Sunday 16 December 2012

Another Very International Thanksgiving

I celebrated Thanksgiving this year with:
  • 4 English
  • 5 French
  • 1 Ukranian
  • 1 Spaniard
  • 1 Italian
  • 1 Australian
  • + me and Jane, the American girls

I took a half day off work to make turkey, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, stuffing, green beans, butternut squash casserole, carrots, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole and apple pie.
My homemade apple pie

Authentic decorations from my Aunt Marlene

 
 

Saturday 15 December 2012

What She Learned

I mentioned in my previous post that a friend came to visit me last month. As it was her first time to England and to Europe in general, I had the chance to see it all for the first time from a fresh pair of eyes. After being here for a year and half those things that were different no longer phase me and sometimes I forget that something would be uncommon for an American.

We had many moments where I found myself saying... "Oh, yeah I forgot to tell you that.... "

In no particular order - the things she learned:
  1. Plug outlets have switches, you have to turn them on
  2. Eggs are left out on the counter, everywhere in the world except USA
  3. Hold on to your tube ticket, you need it to get out on the other end
  4. Europeans didn't like George W. Bush
  5. Mayonnaise comes on everything
  6.  When given directions - turn left and then another left - this is literally the first place possible to turn left, even if its an alley... and not the next "city block"
  7. Nobody talks about distances in terms of blocks
  8. Bright clothing is not popular in winter
  9. You have to ask for sandwiches specifically without butter on the bread
  10. Nobody wears fleeces as everyday winter outerwear
  11. Look right - better yet, look both ways - cars come out of nowhere
  12. You have to pay to use the bathroom in public places
  13. Say you want tap water, not still, otherwise you pay for it
  14. If you don't love Harry Potter, you're apparently not American
  15. Short skirts or jean shorts with tights are all the rage. Doesn't matter what size you are.
  16. Gas costs twice as much as in the U.S.
  17. Nobody talks about their feelings
  18. Tax is always included in the price tag

Thursday 6 December 2012

I'll be back

Dear loyal blog followers,

I'll be back. I haven't forgotten.

November was a crazy month of business and personal travel taking me to Stockholm, Brussels, Dublin, Paris and Madrid in about 4 weeks.

Its not as glamorous as it sounds though. Lots of airports, conference rooms, hotels, planes, trains, buses, passport control lines and early morning wake ups at ungodly hours.

During the month of craziness I did have some down time and my highschool friend Susie came to visit.  We did some London touring and headed to Dublin for the weekend. Guinness just tastes better in Ireland. Fact.
Guiness Factory, Dublin, November 2012

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Don't Lose Passport

Note to self:  DO NOT LOSE YOUR PASSPORT.

I go through many moments of paranoia while travelling - obsessively checking and double checking my bag to be sure my passport is where I put it. Losing it has always been a concern of course... like the time in 2005 when a train conductor took it from me in Italy and wouldn't give it back until my friend and I got off...

That concern is only doubled when your passport contains a very valuable visa stamp indicating you have right to work in a foreign country.



Recently, an American friend living and working here was on a business trip in NYC and she misplaced her passport. After getting a new USA passport within 24 hours and getting her parents to overnight her birth certificate to her to do this, she headed to the British Embassy to replace her visa. The embassy very kindly turned her away and said sorry, go reapply.

Even though they have all her information, including her fingerprints to identify her, she had to completely reapply for the visa, a process that takes at least a week.

In order to obtain a new visa, you have to do the following:
  1. Have your new USA passport on hand
  2. Complete the visa application with the same information previously supplied
  3. Attach a letter from your company stating you still work for them.
  4. Get your fingerprints taken at an official designated location - an appointment that can take up to a week or more to make.
  5. Attach a UK regulation size passport photo
  6. Get a police report stating your Visa was lost.
Needless to say, this loss was all very expensive, costing around $1,000 for the expedited USA passport and UK visa replacement alone.

If you try to go back into the UK without the visa, you technically don't have the right to be working there without. Not sure what happens. I don't want to find out.

What happens if you lose your passport and you're not in the USA at the time but some other random country? I really, really, really don't want to find that out either.

Sunday 28 October 2012

Halloween

The English have embraced the Halloween holiday in their own way, and I think they like it because it incorporates one of their most favorite things: "Fancy Dress"

They love a good costume party and these go on any day of the year. Its not uncommon to find people in fancy dress in any given pub on a weekend and the themes can be hilarious and elaborate.

I've argued with a coworker that dressing up for Halloween does NOT mean the costume must be scary and he does not believe me. I told him I dressed as a bunny when I was his daughter's age and he dressed her like a witch anyway and sent her off to nursery school. My coworkers all have children and they've told me the schools allow the kids to have a non-uniform day and go to school in fancy dress. Apparently they're all ghouls and goblins and witches. Dress up day lacks superheros and Disney princesses. I guess you can dress as a princess any old day if you're 4 years old.

While they do wear costumes on Halloween, you won't really find kids trick or treating in England. The American tradition is frowned upon and feedback on this varies, but apparently there are sentiments and laws that imply that trick or treating is form of begging. I don't see it becoming mainstream anytime soon.

This same coworker above told me that growing up in Yorkshire, they had something called Mischief Night, which happens the night before Bonfire Night (4 Nov). No treating, just trickery... starting on the tame side - ding dong ditch and spanning to other types of shenanigans that would be deemed much worse than that.

The roots of Halloween in the UK are more deeply intertwined with its origin, All Hollows Eve, but in modern day, you'll see more and more commercialization with Halloween promotions, costumes and themed candy available at supermarkets.

My housemmate and neighbor, Becca and Kate, made me dress up as zombie doctors with them last night. Against my will, I had my face painted and wore blood spattered scrubs. Not going to be sharing those photos here!

Sunday 14 October 2012

Nobody Beeps Here

Its rare to hear a car beep in England. Maybe it is just Oxford, but in 15 months of driving I could maybe count the number of times I've heard a honk on one hand.

Not surprisingly, people courteously chose to flash their lights when they need to get your attention, rather than beep. The British citizens actually use the horn as it was designed, to warn of danger. How refreshing and a change from living in downtown Chicago where cab drivers obnoxiously honk their horns at every stoplight, no matter what and for no real reason at all.
  • When you are trying to make a right turn across traffic, cars will flash their lights to indicate they'll stop and let you turn, so that the cars behind don't have to wait for you.
  • When you're tailed by a car in the fast lane and they want to go faster than you, they will flash their brights to say - get out of my way.
  • When you're not paying attention and a light becomes green, lights will flash behind you.
  • Even the electronic key fobs to lock car doors don't sound the horn, but only flash the car's lights when you hit the lock button. It seems all the car manufacturers have chosen to omit this feature.
Living in this honk free zone is easy on the ears.



Saturday 29 September 2012

London 2012 Olympics

The Olympics are gone. There was a collective sense of deflation in the UK when it was all over. The Paralympics closed and the Olympic Park shut its gates for the next 2 years as it goes through a transformation for post Games use. The consensus is that no one knew what to do with themselves when it was all over - like the deflation of coming home from an extended vacation to bills, chores and work. The consensus is that is that it was a resounding success despite all the worry and cynical Op Ed pieces in newspapers across the country. The Brits love to complain... and those that did wound up enjoying it all along with the rest of us.

For over a month I went in to London regularly for Olympic events and to soak up the fever. Good show, London!


The Olympic Park in Stratford was massive and reminded me of Disney World. You didn't even have the sense that you were in London and upon entering you were greeted with all kinds of signs indicated how far it was to each venue. The wheel chair tennis match I attended was a 35 minute walk from the entrance. I think I must have walked 10 miles by the end of that day.

USA Women's Volleyball match vs. Serbia at Earls Court. USA won!  
@Wheel Chair Tennis Match at the Olympic Park
@Wheel Chair Rugby at the Olympic Park
Watching the Men's Marathon @Monument, London

Waving at Jessica Ennis, Gold Medal, Heptathalon - London 2012  athlete parade



You can click on the album below to see more pictures:
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I have no idea what to watch on TV now. I guess its back to talent shows and How I Met Your Mother re-runs.

Thursday 2 August 2012

Olympic Fever

Everyone has asked whether or not I'm going to the Olympics. I wasn't at first, because they had all sold out in a lottery over a year ago and costs were very high. Since then a lot of tickets have been released in waves and I guess I didn't pay too much attention, weary over the transportation nightmare and not finding a fellow USA fan to join me.

Well, scratch that. Now I'm heading to the USA Women's Olympic Volleyball match tomorrow with a new American friend. More tickets have opened up and in fact, the games are getting major criticism for all the empty seats you see on TV. With corporate sponsors eating up a lot of the seats, they're not always filled and plenty of eager fans are left without the opportunity. Its been so bad for some events that the Olympic commitee started warning after day 2 they'll start "naming and shaming" the corporations that aren't using their tickets and meanwhile have made plans to fill the empty ones with  school children and troops.
Trafalgar Square, June 2005
Back in June 2005, I took this picture in London's Trafalgar Square - the count down to the Olympic Games 2012 host city decision. It was to be made just 10 days after I left London that trip, and I watched the celebrations in Trafalgar back at home in Chicago. If you had told me I'd be living in England and attending these Games 7 years later, I wouldn't have believed you.

Of course, those host city nomination celebrations in 2005 were overshadowed by the city bombings that took place the very next day. London has rebounded however and these games seem to be going smoothly aside from the news 10 days before the opening ceremony that the company that was hired to provide security would fall some 4,000 security guards short of their commitment. Oh the scandal... I'm glad I'm not the CEO of G4S!

In early September, I'll be going to the Paralympics with my company for the Wheelchair Tennis event. I'm very excited to see some of these super humans: http://youtu.be/tuAPPeRg3Nw 

I'll keep you posted how it goes!  U-S-A!!!!

Wednesday 1 August 2012

A Guide to the UK for Visitors

Loved this article from the BBC. Great summary of the UK culture for foreign visitors...


 London 2012: A 12-part guide to the UK in 212 words each


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18983558

What do people visiting the UK for the Olympics need to know about the nation's quirks, habits and rules?
The British obsession with talking about the weather is much discussed, but there are a host of other oddities and complexities that visitors might do well to acquaint themselves with
Accents
In the movies, one might notice British characters have a tendency to talk in one of three stock accents - "English gentleman" (eg Hugh Grant), "Scottish/Irish hero" (eg Mel Gibson) or "Cockney chimney sweep" (eg Dick Van Dyke). But in reality, the UK has a rich mosaic of many different accents. Dominic Watt, a linguist at the University of York, says in the Border regions, where he has studied, you can hear a different accent just by walking down a road or crossing a bridge. The differences aren't just in rural areas. The Liverpool accent is quite different from its near neighbour Manchester. Some even say they can detect a softer south Liverpool accent and a grittier one from the city's north side. Corby in Northamptonshire has an accent known as "Corbyite" that has tones influenced by the many settlers there from the west of Scotland. Researchers have described a new accent they call Multicultural London English influenced by Caribbean, South Asian and West African immigrants. Others have referred to it as Jafaican. Overlaid on the regional differences, Watt says class distinction in speaking is also greater than in other countries. The Olympics themselves offer an opportunity to sample these myriad accents, as Team GB has representatives who speak many of them.


The bobby
Fuzz. Po-lis. Old Bill. Plod. Rozzers. Bizzies. All are slang names for the police in the UK of differing levels of friendliness. Perhaps the kindest is "bobbies", after Sir Robert (hence "Bobby") Peel, who founded the Metropolitan police in 1829. Television captured or perhaps created the image of the "bobby" in Dixon of Dock Green. The series lasted more than 20 years until 1976. Dixon was avuncular, in touch with his community, a carer as well as a copper. He ended each programme speaking directly to the audience as though he really was the bobby on your beat. Look at Dixon through the eyes of a visitor and two things stand out. First, there's his helmet. Based on a Victorian design, it is still worn by many male police officers in England and Wales, particularly those tasked to smile at tourists. The helmet doesn't play much of a protective role, but it has proved invaluable at sporting events. Second, Dixon carries no gun. Forty years on and despite his screen successors being far more muscular, British police officers do not routinely carry firearms. For some this is the success of the British model where there is consent to the bobby's authority. Perhaps, though, the British are just sufficiently respectful of the truncheon.

Class
A three-tier class system is synonymous with the UK to outsiders, at least among those who boosted Downton Abbey's international audiences. But, says cultural commentator Peter York, it's much more nuanced than that. The British, he believes, are experts at chronicling each strata's many sub-divisions. This is a country, indeed, in which Nancy Mitford could categorise words as "U" (upper-class) or "non-U" (aspirational middle class) - looking glass versus mirror, for instance, or napkin versus serviette. The nation's favourite sitcoms rely on a keen awareness of class. For instance, the tension between upwardly-mobile lower-middle-class Captain Mainwaring and the downwardly-mobile upper-middle-class Sgt Wilson in Dad's Army. Or the attempts of the Trotters to escape Peckham in Only Fools and Horses. Yet York believes the UK is no more class-bound than, say, the US - simply better at signifying how the system works. The paradox, he adds, is that as the gap between rich and poor has increased over recent decades, so too have the number of flat vowels among the super-rich as pop stars and footballers joined the elite. "The assumption is that we are uniquely class-divided, whereas that is of course nonsense," York adds. "Everywhere has a class system. But it's our obsession in the sense that race is the American obsession."

Gastropubs
The public house is one of the few cultural institutions unique to the British Isles. Many visitors will be familiar with the acid-etched glass and high ceilings of a classic Victorian-style pub. Or indeed a horse brass-festooned country pub. But not all will understand the "gastropub". The Eagle in London's Clerkenwell opened in 1991 and is claimed as the first. The concept has since spread around the country. Gastropubs or "gastros" are supposed to allow you to eat restaurant food, but without the formality of a restaurant. The chips ("hand-cut") come stacked in a Jenga-like formation or served in a little metal bucket. Beef dishes are typically accompanied by a "red wine jus". To critics, gastropubs are a symbol of vulgar gentrification, a bourgeois pastiche of the humble boozer. But Observer food critic Jay Rayner believes they have stayed true to the traditional customs of the alehouse. "It has taken a working class institution and made it a middle class institution," he says. "But it still has this association that the pub has with British culture." They have helped improve eating out. In his 1946 essay about an idealised tavern, George Orwell fantasised about eating "a good, solid lunch —for example, a cut off the joint, two vegetables and boiled jam roll".

Nationality
The English are British and lots of people think the British are English but that annoys the Scottish and Welsh because although some think they're British and some think they aren't and some think they are but don't want to be, they all agree that they definitely are not English. The Irish mostly think they are Irish, apart from the ones who are Northern Irish. Some say that makes them British and Irish. But others disagree and say they should just be Irish and then some say they aren't British either but part of the United Kingdom. People from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland can all play cricket for England because they're British as can those from Ireland even though they aren't British. So can South Africans. The English play football for England unless they aren't that good when they might try to play for Ireland.
Those from the Isle of Wight are English, from Anglesey are Welsh and the Orkneys are Scottish, but although that means they aren't from the island of Great Britain they're still British.
The Channel Islanders depend on the crown which is what the Queen wears but they aren't in the UK and those from the Isle of Man are the same, apart from their cats.


Railways
Some visitors might think UK rail travel is expensive. Certainly, the 260m (0.16 mile) Tube journey from Covent Garden to Leicester Square, at £4.30 for a paper ticket, is a solid candidate for the world's most expensive railway trip. Then there's the complexity. Arriving at Gatwick airport and wanting to get a train to London, you would find two operators and then the "express". All are different prices. Single or return? Two singles might be cheaper than a return. Do you want an "anytime" ticket in case your plane is late or choose an "advance" fare? The "advance" might be cheaper but is worthless if you miss the train. You could take an "off peak" ticket but be careful - what "off peak" means can vary. Confused? The fare structure may be confusing, but it allows the operators to target expensive fares at business travellers who are willing to pay while still attracting more frugal consumers who might be tempted by alternative transport, says Mark Smith, founder of rail website www.Seat61.com. And if you're from anywhere else in Europe, don't be too smug. The ticketing model is catching on elsewhere, Smith says. Visitors should also get used to: "No smoking, even in the vestibule areas." That means those bits between the carriages.


Public transport
Trains, buses and trams might seem natural venues to start a friendly chat. But do be careful.
For many Britons, initiating conversation with strangers on public transport ranks as a breach of etiquette not far below commission of High Treason.
Take the Tube through London in rush hour, for instance, and you will see dozens of strangers packed tightly together. Though they may be intimate in terms of physical proximity, each revels in splendid isolation.
Break this code of silence and you will be greeted with embarrassed silence (interrupted, perhaps, by nervous newspaper-twitching) as all around you seek to avoid your gaze.
Not all of the UK is quite so circumspect about small talk, however. Citizens in the north of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all take pride in being more welcoming than their aloof southern neighbours.
Nonetheless, etiquette expert Simon Fanshawe strongly advises against making verbal contact with one's fellow commuters and transgressing one of the UK's most powerful codes of behaviour.
"My advice would be to do it with extreme caution," he says. "If you do, expect us to be extremely gruff.
"If anybody so much as looks us in the eye, we assume they want our wallets. We'd much rather rustle behind a copy of the Daily Express."


Queuing
Many British people believe queuing is peculiarly British, or even English. But the first reference in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1837 when Thomas Carlyle, referred to it as a French custom.
The British like to think they stand in line with patience and humour. At Wimbledon, the January sales, women's toilets in the theatre, queuing has almost become the point rather than merely a means to an end. No matter how dull the wait, the British keep on queuing.
Joe Moran, a cultural historian and author of Queuing for Beginners, says that the idea that the British are good at queuing arose after World War II. It was a reaction to a time when shortages led to arguments and police were often called to disperse crowds.
The Hungarian-born satirist George Mikes helped create the myth, writing in1946: "An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one."
But Moran says there is little real evidence that the British are particularly good queuers. They like the thought because it feeds into their self-image of pragmatism and politeness.
The lesson for any visitor perhaps is to be aware that the British think they are good at queueing. So if you want to get ahead, try to do it subtly.


British curry
Don't be fooled by the fact that curry is found in restaurants called "Indian" that are mostly run by Bangladeshis. Curry is as British as its favoured accompaniment, the pint of lager. Born to foreign parents, the British love both curry and lager as their own. The Oxford English Dictionary says the word curry derives from the Tamil "Kari", or the Kannada word "Karil". Although the root is Indian, South Asians have no single word to describe their many, distinct dishes. The word "curry" however, has helped sell Indian cuisine to the British. The Guild of Bangladeshi Restaurateurs believes there are now 9,500 "Indian" Restaurants in the UK serving three million meals a week. The curry has developed to suit British needs. Vindaloo for example is a Goan dish of pork marinated in vinegar. The only thing certain about the British restaurant version is it is hot enough to generate conversation. Chicken Tikka Masala is known as Britain's National Dish. One legend has it created by a Pakistani chef in a restaurant kitchen in Glasgow. The next big taste innovation could come from the "Balti Triangle" in Birmingham, Manchester's Rusholme's Wilmslow Road, or Brick Lane, Southall or Tooting in London or perhaps one of the myriad restaurants that spice-up every British town.



Buying rounds
"He never gets his round in." There is no more damning assessment of one's character to be heard in the British Isles.
Rather than approaching the bar collectively, each member of the drinking party alternates fetching a collective order.
It's about more than beer. Being in a round means being part of a group. And taking turns to ensure everyone has a full glass in front of them means reciprocal bonds are formed between all of its members.
The system has a further practical function, ensuring that the bar staff are not overwhelmed by a procession of individual drinkers.
Not everyone is a fan of rounds, however. During World War I the practice - known as "treating" - was expressly forbidden in some areas because of fears that it encouraged workers in essential industries to drink more.
In 2011 the Sun reported that Prof Richard Thaler, an adviser to the prime minister, said rounds should be discouraged in favour of setting up a tab that is settled at the end of the night.
But among traditionalists, the round remains the preferred method of supplying an evening's refreshment.
"I think it's a lovely system," says Roger Protz, editor of the Great British Beer Guide. "It's all part of the convivial atmosphere of the British pub."


Self-deprecation
To listen to a conversation between Britons about their careers, say, or educational histories, an observer from a more forthright culture might be forgiven for assuming the participants were morbidly depressed. Chances are they'd be wrong. Self-deprecation is an inescapable part of British discourse. The only socially acceptable way to talk about one's achievements is to diminish them. The affection held for that paragon of self-mockery, Stephen Fry, is testament to the national love of this brand of humour. The UK is, after all, a country where showing off is considered the height of bad form and boastfulness regarded as the very height of vulgarity. Charm and wit, by extension, are demonstrated by making oneself the butt of one's own jokes. Outsiders might conclude that this tendency to self-effacement reflects the UK's diminished global status as a former imperial power. But don't be fooled. Times columnist Matthew Parris argues that this tendency is, in fact, a subtly disguised form of self-aggrandisement. "British self-deprecation is actually quite boastful," he says. "Its primary purpose is to show how relaxed, at ease and confident you are. It's a sign of being so in command that you can undersell yourself." So is British self-deprecation just one big humblebrag? We really are useless, aren't we, utterly useless.

Saturday 28 July 2012

Scouse Brows

I want to tell you about the "Scouse Brow" which is all the rage.

It was made famous by a reality TV show called Desperate Scousewives, based in Liverpool, with Scouse being a nickname for a dialect in this northern region.

The look has been spreading... and I'm sorry to say that I see it everywhere. Even Kate has gotten some press for filling in her brows more than she used to.

Below is a picture of this look from another reality TV star from a Laguna Beach/The Hills type knock off show called The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE). These laughably staged reality TV shows are an eye opener for how some people live their lives in Britain, just like Real Housewives might be in the USA.



To perfect your Scouse Brow:

First - For planning purposes, take no regard for the natural color of your hair or shape of the brow - those beauties must be dark and as unsubtle as you can possibly make them.

Second - Pluck the real thing to death until they barely exist.

Third - Draw them in, perhaps with the help of a Brow Shaping Guide like the one below.



Lastly - Your new brows will be lonely without a fabulous set of false eyelashes so don't forget to leave home without them.


.... and VOILA!!! You're now ready to hit the town... or the supermarket.

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Olympic Torch Relay

The Olympic torch relay made its way to Oxford this week. With much fan fare, it entered and left just as quickly. As an official partner for the London 2012 Olympic Games, my company was able to nominate 2 torch bearers (out of the 8,000). I ditched work early to go watch this once in a lifetime event with other work mates and we parked ourselves in good position to see our nominated colleague, Ian, run with the torch through his designated section of Oxford.

 You can read about Ian here. Although he is physically handicapped, he's very self-sufficient and quite an inspiration. I just love the look on his face I captured here. It says it all... !

The next day I got the opportunity to hold his official Olympic Torch! Quite shiny and heavier than you'd expect!
London 2012 Torch
Did you know the first Olympic Torch relay was done by the Nazis in the 1936 Berlin games? The idea was then replicated again 1948 during the last London Olympics. The things BBC will tell you...

Saturday 23 June 2012

One Year

It's my one year anniversary today. I landed at Heathrow with 150lbs of luggage split amongst 3 bags to find out my pre-ordered taxi had already come and gone without me. This left me at a pay phone trying to find a company that would pick me up at a decent price after a 3 hour wait. No worries. Looking back I was remarkably calm about reaching my new life in Oxford. I had no idea what to expect.

In someways, I feel like I've been in the UK forever and in others I feel like I just got here. A lot can happen in 12 months though and its these types of anniversaries in life that make you reflective, nostalgic, introspective and speculative. I'm not sure what will come next, but I'm happy with where I've been.

I've explored the best of British cities (St. Ives, Edinburgh, Bath, London), some of the not so great (Scarborough, Exeter) and some of the quirky (Manchester).

I've learned Cockney Rhyming Slang

I've managed to obtain a British Driving license on the first try despite the amazingly stringent requirements and procedures.

I've traveled to the French Pyrenees, the Amalfi Coast, Madrid, Rome, Brussels, Brugge, Amsterdam, Malaga and Granada.

I've been challenged with new projects, new clients and gone through 3 bosses since I arrived in the UK. Hopefully the current one is going to stick around for a while.

I've made friends with people from England, Ireland, Spain, France, Italy, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Ukraine, China and Sri Lanka.

I've picked up golfing more regularly to the shock of British men. It's an old man's sport in England. Perhaps one day I'll break 100 and be able to show them girls can keep up with them.

I've learned to whine about the weather alongside the English.

I can decode the English language and learned how to be self-aware of common American snafus such as not saying please and thank you regularly enough.

As a city girl, I've grown to love and appreciate the countryside.

I've passed through passport control more than a dozen times despite my seemingly invisible fingerprints that are required for visa holders. They haven't stopped me yet.

Somehow I think everything I've done leading up to this was meant to land me where I am today. The expat life is a good life.   #no regrets








Football Fodder

It's Euro Cup 2012 month... and that's all anyone is talking about. For 3 weeks, European nations battle it out for Football bragging rights for the next 4 years.

My international friends are all assembling at various pubs to watch their countries play one another and it has led to some heavy banter and constant speculating on what is going to happen next.

All of this football talk goes right over my head of course. At work it has replaced the weather for a safe and neutral subject to talk about in a corporate setting and my eyes glaze over when it comes up....

The BBC touched on this subject this week... I thought it was rather timely and appropriate as I was starting to wonder how much more I can fake interest when clients bring up last night's field goal.

In very British fashion, this piece addresses concern about how rude it might be to talk football in front of non-fans.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18518186

How much football can you talk about to a non-fan?


Man showing a red card to a colleague

Millions of England fans are celebrating reaching the Euro 2012 quarter finals, with many wanting to talk about it. But at what point do football conversations become boring, or even rude to a non-fan?
Usually conversations about football are reserved for football fans. The less enthused tend to nod and smile, or subtly zone out, when football comes into bus stop banter or office water cooler chat.
But now England have reached the quarter finals of Euro 2012, football fever is sweeping the nation.
There are thousands of people suddenly engaging in debates about goals, free-kicks and possession.
A YouGov poll in May suggested 56% of the whole population are either "not at all interested" (37%) or "not very interested" (19%) in football.
So for those who can just about tolerate an office sweepstake, but have no interest in banal office football banter, at what point does talking about football become boring, or even rude?
Etiquette expert Simon Fanshawe, who is not a football fan, says he cannot stand the assumption football fans make about how much others understand, or even care, about the sport.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Costa del Sol

For Easter, we get Good Friday as well as Monday off in the UK. So many places to go, so little time. I don't want to waste a single long weekend and so I convinced some work friends to book a last minute trip. We picked Malaga, Spain mainly because of relatively reasonable last minute price (everything was expensive as the whole country takes off) and it's very southern location. We needed to escape the drabby English spring weather.

Now, going to Spain during Easter means one thing - Holy Week Processions. Every city thoughout the country closes down streets and hosts these holy parades. I was excited to see this cultural event but we did hear that it would be crowded. And now I know....

What an experience to get to our rented flat after landing in Malaga.

To understand why this was a problem, you'll need the visual below. What was going on when we arrived into Malaga city center at 7pm:
Holy Week Processions
Location of our apartment below:


Needless to say, actually getting to our apartment meant the taxi dropped us off a mile away and we had to navigate through the parade crowds with our suitcases. At one point we got lost because we couldn't find the bridge he had directed us to cross and discovered 40 minutes later we had already crossed it we just couldn't tell because there was a million people around and all we could focus on was not running over toes with our bags. We had to line up to cross the parade route a few times and it was basically just madness.

I suppose it paid off because in the end, for the entire weekend we had front row seats for watching these processions pass by our apartment. People probably paid big bucks to sit in these grand stands in our particular plaza and we got an all inclusive deal.

Watching the Processions from our apartment
We explored Malaga all while stopping to check out these processions on occasion that would pop up through various spots in the city.

OK I know what you're thinking. Yes, these sights evoked images of the Klu Klux Klan for me too. I knew about these Easter traditions through years of studying Spanish and the culture but seeing it in action was something else. Of course, they had these ceremonial hoods first and that can't be disputed but for an American to be surrounded by it and watching hundreds of people pass in the pointed hooded garb of various colors was a little unsettling. I'm so glad I got to see this once a year cultural event and its an experience I won't forget.

100 men at a time carry these huge statues marching in unison through the streets
The children get involved in processions
 On Saturday, we took a bus to Granada for the day which is a cool city up in the mountains not far from Malaga. The Alhambra is its main attraction, but apparently they sell out the tickets on line for it up to 2 months in advance and only sell a handful of tickets the day of, starting at 8am. We didn't get to go in, but we saw it from the outside after taking some Segways around town for a while.
Segways in Granada
Alhambra in the background
Malaga from up high
  
Beautiful Malaga
Most of the Brits go to Costa del Sol to head to the resorts and sit in the sun for a week but I think they miss the culture in Malaga when they head straight to the beach - it's a beautiful city!

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Say What You Mean

My Dad sent this to me a while ago and it's true. All of it.
  
I have to remind myself of these above nuances in work situations but I have gotten used to it by now. Luckily, most of my clients are international and from all over the place so they tend to say what them mean!  Hopefully I haven't offended anyone by saying what I mean in an obvious manner, instead of the unobvious, roundabout, easily miscontrued way that is customary.

I learned quickly if someone says to you... "I would prefer it if..." it means "Do it or else."  If you offer something to someone and they say "Oh I don't mind" it means "I'd love some but I don't want to be a bother so I'm going to act like I don't want any but yes, I do."

After sending this grid to some Brits they refuted some of them but I don't believe it. I think they just know their own secret unspoken language that they've been brought up with that the rest of us are meant to uncode!


Saturday 19 May 2012

The Great Pronunciation Battle

We all know that the English and Americans pronounce words differently. Basil, progress, leisure, tomato, aluminum (they spell it with an extra i too).

However, what confuses me so... Is that the English will pronounce brand names completely differently. As a marketing major, I learned that of course companies need to make adjustments in translating products into other languages. Not only to make sure the meaning makes sense in that language but also that the pronunciation works as well.

English and Americans speak the same language. So why, I wonder to myself (ok and comment with exasperation to those that bring it up) have the Brits decided to change the pronunciation of brand names that are written in English? Just cuz? As far as I know, the company that made the product gets to decide how it's pronounced. It's doesn't have to make sense. It can be a made up word. It's ok!

These brands are pronounced:
Mentos - Men-Toss
Pantene - Pan-Ten
Nike - Nyke- rhymes with Bike
Nikon - Nick-on

You would think P&G wouldn't have to adjust the pronunciation of their products in shampoo commercials in England. But they do. Because they've come up with a whole new way to pronounce it as if in a symbol of defiance or to give the product an aura of English sophistication, I'm not sure which. I'll give you that Nikon is a Japanese company and therefore the company that made the product likely doesn't care...

My colleague told me that if he ever pronounced Nike - Nikeee in the schoolyard he would have gotten beaten up. It wasn't until Michael Jordan became globally known that he and his friends even knew there was a different way to say it.

Just because Nike looks like Bike doesn't mean the company intended for them to rhyme!

Ok rant over. Until I find out a new brand name pronounced in a ridiculous way.

Tuesday 1 May 2012

Promotion Assistant

The first weekend I was in Oxford last July, I had been trolling the Internet for things to do and came across an advert for a free Oxford walking tour that afternoon. Sounded good to me so I called up my friend Olena, the only person I knew in Oxford at the time as she had interned for my team in Chicago.

Olena and I arrived at the meeting place and our Scottish guide explained he was trying to get his new tour guide business, I Love Oxford Walking Tours, off the ground. This free tour was for promotion and he was hoping we would write up a review in Trip Advisor. Fair enough.

Along with us on the tour was a photographer that was going to take photos that may be used for his promotional materials and for a journalistic entry on this new start up business. We all had to agree that our photos could be used.

Well in the end the tour itself was not good. The guide rambled and it was difficult to follow his stories as he jumped around in topic and I didn't retain anything he said. Not only that but the photographer followed Olena around and was rather creepy asking for her email address to send the pics he had taken.

We did not fill out a Trip Advisor review.

A while later I realized that our photos were on the I Love Oxford website. And months later I teased Olena because a picture prominently featuring her had been blown up into a poster displayed on Broad Street.

Last weekend I was buying a coffee at Coffee Republic and looked down next to the register and saw my face. I have apparently made it onto a business card. Guess I can't tease Olena anymore. This photographer didn't get me on a "model day" and now my face is all about town associated with a tour I didn't even like!


Saturday 28 April 2012

French Pyrenees

Last month I went on my first ski trip in Europe to the French Pyrenees. My friend Mathilde's parents have a house at Saint Lary-Soulan about 2 hours from her home town of Bordeaux. With a super cheap flight on Easy Jet and a free place to stay, this ski trip was a no brainer.

My week went something like this:

We land in Bordeaux and it is 24 degrees - Celsius (75F!). Not good for snow conditions but the mountains were hours away. We swing by Mathilde's house to pick up a car and Mathilde's mother has purchased enough food for the 6 of us for a week - meats, cheeses, wine, bread, champagne, fruits, pasta, vegetables, yogurts, chips, granola, more bread, more wine, more cheese... She even pre-made some side dishes and baked us some mini cakes and cookies. I ate like the French all week, trying duck dishes like confit-cassoulet and yogurt from sheep (which is creamy and rich and tastes like Greek yogurt).

We made the drive to the Pyrenees and arrived at night and I couldn't believe the path down to the house. Mathilde turned off the road and I had to close my eyes. The path was as wide as the car and went at pretty much a 45 degree angle. The fact that the left tire hugged the hill and on the other side of the right tire was a sloping mountain didn't seem to phase her. Yikes.
Path to the house on a snow day
View from the terrace
LOTS of wine, bread and cheese
Loading the car in the AM
Day 1 of skiing: I'm not sure if I have ever skied in hotter weather. It's roasting, the sun is shining and the snow is slushy.

Day 2 of skiing: Sun is still shining but it's a tad windier. Have lunch by a lake and lay on the grass, napping and soaking in rays
Just visiting
Day 3: Wake up with a horrible cold. Decide cannot ski, and wind up reading in the intermittent sunshine on the terrace all day long. Some new sheep friends came to join me at one point by the terrace.
Day 4: In the morning we can not see anything out the window. The fog is thick, clearing slightly, but as we head out we realize the conditions on the mountain are not good. We could literally not see 3ft in front of us while coming down.
Day 5: Snowy, cold, foggy. Thank god I bought goggles yesterday.
Day 6: Fantastic new snow. Best day of skiing of the week.

 
learned quickly that the ski lifts in France don't slow down when they're coming around the turn. The first time I got whacked in the calves and thudded into the seat with the force of the moving chair. Welcome to France. Apparently, after you've pushed your way into the spot where you're next in line (no orderly progression here), you have to ready yourself and put your hand out and hold the seat then sit on it otherwise it will take you down without mercy. The other thing about this resort was the prevalence of the tow rope style lifts. They were everywhere and I'm not a big fan since they're uncomfortable and allow no rest for your legs in between runs. The runs were not very challenging and a lot of the black runs were closed due to lack of snow. I had fun nonetheless, but I think I'd like to try the Alps next which are higher and which allow for better snow conditions. 


It was an relaxing trip, and a very French and local one as this was not a touristy spot and practically no one spoke English although being about 5 miles from the Spanish border, I did get to use that a bit.


The Pyrenees are the perfect escape....

Snow fall the day we leave
St. Lary-Soulan