What Great Britain feels like (so far!)
What Great Britain feels like (so far!)
I’ve been wanting to write about my general impressions on Great Britain. Now that my class on the Canterbury Tales is over, I have nothing but free travel time on my hands. I’m using it to explore Cardiff, other parts of Wales, and probably some towns in the main part of England.
Today I went grocery shopping and wandered around town a bit. I took pictures of the gorgeous National Museum, the city hall, and the Millennium Stadium. I went through parks and into the City Center, where I bought a scarf and shirt at this ultra-discount clothes store called Peacock’s. (It was like H&M, which I’m a big fan of.) I had to buy a bath towel from a drugstore because my dingy room at the University of Cardiff didn’t come with one. Neither will they let me use the Internet. I had to look for an Internet café so that I could send a copy of my final assignment to my professor, but I didn’t have very much luck at first. I went into a small, sketchy establishment run by Polish owners only to discover that their computers wouldn’t read my USB drive. Then I found a Starbuck’s, which will let me hook up my own laptop to a wireless network. Starbucks, McDonalds, and Burger King seem pretty well established over here.
Now for some more general observations on Great Britain and what it feels like to an American visitor. I’d never been out of the country before this, so I was really curious what things would be like!
1) ACCENTS
Ah, the British accent that I’d heard in movies and on TV. The only thing about that is that there is no “the” British accent. It’s pretty varied. I’m told that social class has a great bearing on the way people speak here, but I’m not sure yet (just haven’t figured it out for myself). Some people speak with what I think is a kind of Cockney twang. Others have Scottish or Irish accents. I’m in Wales right now, and I’ve heard a few distinctly Welsh accents. I have absolutely no problem comprehending the standard London-area accent. The Cockney and Scotch accents are much harder. This old guy was talking to me in a Cockney accent on the train, and I just had the worst time responding to him. I seriously think that I might understand Spanish better than I do the Cockney accent. I LOVE the accents, though. It’s so interesting that language develops these variations. It has added a lot to my trip!
And my American accent makes for a great conversation starter. (Yes, American English IS accented. If you think you don’t have an accent and speak “neutral” English because you’re from a state like Colorado, just wait ‘til you come over here). People always do a double take and ask where I’m from. “Colorado? Oh, I’ve heard of that.” A couple of questions follow. Then, the more curious people want to know what I think of England so far. Make no mistake about it: My national origins announce themselves as soon as I open my mouth. I actually like it that way. When I ask people for directions and such, it lets them know that I’m not from around here and that a little extra explanation is justified. Most people are extremely nice and helpful. I often get an amused, friendly smile. I am very impressed with the Brits so far. : )
Oh, a couple more things: Before I came here, I associated a British accent with extreme politeness, elegance, and high culture. When I envisioned somebody speaking with a British accent, I inevitably thought of an older person. No offense-that’s just a preconception that many Americans have! I was so surprised to find that over here, teenagers speak that way too-and to cuss in just the same way American teenagers do. I also should have known that British accents carry over to any Romance languages that a person might know. I was somehow surprised by this.
2) FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Visiting towns like Brighton and Cardiff, I noticed a TON of foreign languages being
spoken on the street. I hear them almost as much as I do English. Cardiff seems to have a very large and diverse number of immigrants, each group with distinct accents. It’s true that Europe is a big melting pot of different languages and that most people know several. I have the sudden urge to learn as many languages as possible and as quickly as possible. I want to start by finally becoming fluent in Spanish. And I’ve also bought a picture dictionary with Welsh words. : )
3) NAMES FOR THINGS
There are some subtle differences between what things are called here and in the
United States. For example, diapers are “nappies.” The bathroom is literally labeled “toilet,” which I observed right after I got off the plane. In America, that would be considered a bit crass. We say “toilet” when we mean the porcelain thing you sit on. But alas, the Brits say it to indicate the restroom! I’ve gotten used to it. The word “loo” is used informally. Somewhere I saw a warning sign that said “pulling the fire alarm is antisocial.” Obviously, that means something different than it would in the U.S-where “antisocial” is said to indicate somebody who just doesn’t like interacting with others. So I cracked up when I read that. Cashiers say “Can I help?” rather than “Can I help you?” Then there’s “cheers” or “cheerio” for “goodbye.” There are countless little differences like this. I LOVE observing them and keeping track of them.
4) TOWNS AND ARCHITECTURE
Towns of any size feel very different here. In the western U.S. especially, everything
is relatively shiny and glossy and new. Colorado Springs, where I go to college, is a sprawling city of shopping centers and cookie-cutter houses. Pretty much endless places to buy things and nothing else! Also, I’m used to seeing a stucco finish on buildings. On my train ride into London from Heathrow, one of the first things I noticed was that all the buildings here are brick. They look much, much older than what I see in Colorado. You can tell right away that this place had been urbanized centuries before America was.
Well, I’m gonna have to finish this later. Starbucks is closing, and I don’t have Internet access at the place I’m staying. For now, a picture from Leeds Castle and another from London...
I’ve been wanting to write about my general impressions on Great Britain. Now that my class on the Canterbury Tales is over, I have nothing but free travel time on my hands. I’m using it to explore Cardiff, other parts of Wales, and probably some towns in the main part of England.
Today I went grocery shopping and wandered around town a bit. I took pictures of the gorgeous National Museum, the city hall, and the Millennium Stadium. I went through parks and into the City Center, where I bought a scarf and shirt at this ultra-discount clothes store called Peacock’s. (It was like H&M, which I’m a big fan of.) I had to buy a bath towel from a drugstore because my dingy room at the University of Cardiff didn’t come with one. Neither will they let me use the Internet. I had to look for an Internet café so that I could send a copy of my final assignment to my professor, but I didn’t have very much luck at first. I went into a small, sketchy establishment run by Polish owners only to discover that their computers wouldn’t read my USB drive. Then I found a Starbuck’s, which will let me hook up my own laptop to a wireless network. Starbucks, McDonalds, and Burger King seem pretty well established over here.
Now for some more general observations on Great Britain and what it feels like to an American visitor. I’d never been out of the country before this, so I was really curious what things would be like!
1) ACCENTS
Ah, the British accent that I’d heard in movies and on TV. The only thing about that is that there is no “the” British accent. It’s pretty varied. I’m told that social class has a great bearing on the way people speak here, but I’m not sure yet (just haven’t figured it out for myself). Some people speak with what I think is a kind of Cockney twang. Others have Scottish or Irish accents. I’m in Wales right now, and I’ve heard a few distinctly Welsh accents. I have absolutely no problem comprehending the standard London-area accent. The Cockney and Scotch accents are much harder. This old guy was talking to me in a Cockney accent on the train, and I just had the worst time responding to him. I seriously think that I might understand Spanish better than I do the Cockney accent. I LOVE the accents, though. It’s so interesting that language develops these variations. It has added a lot to my trip!
And my American accent makes for a great conversation starter. (Yes, American English IS accented. If you think you don’t have an accent and speak “neutral” English because you’re from a state like Colorado, just wait ‘til you come over here). People always do a double take and ask where I’m from. “Colorado? Oh, I’ve heard of that.” A couple of questions follow. Then, the more curious people want to know what I think of England so far. Make no mistake about it: My national origins announce themselves as soon as I open my mouth. I actually like it that way. When I ask people for directions and such, it lets them know that I’m not from around here and that a little extra explanation is justified. Most people are extremely nice and helpful. I often get an amused, friendly smile. I am very impressed with the Brits so far. : )
Oh, a couple more things: Before I came here, I associated a British accent with extreme politeness, elegance, and high culture. When I envisioned somebody speaking with a British accent, I inevitably thought of an older person. No offense-that’s just a preconception that many Americans have! I was so surprised to find that over here, teenagers speak that way too-and to cuss in just the same way American teenagers do. I also should have known that British accents carry over to any Romance languages that a person might know. I was somehow surprised by this.
2) FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Visiting towns like Brighton and Cardiff, I noticed a TON of foreign languages being
spoken on the street. I hear them almost as much as I do English. Cardiff seems to have a very large and diverse number of immigrants, each group with distinct accents. It’s true that Europe is a big melting pot of different languages and that most people know several. I have the sudden urge to learn as many languages as possible and as quickly as possible. I want to start by finally becoming fluent in Spanish. And I’ve also bought a picture dictionary with Welsh words. : )
3) NAMES FOR THINGS
There are some subtle differences between what things are called here and in the
United States. For example, diapers are “nappies.” The bathroom is literally labeled “toilet,” which I observed right after I got off the plane. In America, that would be considered a bit crass. We say “toilet” when we mean the porcelain thing you sit on. But alas, the Brits say it to indicate the restroom! I’ve gotten used to it. The word “loo” is used informally. Somewhere I saw a warning sign that said “pulling the fire alarm is antisocial.” Obviously, that means something different than it would in the U.S-where “antisocial” is said to indicate somebody who just doesn’t like interacting with others. So I cracked up when I read that. Cashiers say “Can I help?” rather than “Can I help you?” Then there’s “cheers” or “cheerio” for “goodbye.” There are countless little differences like this. I LOVE observing them and keeping track of them.
4) TOWNS AND ARCHITECTURE
Towns of any size feel very different here. In the western U.S. especially, everything
is relatively shiny and glossy and new. Colorado Springs, where I go to college, is a sprawling city of shopping centers and cookie-cutter houses. Pretty much endless places to buy things and nothing else! Also, I’m used to seeing a stucco finish on buildings. On my train ride into London from Heathrow, one of the first things I noticed was that all the buildings here are brick. They look much, much older than what I see in Colorado. You can tell right away that this place had been urbanized centuries before America was.
Well, I’m gonna have to finish this later. Starbucks is closing, and I don’t have Internet access at the place I’m staying. For now, a picture from Leeds Castle and another from London...