Typical Friday at Oxford: I'm tired but have tons to do. It's beautiful out. I don't want to read about the facets of digital divides. I have this thing where I hate feeling like I'm not being productive for even a half hour, so to feel productive I fill my time doing mindless minor tasks which alleviates the feeling of non-productivity but is really not contributing to anything. Such as: go swim. Email mom. Make list of groceries. Write blog. [recent examples]
So, in the spirit of being "productive," a recap of this week!
Dead Kings Galore Yesterday I went to the "Learning Without Frontiers" conference in London, and then got out of the conference early and decided to attempt to navigate around London without a map. It worked well because all of the London police have smart phones, so I just went from smart phone to smart phone and played the "I'm a foolish blonde American" card (reserved for only the most necessary of circumstances).
 |
| Newton's grave. |
Tower Climbing And then today I got to climb up the tallest tower in Oxford, Magdalen (Maud-lin) Tower, seen in the picture. This was particularly exciting because you need a signed letter from a fellow of Magdalen dated on the day you're planning to go up to be able to get the key to this tower, and you had to use this huge key to unlock this ancient grandiose door. Small narrow winding steep staircase up one of the spires, and you got to stand in the open air on top and realize what a long way down it was. Not for the faint of heart. But the view was breathtaking. We decided that we should have had a frisbee-throwing competition off the tower. Not sure the fellows would approve. Next time. Pictures soon.
[Found productivity. One day time lapse. Fast-forward to Saturday.]
And then on Friday night I went dancing at a shady club, which is hard to avoid in Oxford since all of the clubs are shady. I swear, one of the most disconcerting things Brits say is "Are you alright?" What they mean is "How are you?", but what Americans like me hear is "Are you sick/hurt/going to die?" In the U.S., it's only a phrase you use if someone's injured or very obviously distressed. So I always look visibly panicked/confused if someone asks me this (do I look upset? is there something wrong with my face?) and I still don't know the correct way this conversation should take place. Are you supposed to just say "yes"? Are you supposed to comment on your mental health?
Anyways, one of my American friends had one of her American friends visiting, and he noticed also that us Americans have changed the intonation of how we ask questions. For instance, if someone was to ask "Are you alright?" in the U.S., your voice would go up a couple of pitches at the end of the question: "Are you alright?" In the U.K. it's the exact opposite. Your voice starts high and goes low. And now I do it the British way, apparently according to American who noticed it immediately. I was stoked [translation for non-U.S.: real excited]. That kind of counts as picking up the accent, right?! It's kinda sing-songy though, I can't wait to be mocked when I go home.
Anyways, and now suddenly it's Saturday and I'm dead tired from dancing last night and then outdoor frisbee practice today. Time to go drink some tea (yes, I've started liking tea) and read, read, read, if I can keep my eyes open.
Next week: Put your sociology hat on for a sociological look at Impatient Americans! I've been meaning to write about this particular cross-cultural difference that has become blatantly obvious for awhile. It does not necessarily reflect bad on the U.S., I suppose...but maybe a bit.
Hasta luego! Au revoir! Lisa
No comments:
Post a Comment