renaissance Literature. I’m hoping spaces will open up in a 300-level literature class on Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of Shakespeare, but I won’t find out about that until Wednesday. Hopefully I can switch out of the Ren Lit class, because it’s probably too basic for me. But we shall see. 

Today Tanya and I gathered our courage together and found our way over to Meadowhall Mall, one of the biggest malls in England. I wanted to see if I could get a messenger bag, and Tanya wanted some slippers. Also, there’s an H&M (just a small incentive). We took the “supertram” over and back, as the mall's very far away. This was rather unremarkable, so I won’t take the time to describe it. It’s just your average metro/light rail/etc. 


There were no fewer than three Starbucks in the mall, and I caved and got a caramel macchiato. It was soooo good. There was, of course, a long line to order, which I unhesitatingly stood in, in the name of combatting homesickness. Once I got through the ordering line, however, I was amused to see that the Brits had dutifully formed a pick up line, also. I then noticed that the counter behind which they make the drinks was actually designed in a shape to allow people to queue along it. I was suddenly no longer amused. I had spent the last two days spending four or more hours standing in line. I officially had enough of the incessant queuing. “I come from the PNW, the home of Starbucks,” I thought. “I know the right way to wait for a drink. And that way is to loiter around aimlessly in a random mass of people while taking care to not acknowledge or touch a fellow customer. Or maybe if you’re adventurous you go browse the mugs and overpriced syrups without any intention of buying them. The ONE THING you don’t do is form another frickin’ line!” There’s NO REASON to stand in line once you’ve ordered. Seriously. I just snapped. So, I straightened my shoulders, strode past the queue, and determinedly placed myself in correct Starbucks-drink-waiting position: directly in front (but not too close to as to appear overly eager) of the pick-up counter. I felt the angry stares, but I didn’t care. I heard the incomprehensible grumbling, but I held my ground. "I'm not going to steal your special coffee just because I'm not standing behind you, people," I thought. "I have my own special drink. It has extra foam and extra caramel, and I promise I will only take mine. Honestly." I was being a little ethnocentric, I suppose. I think I’m acculturating really well, huh? ☺

While we're using anthropology jargon, though, it was actually really interesting to see the people in the line attempt to re-integrate me into their precious queue by slowly shifting towards me. I made some people visibly uncomfortable (and my day was therefore complete) by breaking their unspoken cultural mores. You all should try it sometime; it's fun! I do it here all the time whether I want to or not. Every day, I'm reminded of how American I am. For example, generally I'm waaaay more assertive (they probably call it pushy) than the British people here, and I have a strong tendency to be much more proactive than natives.

Anyway, after this small rebellion, I felt much better, and Tanya and I finished our shopping. I still haven’t found a messenger bag (apparently they’re not very popular here), but I’m hoping mom can send me my Asana one. 

We didn’t get back to the city until around 4pm, so by that time Tanya and I were really hungry. The only place we could find was a Pizza Hut, which I was not pleased about. But when we went in, it turned out to be a pretty nice sit-down restaurant. Like similar to an Olive Garden. The menu had fancy gourmet pizzas, pasta, and drinks. I started walking up to what I thought was the ordering counter, and the hostess had to ask me to wait to be seated. I think I gave her a really confused look. I felt like I was in that corny Sylvester Stallone movie, “Demolition Man,” where Taco Bell is the only restaurant that survives the destruction of society, so it has a monopoly and gets super fancy. Look it up. It’s a (unintentionally) hilarious movie.  

Tomorrow Tanya and I are going to Chatsworth, as I mentioned before. I’m taking my camera and remembering to put the memory card in it (unlike my genius move today of leaving it in my room), so I should have awesome pictures of the Peak District and English mansions soon. 

Love you all!! 

~Anna