What Great Britain feels like (so far!)

Jul 20, 2008 18:48

What Great Britain feels like (so far ( Read more... )

travel, wales, england

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Comments 16

marmadukesphinx July 20 2008, 19:00:55 UTC
It's so fascinating seeing a foreign perspective on my country. This bit made me laugh!:

"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."
Did you think young english people talked like americans?! ;)

I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay and keep up these journal entries! I love them!

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raven_estrella July 24 2008, 21:06:59 UTC
Thanks! I love sharing my travel observations. This is what blogging is good for, I think.

You know what? I DID think young British people spoke like Americans. It took about five minutes of being off the plane to correct that assumption. : ) I think it was because I just hadn't seen any young British actors on TV (except Daniel Radcliffe...well, you get the idea).

I'm really curious: What do you think of American accents? How often do you hear them? The only places I heard other Americans were the Tower of London and Stonehenge. : )

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marmadukesphinx July 24 2008, 21:51:14 UTC
Well I think we get fed so much american TV and films etc that American accents are pretty standard for us. I hear them quite a lot too, I suppose americans in england are much more easily noticed than hearing English accents in america - cause of how big your country is!

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raven_estrella July 26 2008, 17:45:19 UTC
Yeah, you're probably right about being fed a lot of American TV. Sorry--I'm sure that gets old after awhile! And when it comes to hearing British accents, you're right that America's size makes a big difference. Many Brits I talked to seemed to have visited New York and California, but not many states in between. I almost never hear British accents in Colorado, the state I'm from.

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mmmmgreen July 21 2008, 07:03:32 UTC
Awesome post! I so enjoyed reading it.

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raven_estrella July 24 2008, 21:07:37 UTC
Thanks! More coming soon. : D

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madhowan July 21 2008, 09:33:31 UTC
Oh my, this is fascinating. I'm Australian, so it's like my outsider's view of your outsider's view of England. I love it!

Australia is more similar to Britain I think, so I'm really enjoying the American take on it. (This'll sound silly, but I can't believe they're not just called "toilets" in America. Do the signs say "bathroom"?

My brother is visiting the US at the moment, and he's said a few things that weren't understood immediately.

I hope you write a lot more about your trip - it's excellent reading.

And I remain immensely jealous of you. Now in Wales! Argh, I want to go there so much!

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raven_estrella July 24 2008, 21:15:06 UTC
I'm so glad you're enjoying my take on it! : ) I find all of this stuff SO interesting.

To answer your question, the signs in the U.S. usually say "restroom." That's a little more formal than "bathroom." "Bathroom" is typically said when we mean the facility in somebody's house. But in spoken conversation, we often say "bathroom" for public restrooms as well. There may be slight differences on the east and west coasts. Okay, probably a bit more detail than you wanted... : )

What state is your brother visiting? Is he having a good time?

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I am SO jealous that you live in Australia. It's every American kid's dream to go there.

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madhowan July 31 2008, 06:34:39 UTC
You really have made me want to travel. When I finish uni, I definitely am!

*laughs* no, not too much detail. I love all the differences. Well, except for things like "thongs". Because we definitely mean the shoes in Australia. But I dare say you'd get funny looks if you say it in the U.S.

My brother was in Ohio for a little bit for work, and then he was going to New York, Washington, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I think. I think he's having a good time, yeah.

Really really? But I have to say, it is a pretty nice country here. :) And I guess plenty of people want to go where they're not.

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raven_estrella July 31 2008, 15:03:45 UTC
LOL! When my mom says "thong," she means the shoes too. But my sister and I always start laughing at her. I think that in the U.S., "thong" used to mean shoe but doesn't anymore.

Sounds like your brother is going to most of the major cities! Cool. I've actually never been to New York or LA myself, so I want to travel more within the U.S. My family stays mostly in the midwest and southwest.

Hehe, you have no idea how cool Australia is for Americans. We think it's exotic--a place where the cool and adventuresome people go. If you came to America, people would probably ask you whether you have kangaroos in your backyard.

Traveling is expensive, but SO worth it. It really changed my perspective on things. I hope you get to travel really soon! : ) I never thought I would get to.

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inr_ainbows July 21 2008, 18:48:05 UTC
This post is awesome! I love how you went into detail about the cultural differences.

I have to mention the pictures though! That first one is beautiful. The building itself is lovely and getting the reflection in there too is awesome. :D

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raven_estrella July 24 2008, 21:16:23 UTC
Thank you! I plan on posting more cultural stuff soon.

I was SO excited when I saw that the castle was reflected in the water. It was a perfect photo op. It's definitely one of the best pictures I've ever taken.

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names for things anonymous October 11 2008, 22:45:50 UTC
When I was there, I remember that they called the hood and trunk of a car the bonnet and the boot. It's been fun reading this stuff. Cindy

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Re: names for things raven_estrella October 12 2008, 20:42:02 UTC
You were in England? Isn't it cool? I love the things they say. : )

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