In a matter of about 12 hours I managed to have two completely diverse experiences with the British here in Norwich...
Part one of my experience started last night when I was waiting outside a local pub with a number of my American cohorts. A man, clearly a bit intoxicated, started off his conversation with us asking us if we were Americans. Of course, at least for me, I am always wary of a person when they ask that question because you don't know what their reaction is going to be. After we all answered a timid yes to the question, the man clapped his hands with joy and thus began his words of praise. From what I gathered from his scattered speech to us, he had fought alongside Americans in WWII during the Battle of Britain. To just give a quick history lesson, the place where I am studying, Norwich, is apart of the county of Norfolk, from which there was a big airbase that supplied much of the army and went through damages from the war. Since Americans were a big help to the English during that part of the war, some people hold us in very high esteem. This man contined his praising with blowings of kisses and many "bless you all"s. He also relayed to us that, "We Brits had never seen coffee before you Americans came, all we had to drink was tea (at this point he makes a letter "T" with his arms) and then you introduced us to the world of coffee...". Anyways, after chatting with this fellow, or I guess I should say, him chatting with us, we backed away slowly from his attempts to blow kisses at us and give us a hug. Overall it was a nice gesture and something I thing none of us ever expected to experience.
Part two of my experience happened in my Visual Display class (which is all about well "visual display" in museums, life, art, culture, nature, etc.) the following day. It was actually a rather good class, where the guest lecturer was discussing Vauxhill Gardens, a place in 18th Century London that was about art first and foremost as an aescetic. It was also about British identity and nationalism, put on display in an area to show off to other visiting cultures and people as well as to make fellow Englishmen and women proud of their country and themselves. To begin with, it is also a little awkward to listen about British nationalism during the 18th century (at least for me). The class concluded with a discussion about finding this sort of naivity, non-political correctness in society in a place where nationalism is put on display. People were discussing how nationalism is not really thought of as a tasteful thing in society. The kicker was though, when my professor decided to bring up the difference between American and British soldiers today. Her comparisson was that, "British soldiers are often perceieved as 'nice chaps' you know where American soldiers are all about might. So maybe we [British soldiers] don't wear helmets on our heads or metal vests and we get blown to smiterines for it, but at least we are thought of as nice chaps." Hmmm. So much for being all "PC" there huh? It was quite a different attitude on American soldiers than I experienced only a mere twelve hours or so before.
I am quite sure I will have many more experiences and encounters either similar or different or whatever to this, so I will be sure to post them!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
No Place Like London
This past weekend my boyfriend decided to come up and visit me both at my University and in London. It had been over two months since I had seen him (which is not a whole lot of time apart, but still enough) so I was looking forward to seeing and being around something, someone from "home". One of the things I remember from the first few minutes together was how "American" I thought Matthew, my boyfriend, looked. He was wearing his typical New York Yankees blue ball cap, a bright blue windbreaker, jeans and sneakers. And he was talking loudly. I don't want you to think that I was embarrassed being around him, but it was just interesting seeing him in the English culture where I have been around and tried to adapt and learn the customs.
I took Matthew all around Norwich first. I had to show him all the lovely 70s concrete architecture that was oh so scenic. We then met up with friends of mine and his to go out on the town and show him a night in Norwich (which isn't as exciting as it may sound). As tradition, we went to our favorite pubs for dinner and some after dinner treats with a few of my close friends. It was a good, relaxing night with great company and lots of laughs.
On board the "Hogwarts Express" to London!
Then we were off to London by train! Since I had lived in London for a month I was interested to see what it would be like returning after a month had gone by living in Norwich. I must say, I did not realize how much I really missed London...going back felt like home. I had missed the Tube, the atmosphere, the places, everything. Of course, I had to take him to a typical pub at first and get some pub grub. During the meal, I convinced him to try HP Sauce. For those of you who don't know about it, HP sauce is quite vulgar. It is a mixture of molasses, beer, and salt and the English put it on their chips, burgers, etc. Matthew was so happy with me after trying it.
Matthew, after trying the HP Sauce, and oh so happy.
One thing that Matthew and I really wanted to do was to go to Madame Tussauds, the wax museum. Neither of us had ever been to one, so we didn't mind waiting in line to take pictures next to creepy but realistic looking people. The wax museum was pretty big, with many rooms filled with celebrities, famous sports starts (that we didn't really know because they were all English), famous famous people, and royalty. Then there was a "scary" part where you got to walk through dark corridors and have costumed people scare the daylights out of you. The scariest part for me though was what came afterwards. The next room was of wax figures of famous murderers and an exhibit on the guillotine, with the actual blade that beheaded Marie Antoinette. There was even a ride at the end all about London and how it is a wonderful place. All in all we had a great time and I would recommend to anyone to go to at least a wax museum once in your life.
Matthew taking the Queen Mother for a walk.
Us spending some time with B. Spears.
Spirit fingers!
Madame Tussuad's making light of the French Revolution...
After spending some time exploring parts of London, we met up with other Dickinson students and friends that were there with him from Malaga, Spain. We went to a museum or two with them, ones that I had already gone to. My one friend constantly kept asking me about a place to get "authentic English tea" and how he wanted to go out for "tea time". Not to burst his bubble, but I had to tell him that "authentic English tea" is everywhere, just go into a pub or a cafe and order a cup of tea. People have this idea that the tea here is so much more exceptional than back at home. It's really the same, tastes the same, smells the same, it is the same. The only places that I've seen that have cutsiey little tea shops are in English country towns that want to cater to tourists. I think he ended up going into a cafe and ordering some regular tea...
Got my "Eye" on you.
Being back in London again, as tour guide Alli, and among friends who had not lived with me in London for a month, it was interesting to observe the situation. I always like to find out what each person really wants to do when they get to London...for some people it's the typical touristy stuff, like going to see Big Ben and the Eye, but for others it is just as simple as going to a park. Since I had been here long enough to get to know the city and the sites fairly well, I felt confident enough in showing Matthew around to some of my favorite places. We did a nice variety of museums, parks, Indian and pub food, sight-seeing and markets. At the end of the trip, it was hard to say good-bye to both my boyfriend and the city again.
I took Matthew all around Norwich first. I had to show him all the lovely 70s concrete architecture that was oh so scenic. We then met up with friends of mine and his to go out on the town and show him a night in Norwich (which isn't as exciting as it may sound). As tradition, we went to our favorite pubs for dinner and some after dinner treats with a few of my close friends. It was a good, relaxing night with great company and lots of laughs.
On board the "Hogwarts Express" to London!Then we were off to London by train! Since I had lived in London for a month I was interested to see what it would be like returning after a month had gone by living in Norwich. I must say, I did not realize how much I really missed London...going back felt like home. I had missed the Tube, the atmosphere, the places, everything. Of course, I had to take him to a typical pub at first and get some pub grub. During the meal, I convinced him to try HP Sauce. For those of you who don't know about it, HP sauce is quite vulgar. It is a mixture of molasses, beer, and salt and the English put it on their chips, burgers, etc. Matthew was so happy with me after trying it.
Matthew, after trying the HP Sauce, and oh so happy.One thing that Matthew and I really wanted to do was to go to Madame Tussauds, the wax museum. Neither of us had ever been to one, so we didn't mind waiting in line to take pictures next to creepy but realistic looking people. The wax museum was pretty big, with many rooms filled with celebrities, famous sports starts (that we didn't really know because they were all English), famous famous people, and royalty. Then there was a "scary" part where you got to walk through dark corridors and have costumed people scare the daylights out of you. The scariest part for me though was what came afterwards. The next room was of wax figures of famous murderers and an exhibit on the guillotine, with the actual blade that beheaded Marie Antoinette. There was even a ride at the end all about London and how it is a wonderful place. All in all we had a great time and I would recommend to anyone to go to at least a wax museum once in your life.
Matthew taking the Queen Mother for a walk.
Us spending some time with B. Spears.
Spirit fingers!
Madame Tussuad's making light of the French Revolution...After spending some time exploring parts of London, we met up with other Dickinson students and friends that were there with him from Malaga, Spain. We went to a museum or two with them, ones that I had already gone to. My one friend constantly kept asking me about a place to get "authentic English tea" and how he wanted to go out for "tea time". Not to burst his bubble, but I had to tell him that "authentic English tea" is everywhere, just go into a pub or a cafe and order a cup of tea. People have this idea that the tea here is so much more exceptional than back at home. It's really the same, tastes the same, smells the same, it is the same. The only places that I've seen that have cutsiey little tea shops are in English country towns that want to cater to tourists. I think he ended up going into a cafe and ordering some regular tea...
Got my "Eye" on you.Being back in London again, as tour guide Alli, and among friends who had not lived with me in London for a month, it was interesting to observe the situation. I always like to find out what each person really wants to do when they get to London...for some people it's the typical touristy stuff, like going to see Big Ben and the Eye, but for others it is just as simple as going to a park. Since I had been here long enough to get to know the city and the sites fairly well, I felt confident enough in showing Matthew around to some of my favorite places. We did a nice variety of museums, parks, Indian and pub food, sight-seeing and markets. At the end of the trip, it was hard to say good-bye to both my boyfriend and the city again.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
What I have learned so far...
It has been almost 2 months since I have been in England and so, I felt it fitting that I share my observations with all of you so far.
1. A common greeting is, "You alright?" meaning "What's up?" I must say this still throws me off because I feel like I have something on my face whenever my flatmates say that to me. Cheers! is also a common universal phrase here. It can mean anything from "good-bye" to "thanks" to well, "cheers!"
2. There are no cookies here, only "biscuits". And they sell loads of them in stores for 'tea time'. My favorites are ones called 'Digestives'. It took me a few weeks of curiosity until I finally tried them and realized that they aren't for digestive purposes, just meant to be "digested".
3. Just like we have preconceived notions about British people in America, British people have the same things towards us. A sampling of questions asked are:
"Is Pennsylvania above New York?"
"Are you from California/Florida/New York?
"How do you say...[insert word here] aluminum?"
"Don't you say "garbage" instead of "rubbish?"
"Are you an Evangelist?"
"Is high school in America like 'American Pie' the movie?"
"What do you think of Obama/Bush?"
4. To some British, dinner is often called "tea". So it get's a bit confusing when one of my flatmates will say that they are "having tea" when it actually means they are making dinner. So if someone invites you to "tea" you have to make sure it is "tea time" and not dinner.
5. The water systems in England aren't necessarily the best. Over the 2 months I've been here, I've mastered flushing the toilet. Yes, I am serious, there is a trick to it. Some toilets will only flush if you push down the handle twice consecutively, others you have to hold the handle down for about a minute and others will flush normally.
6. If you are in a "line" here in England it is called a "queue". There is also queue etiquette you must learn. For all other queues, there is no "queue jumping", but at the pub it is basically a free-for-all for drinks. You are also not served at the pubs, you must go up to the bar and order or you will never be served.
7. While drinking non-alcoholic beverages here, there are also some things to note. First of all, Sprite is often known as lemonade here, which can be confusing because I am afraid one time I will order sprite and it will be actually lemonade. Also, fruit drinks are called "squash", which took me awhile to realize when my flatmates would tell me they bought squash today.
8. Jacket potatoes are baked potatoes. They are one of the biggest foods here. They eat them with beans and cheese (white cheddar always) or just white cheddar or tuna and corn. Almost every night one of my flatmates has a jacket potato. They are rather delicious.
9. I've also learned that anything with the words "spicy" before it, means it isn't spicy at all. It took me about 4 or 5 disappointed tries of such "spicy" foods to realize that spicy is often a misnomer. Unless you go to an authentic Indian restaurant and ask for it to be spicy.
10. Cornish pasties are the best food you will eat here besides chips and Indian food. They come in many different varieties and they are the best way to warm your inners when it is chilly out.
11. Fancy dress parties here do not mean wear your best attire. Fancy dress means wear a costume. Luckily I did not attend the first fancy dress hosted party on campus for I would have worn a nice dress to a "farmers"-themed party. Whoops!
12. Never say you are not wearing pants, or you don't have pants on because you are wearing a skirt, etc. Pants=underpants. Trousers=pants. Underpants=Knickers. People will look at you very strange if you say any variation on the pants/underpants theme.
So far, those are my various encounters with the oddities of the English culture. It has been very fun and often embarasing making some of the discoveries, but here they are for you to enjoy.
1. A common greeting is, "You alright?" meaning "What's up?" I must say this still throws me off because I feel like I have something on my face whenever my flatmates say that to me. Cheers! is also a common universal phrase here. It can mean anything from "good-bye" to "thanks" to well, "cheers!"
2. There are no cookies here, only "biscuits". And they sell loads of them in stores for 'tea time'. My favorites are ones called 'Digestives'. It took me a few weeks of curiosity until I finally tried them and realized that they aren't for digestive purposes, just meant to be "digested".
3. Just like we have preconceived notions about British people in America, British people have the same things towards us. A sampling of questions asked are:
"Is Pennsylvania above New York?"
"Are you from California/Florida/New York?
"How do you say...[insert word here] aluminum?"
"Don't you say "garbage" instead of "rubbish?"
"Are you an Evangelist?"
"Is high school in America like 'American Pie' the movie?"
"What do you think of Obama/Bush?"
4. To some British, dinner is often called "tea". So it get's a bit confusing when one of my flatmates will say that they are "having tea" when it actually means they are making dinner. So if someone invites you to "tea" you have to make sure it is "tea time" and not dinner.
5. The water systems in England aren't necessarily the best. Over the 2 months I've been here, I've mastered flushing the toilet. Yes, I am serious, there is a trick to it. Some toilets will only flush if you push down the handle twice consecutively, others you have to hold the handle down for about a minute and others will flush normally.
6. If you are in a "line" here in England it is called a "queue". There is also queue etiquette you must learn. For all other queues, there is no "queue jumping", but at the pub it is basically a free-for-all for drinks. You are also not served at the pubs, you must go up to the bar and order or you will never be served.
7. While drinking non-alcoholic beverages here, there are also some things to note. First of all, Sprite is often known as lemonade here, which can be confusing because I am afraid one time I will order sprite and it will be actually lemonade. Also, fruit drinks are called "squash", which took me awhile to realize when my flatmates would tell me they bought squash today.
8. Jacket potatoes are baked potatoes. They are one of the biggest foods here. They eat them with beans and cheese (white cheddar always) or just white cheddar or tuna and corn. Almost every night one of my flatmates has a jacket potato. They are rather delicious.
9. I've also learned that anything with the words "spicy" before it, means it isn't spicy at all. It took me about 4 or 5 disappointed tries of such "spicy" foods to realize that spicy is often a misnomer. Unless you go to an authentic Indian restaurant and ask for it to be spicy.
10. Cornish pasties are the best food you will eat here besides chips and Indian food. They come in many different varieties and they are the best way to warm your inners when it is chilly out.
11. Fancy dress parties here do not mean wear your best attire. Fancy dress means wear a costume. Luckily I did not attend the first fancy dress hosted party on campus for I would have worn a nice dress to a "farmers"-themed party. Whoops!
12. Never say you are not wearing pants, or you don't have pants on because you are wearing a skirt, etc. Pants=underpants. Trousers=pants. Underpants=Knickers. People will look at you very strange if you say any variation on the pants/underpants theme.
So far, those are my various encounters with the oddities of the English culture. It has been very fun and often embarasing making some of the discoveries, but here they are for you to enjoy.
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