Got a bit of feedback on some points I missed, so I thought I'd add them here. I'd say it's possible I missed them because I'm really adjusting and have already adopted, but that's not the case. In order of decreasing comfort:
1) "You alright?" instead of "what's up," "how's it going," etc. I found this very alarming for awhile. I sensed it implied that something seemed not alright, but it turns out, they're not expecting much more of an answer than "yeah, you?".
2) "Diary" Everyone at work has a diary. We do diary checks at our weekly group meetings. It's okay to look at someone else's diary. Because it's their freakin' calendar!
3) "Loo" ... this word is just funny. Everyone uses it but it feels so impolite I can't get used to it. You know me, queen of politeness.
Toodle pip!*
*I have never heard a real Briton say "toodle pip."
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
The British Language
Hi! We haven't taken any exotic trips lately, so I'm trying to figure out what about every day life might be interesting to write about.
What is on my mind are some of the differences in the use of the English language over here. I mean, it's their language and all, but it feels strange when it's used in a way that doesn't sound "normal". I don't have many examples top of mind, but the most noticeable to me is the difference in use of prepositions. For example: "What are you doing at the weekend?" "Don't leave luggage unattended on the station." There are many other examples but they're not coming to me right now.
Then, the inflection (not the accent) is curious. When someone's trying to make a point, like, really show you they mean it in an attempt to pursuade you, they make a statement that sounds like a question? But I'm not sure how to respond, because they're making a statement not asking a question! Usually I just say, "okay..." but I'm trying to figure out if it works in reverse and I can use that method of persuasion on the people most culpable?
There is also an odd habit of ending every single phone call on a high pitched "okay, bye!" As in, "Johnson, I must have those papers on my desk by 8am. **okay, bye!**" This is hard to describe in words. It seems like kind of a girly thing to do, but even the blokes do it. Speaking of which...
Words I'm getting used to: holiday (vs. vacation), flat (vs. apartment), mobile (vs. cell phone), beef mince (vs. ground beef), post code (vs. zip code), bin liner (vs. trash bag).
Words a bit odder to my ears: jumper (vs. sweater), plaster (vs. band-aid/bandage), partner (vs. girlfriend / boyfriend / husband / wife / fiance(e) / lover), chips + crisps (vs. fries + chips), mate (vs., well, not really sure what), zed (vs. z), rubbish (vs. trash). And "whilst", although every once in a while I kinda feel like writing it.
Cheers for now! Okay, bye!
What is on my mind are some of the differences in the use of the English language over here. I mean, it's their language and all, but it feels strange when it's used in a way that doesn't sound "normal". I don't have many examples top of mind, but the most noticeable to me is the difference in use of prepositions. For example: "What are you doing at the weekend?" "Don't leave luggage unattended on the station." There are many other examples but they're not coming to me right now.
Then, the inflection (not the accent) is curious. When someone's trying to make a point, like, really show you they mean it in an attempt to pursuade you, they make a statement that sounds like a question? But I'm not sure how to respond, because they're making a statement not asking a question! Usually I just say, "okay..." but I'm trying to figure out if it works in reverse and I can use that method of persuasion on the people most culpable?
There is also an odd habit of ending every single phone call on a high pitched "okay, bye!" As in, "Johnson, I must have those papers on my desk by 8am. **okay, bye!**" This is hard to describe in words. It seems like kind of a girly thing to do, but even the blokes do it. Speaking of which...
Words I'm getting used to: holiday (vs. vacation), flat (vs. apartment), mobile (vs. cell phone), beef mince (vs. ground beef), post code (vs. zip code), bin liner (vs. trash bag).
Words a bit odder to my ears: jumper (vs. sweater), plaster (vs. band-aid/bandage), partner (vs. girlfriend / boyfriend / husband / wife / fiance(e) / lover), chips + crisps (vs. fries + chips), mate (vs., well, not really sure what), zed (vs. z), rubbish (vs. trash). And "whilst", although every once in a while I kinda feel like writing it.
Cheers for now! Okay, bye!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
The Week in Review
So, I'm sitting here wondering what to write.
Here's a quick run-down of highlights this week. I really got around town! After a rocky start for both of us (Monday + Tuesday particularly rough days at work), I had 3 rather eventful days that all involved going into London. Here are some of the hot-spots I visited:
Tate Modern Museum: I attended a 2-day, quarterly conference of marketers selling Flora/Becel margarine throughout Europe. This, like everything at Unilever, has its own abbreviation, the RBT (Regional Brand Team, with the Region being Europe, the Brand being Flora/Becel, and the Team being an esteemed group of individuals). Day 1 of 2 was held at the Tate Modern. We were in a top-story room with an outstanding view over the Thames, Millennium Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral. The real highlight, though, was a guided tour of the new Unilever Series installation in Turbine Hall. And thank goodness for the tour guide because otherwise it would have only appeared to be a bad sleep-away camp nightmare.
Koko: On Thursday night, Jason & I met up in Camden (much nicer than the other Camden) to see of Monteral. It was complete sensory overload, from the creepy animation on the big screen to the 18-year-old in the pink satin frilly mini prom dress dancing in front of us to the band itself. The show ended with a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, which was a bold but impressing and well-executed move that became depressing when I realized that most of the crowd was probably 2 when the song came out.
JP Morgan: Yep, I spent a very exciting Friday night at JP Morgan. There was a Stern recruiting event so I figured I'd check it out. Then I remembered I hate networking! But, I promised myself I'd get out and do these things just on the off-chance I might make a friend. Oh well.
Jason suggested I could write about how Wal-Mart sucks here as well, although they disguise it as "Asda". But that's another story for another day.
Here's a quick run-down of highlights this week. I really got around town! After a rocky start for both of us (Monday + Tuesday particularly rough days at work), I had 3 rather eventful days that all involved going into London. Here are some of the hot-spots I visited:
Tate Modern Museum: I attended a 2-day, quarterly conference of marketers selling Flora/Becel margarine throughout Europe. This, like everything at Unilever, has its own abbreviation, the RBT (Regional Brand Team, with the Region being Europe, the Brand being Flora/Becel, and the Team being an esteemed group of individuals). Day 1 of 2 was held at the Tate Modern. We were in a top-story room with an outstanding view over the Thames, Millennium Bridge, and St. Paul's Cathedral. The real highlight, though, was a guided tour of the new Unilever Series installation in Turbine Hall. And thank goodness for the tour guide because otherwise it would have only appeared to be a bad sleep-away camp nightmare.
Koko: On Thursday night, Jason & I met up in Camden (much nicer than the other Camden) to see of Monteral. It was complete sensory overload, from the creepy animation on the big screen to the 18-year-old in the pink satin frilly mini prom dress dancing in front of us to the band itself. The show ended with a cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit, which was a bold but impressing and well-executed move that became depressing when I realized that most of the crowd was probably 2 when the song came out.
JP Morgan: Yep, I spent a very exciting Friday night at JP Morgan. There was a Stern recruiting event so I figured I'd check it out. Then I remembered I hate networking! But, I promised myself I'd get out and do these things just on the off-chance I might make a friend. Oh well.
Jason suggested I could write about how Wal-Mart sucks here as well, although they disguise it as "Asda". But that's another story for another day.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Escape to Italy
It's been awhile since the last post, and I've got a great excuse: we've been traveling! Well, we got back 6 days ago, but I wanted to get the pictures sifted through and captioned before writing.
We spent 6 nights / 5 days in Italy. On Tuesday 30 Oct, we flew down to Naples, and managed to find ourselves dinner at the most historic + popular pizzeria (da Michele) right before closing time. We were the last ones in the place and we couldn't finish our beers and margherita pizzas fast enough. This set the tone for the trip, as we were the last or second to last party at every lunch and dinner we had, save one. It also set the precedent for pizza for the rest of the trip, a bar too high for anyone else to pass. After all, this is the Pat's Steaks of Neapolitan pizza, and Naples is the birthplace of the food itself.
We spent our first day exploring Naples -- a very gritty, "working" city where no one seems to actually be working. Then we made our way to Sorrento where we spent 5 nights. The overall assessment on Sorrento is that as a town it's too touristy, full of Brits and Americans, and given the time of year they were on the whole "seniors", as most parents & kids are back to school. During this trip, I learned to appreciate the "obnoxious American" tourist as in practice less obnoxious than the "obnoxious British" tourist. In a heartwarming way, the Americans are doing their best to take in the local culture (and a bit too hard to make friends along the way), while, as Jason observes, the Brits are just looking for a place that they can pretend is Britain with sunshine.
Sorrento, while not as charming as might be hoped, was a great home base for our many day trips, which included hiking up + down miles of hills and staircases through and between tiny towns, a visit to Pompeii, two picnic lunches, a handful of passing showers, and several bus rides back and forth on the peninsula. These gravity-defying trips along rocky cliffs with dubious guardrails area tourist attraction unto themselves, causing Jason to label one driver's performance "the most impressive thing [he's] seen in a long time]."
The wine was good -- mostly. We drank house wine at nearly every meal, and it varied greatly in quality, to the point that our juicebox wine outperformed some of the restaurant wines. The food, though, never failed to delight. We ate pasta, seafood, stuffed peppers, antipasti, and of course pizza, each of which was delicious even if it didn't quite live up to the standards set on day 1. We even managed to eat a fair amount of the tripe we were served at a little family trattoria that served you whatever they felt like serving you.
All in all... a great escape. Unfortunately it feels like it was months ago at this point, after a tough week back at work for both of us. However, the pictures bring it back, and you should make a point to check these out because there are some amazing shots here. Here are a few to entice you...
We spent 6 nights / 5 days in Italy. On Tuesday 30 Oct, we flew down to Naples, and managed to find ourselves dinner at the most historic + popular pizzeria (da Michele) right before closing time. We were the last ones in the place and we couldn't finish our beers and margherita pizzas fast enough. This set the tone for the trip, as we were the last or second to last party at every lunch and dinner we had, save one. It also set the precedent for pizza for the rest of the trip, a bar too high for anyone else to pass. After all, this is the Pat's Steaks of Neapolitan pizza, and Naples is the birthplace of the food itself.
We spent our first day exploring Naples -- a very gritty, "working" city where no one seems to actually be working. Then we made our way to Sorrento where we spent 5 nights. The overall assessment on Sorrento is that as a town it's too touristy, full of Brits and Americans, and given the time of year they were on the whole "seniors", as most parents & kids are back to school. During this trip, I learned to appreciate the "obnoxious American" tourist as in practice less obnoxious than the "obnoxious British" tourist. In a heartwarming way, the Americans are doing their best to take in the local culture (and a bit too hard to make friends along the way), while, as Jason observes, the Brits are just looking for a place that they can pretend is Britain with sunshine.
Sorrento, while not as charming as might be hoped, was a great home base for our many day trips, which included hiking up + down miles of hills and staircases through and between tiny towns, a visit to Pompeii, two picnic lunches, a handful of passing showers, and several bus rides back and forth on the peninsula. These gravity-defying trips along rocky cliffs with dubious guardrails area tourist attraction unto themselves, causing Jason to label one driver's performance "the most impressive thing [he's] seen in a long time]."
The wine was good -- mostly. We drank house wine at nearly every meal, and it varied greatly in quality, to the point that our juicebox wine outperformed some of the restaurant wines. The food, though, never failed to delight. We ate pasta, seafood, stuffed peppers, antipasti, and of course pizza, each of which was delicious even if it didn't quite live up to the standards set on day 1. We even managed to eat a fair amount of the tripe we were served at a little family trattoria that served you whatever they felt like serving you.
All in all... a great escape. Unfortunately it feels like it was months ago at this point, after a tough week back at work for both of us. However, the pictures bring it back, and you should make a point to check these out because there are some amazing shots here. Here are a few to entice you...
A view of Capri from Termini
Looking back on Positano from somewhere between Nocelle + Montepertuso
Mt. Vesuvius overlooking the ruins of Pompeii
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