My biggest surprise on my initial experience in the hospitality service industry was the difference in service. When I was working in a hotel as a front desk agent a few years ago, I was accustomed to greeting the guests and having small talk with them all the while having a smile on my face and being empathic with them. Normally, when I go to a hotel in the US, I get greeted with the same gestures as I have given before however, it was not the case in London. When I entered the hotel, I was a bit confused about how to check in since it was a reservation made by me, but for the school/program. I had asked about checking in and the logistics of it, and the response was a quick and rude “check in at 4 pm.” They did not ask how my day was or anything that is usually expected when checking into a hotel. From there, I asked where I could place my luggage since I couldn’t check in, the front desk agent then rolled her eyes and sent me to the concierge. That was a huge cultural shock for me. I really enjoyed the afternoon tea time, I believe that it is a nice way to connect with friends and/or business partners rather than going out for a drink. It was a nice and relaxing experience with tea and different types of food, some savory and some sweet. With the sweet and relaxing tea, I feel like British people use tea time as a relaxation and a way to create a closer bond with the person they are enjoying it with. While we were touring the palaces and castles, I noticed that they had many areas that were closed off or that did not allow photos with flash photography. I had asked one of the employees why that was the case, and they had informed me that they do not allow photography with flash to preserve the paintings, as having too much light on them would wear them down quicker, so to preserve them, they ask guests to not use flash when taking photos. I believe that this is a great idea to preserve historical artifacts and maintain the new modern tourism, which is people taking photos of everything. These experiences have changed my view on overcoming certain challenges, such as how to balance preserving historical artifacts while keeping customers’ wants in mind.