The Newest Intern
If one were to ask me who I am, I'd respond with my name: Gregory H. Brookins Hinton. I'm a 20-year-old African-American male who was raised on the south side of Chicago. While I spent a lot of my childhood moving around as a result of my parents’ career, the one consistent place that I have always called home is Chicago, 93rd & Ashland!
Fast-forwarding through my life story, I am currently a 3rd year at Grinnell College studying abroad in London, England. While I have only been in London for 3 months, I have quickly begun to pick up on the lively vibes of London; or even Europe as a whole as I just returned from Berlin, Prague & Budapest. All of which were much more live than the great old cornfields of Grinnell, Iowa, which is where my uni is located back in the states.
In just 3 months of exploring Europe, I have had more fun and learned more than the 3 years back at school. Don't get me wrong, Grinnell is an excellent and academically rigorous liberal arts school which I do not regret attending for one second. However, since being abroad I feel I have learned and been exposed to a lot of different things in a short time-span, things I would never experience back in the U.S.
To give a brief description of the community and vibes of Grinnell, Grinnell is a very liberal place that operates on a self-governing system. It is a community where everyone looks out for one another; in essence we are a campus that governs itself. It is almost culturally shocking to go from Chicago, which is nothing like Grinnell, to such a liberal and caring environment and then over-seas to London, which is closer to that of Chicago than Grinnell.
Just based on my observations, it appears as though people in both Chicago and London are much more conservative and keep to themselves. However, I would say that London is much more conservative than Chicago in all areas ranging from the nightlife-club atmosphere to the work place and especially while using public transportation. I almost get the feeling that no one greets one another, let alone looks in another's direction; instead everyone looks at their shoes or out of the window.
Nevertheless, each and every city has its quarks, some more severe than others. Just like the rest of the world, racial tensions, racism, racial profiling, gang violence, and rude people in general exist all around the globe. While at YH World, I am hoping to present a series of articles comparing my hometown to the wonderful city of London, as well as reporting on various events and significant experiences I encounter here. Here's a link to my first article (the review of Red Velvet which is also posted on my blog).
By: Gregory H. Brookins Hinton
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