Peace Williams — a senior, soccer player, and SoundCloud extraordinaire — from South London moved to Texas just two years ago. This was all in pursuit of seeking a better education and exploring a new lifestyle that the United States has to offer.

“The hardest part was leaving my family and friends behind,” Williams said.

“I moved here because of the school systems and college, they’re less complicated here.”
Achieving a higher education in the U.K. includes preparing for GCSE’s from ages 11-16 then later moving on to taking A-levels and other numerous qualifications before entering university. A-levels differ from qualification tests, such as the SAT and ACT, in a number of ways. Instead of taking seven courses in school and taking the SAT multiple times throughout the year, students study three to four subjects a year and take the test once a year. Comparatively, the tangibility of material on the SAT and ACT is higher than that of A-level tests. A-level tests require more independent study that is less attainable than programs that the United States provides for SAT and ACT prep.

Another day-to-day difference between Katy and South London is the general layout of an urban setting versus a suburban community.

“Everything was so close and within walking distance,” Williams said. “Here you have to drive to get places and don’t have the option to have use of railways or walk to many places.
Americans and the British may share the same language, however the slang differs between the two.

“When you refer to yourself, instead of saying ‘I’ you would say ‘man’ according to South London slang,” Williams said. “And instead of saying ‘I went to the gym,’ you would say ‘man went to the gym,’ and we generally say ‘ting’ instead of thing.”

As far as politics, Williams sees a clear difference in violence pertaining to national policies that vary between the U.S. and U.K.

“For a country as powerful as the U.S. it’s sad to know that there isn’t a long-term solution to violence,” Williams said. “In the U.K. you will hear of knife crime but here in the US we have become so immune to hearing of shootings, it’s something to get used to.”

Statistically, as far as homicide due to gun violence, one person for every million people is a victim to homicide by gun in England. This comprises the 50-60 killings annually.

On a lighter note and despite the differences that the United States may present, “I have more opportunity here I feel and my education is very important to me,” Williams said. “Joining the soccer team has given me a piece of home.”

After a short time in Texas, an environment so different from his home, Peace has made lasting friendships and learned a lot about himself.

“The biggest lesson I’ll take away from this school is to be yourself, to be yourself, and everything will work out,” Williams said.