Graveyard of Ambition

After my fabulous trip to Scotland in July, I decided that in August I should pay a visit to Wales. No sooner said than done!

What do you know about Swansea?  If you ask English people, they don't seem to be too familiar with Wales and the Welsh culture. Maybe they know Swansea City FC and Swansea University which was founded in 1920, but not much more. 

I like to be prepared, though, when I go to new places and since I knew that the Welsh are like the Catalans when it comes to their own language, I tried to learn a few words. So, I learned how to say hello in Welsh: "Hylo" and Good morning: "Bore da". How to say thank you: "Diolch". And how to say how are you today: "Sut wyt ti heddiw?" Unfortunately, I didn't know how to pronounce these words, so no one actually understood me and appreciated my great efforts.

In the beginning I wasn't too impressed by Swansea. I mean this is their castle:

But then I disovered the best part of this town and spent the rest of my time there:

A Welsh woman told me the following day that Swansea is known as the graveyard of ambition. When you graduate from school, you are full of hopes and dreams. You wanna go to a great university and afterwards get a great job in the City. But a lot of bright students who come to Swansea University discover the beach - just like I did -, and never leave - well, I did leave, but only because I had to.

I definitely recommend a trip to Wales - but beware of the tides when you go to the beach! I had to run in the end....

Edinbro...Edinbra...Edinburgh

Last weekend, I went to Edinburgh. I'm actually glad that I only have to write it here instead of pronouncing it. You would only laugh at me and try to make me pronounce it correctly. But I'm just phonetically incapable of pronouncing this city correctly. I know exactly how it's supposed to sound, but then all that comes out of my mouth is Edinborough, Edinbra, Edinbro...

Despite its difficult name, I love this city. Against all odds, it always welcomes me with sunshine, the Scots are very nice people (it's difficult for me to understand them, but they sound nice), and the city has so much to offer to its guests. One of my favourite attractions is, in addition to the castle, Arthur's chair. In fact, it's called Arthur's seat. But I kept confusing it and asked a Scottish cab driver for Arthur's chair. He looked disapprovingly at me, probably thinking: "Ugh, these tourists from the South!"

Scotland is considered as a country. They have their own language, their own football club, and their own banknotes. When I came back to London and tried to pay with my Scottish Pound notes, people looked suspicioulsy at the note as if they had never seen something like that before.

To be honest, I don't really get it. Why does Scotland have its own money, but Wales and Northern Ireland haven't? On the other hand, Wales seems to be obsessed with its language. I have heard that there are villages, where people don't speak a word English. I like to say that Bavaria doesn't really belong to Germany. Some people might argue that we have our own language, too. But at the end of the day it's just a dialect, not a completely different language. Yes, we have our own football club and I would say Bavarian footballers actually represent Germany in world cups etc. However, we pay with the same banknotes. My grandma might still calculate in Reichsmark sometimes and my parents in D-Marks, but we all use the €.

Next year, Scotland could actually become a sovereign nation. In September 2014, the people of Scotland will vote in an independence referendum. They will be asked the question: Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes or No. If they vote "Yes" and also introduce a new passport, I would suggest they take the Finnish passport as an example which has a flipbook-style animation of a walking elk included and replace the elk with Nessie.

Awkward Greetings

Greetings in England tend to be uncomfortable, clumsy, and inelegant and I think it's starting to rub off on me.

To be absolutely honest with you, I am a hugger! I love hugging. I'm not a big kisser, though. It always gets awkward, doesn't it? One kiss? Two kisses? Three kisses? Nah, not my cup of tea. It always results in awkward hesitation and bumping as you try to guess how many kisses are required.

People I have never met before or when it comes to business meetings I give them my hand - not to kiss but to shake. I read that back in the days it was a sign that you were unarmed.
So, that one is easy. But what do you do when you get to know your business contacts better? A handshake seems too formal, but hugging would be too informal. All I can say is aca-awkward (for those of you who have watched "Perfect Pitch").

The next problem is saying good-bye. First of all, the handshake/ cheek-kissing/ hugging-issue again. Second of all, you affirm each other that you have to see each other again soon/ that you had a very lovely time/ that you should do this more often. Then the Thanks again/ Oh no, my pleasure-rule which leads to we have to see each other again soon/ I had a very lovely time/ we should do this more often. And ten minutes are easily over.

Another greeting I should mention is the high-five. A friend of mine has a great first date story where the guy high-fived her in the end. And I went to a party the other night where the bartender high-fived me when I wanted to order a drink. What does this greeting mean? Is that the American way of awkward greetings?

Well, I think I should go now. It's late and I need a cup of tea. So, err, that was lovely. We should do this more often. Bye! 

 

TV Show Tapings

There are a lot of TV show tapings taking place in London and it's quite easy and free to attend one. Sometimes you have to be lucky, because they always send out more tickets than they actually have. But in that case (and it happened to me once), you get priority tickets for the next two shows you apply for (okay, I think that was by accident and you usually get only one).
Thanks to that, though, I was sitting a few metres away from Cameron Diaz on The Graham Norton Show and also from British comedian Micky Flanagan on The Marriage Ref. As a result of that, I thought I knew Micky very well, when I bumped into him in Covent Garden. I was sitting in a cafe, he passed by, we smiled at each other, greeted each other, and then both of us went our ways. When I was at home, it dawned on me, though, that I don't really know him and that he doesn't know me at all. We just had a parasocial interaction.

A TV show taping is always fun. I particularly like the warm-up guys. It's usually a comedian who brings the audience into the right mood before the show starts and practises the clapping and woohooing and aaaahhhing with them. At the taping I attended yesterday, we had quite a lot of breaks since they were filming three episodes. So the warm-up guy, called Stew, did some quizzes with us. One was: "Name the 11 body parts with 3 letters" and go! How many can you think of?

If you are interested in attending a TV show taping in London as well, check out these websites:
http://www.sroaudiences.com/
http://www.applausestore.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/tickets/

And maybe you'll sit here soon:

Marmite

Yesterday morning, I had breakfast with a friend and ordered toast and jam. The waitress, however, said they don't have any jam anymore, only Marmite. "Marmite? Nooo, gross! I can't eat that!" was my maybe a bit OTT reaction. But at least she brought me some jam from some hidden corner in the end.

She is probably used to such reactions, though, because no other foodstuff has ever provoked quite as much heated discussion as Marmite. Love it or hate it, no one is actually allowed to have an apathetic reaction to the savoury spread in this country. By the 1990s Marmite's distinctive and powerful flavour had earned it as many haters as it had fans, and it was commonly notorious for producing a polarised "love/hate" reaction amongst consumers.

Modern advertisements play on this, and Marmite even runs a dual skinned website with two URLs: www.ilovemarmite.com and www.ihatemarmite.com where people may share their experiences of Marmite and are actively encouraged to fuel this debate.

Even celebs join in. Apparently, Madonna's worst nightmare is eating a Marmite sandwich and Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka has a fear of Marmite, even though he has never dared to actually try it.
However, Britney Spears is a surprise fan of Marmite after trying it on a UK tour and both The Rolling Stones and Dido ask for Marmite when they are on tour.

All this resulted in the coining of the phrase "Marmite effect" or "Marmite reaction" for anything which provokes such strong and polarised feelings. The most recent example was Margaret Thatcher. Whenever I asked British friends or colleagues about the extreme reactions in regards to her death, they told me: "She was political Marmite":

Late at the Museum

"The best things in life are free."
I would say that's debatable, but there are lots of cool things you can do for free in London. One of the best things is that most museums and galleries are free. I love going for a stroll through the National Gallery on a Sunday afternoon. But on the downside, it's usually packed with families and tourists. I went once to the Natural History Museum on a Sunday afternoon and was queuing in the rain for almost 45 minutes. Hence, a better option are the "Late" events.

Every Thursday and Friday until 9pm, you can enjoy art, music, drinks, workshops, and tours at the National Portrait Gallery. I have attended some really interesting tours so far. For example, "Famous executions" where I learnt that Mary, Queen of the Scots was wearing a wig, or "Famous Affairs" where I found out that a lot of the portrayed people were having an affair with a person displayed in the same room.
To find out what's on next Thursday and Friday, visit: http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/lateshift/late_shift_home.php

However, I have never managed to attend a drawing workshop at the National Portrait Gallery. Last Friday, though, I went to a fashion workshop at my favourite museum, the V&A. On the last Friday in every month, they have live performances (for example mime artists), cutting-edge fashion (we saw some girls with really crazy make-up), debates, one-off displays and installations, special guests, and of course a bar and food, and some guest DJs. Every month there is also a different theme. This month's was "David Bowie is making a Scene". Making a scene...of course there had to be Paparazzi asking people to strike a pose:

The best part was the fashion workshop, though. Inspired by David Bowie's wardrobe, we created our own outfits. Such a fun and relaxing thing to do on a Friday night and here is the result. Ta-da! 

To find out what's going on next month, check: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/f/friday-late/

If you are less interested in fashion and famous people, maybe the Lates at the Science Museum is the place to be for you every last Wednesday of the month: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/events/events_for_adults/Lates.aspx
Have a look at what's going on there:

But don't stay overnight at the museum, you know what happened to Ben Stiller...

Smiles on the Underground

This morning I was on the tube. I was standing right at the door. The train stopped and a guy got on and he SMILED at me. That's right. London underground, early morning and someone smiled at me. I got so confused that I kept staring awkwardly at the floor for the rest of my journey.

My English friends always tell me: "Don't stare at people on the tube!" But what else is there to do? Sometimes I don't have a book with me or I just follow an interesting conversation and like to watch the people having this conversation. Plus, there are always so many colourful figures on the train that you have to stare at them. I know it's not polite, but I can't help it..I'm a starer!

But smiling? That's a different level. Especially since it wasn't like a mutual comprehension smile. You know like "Have you seen this super cute puppy over there?" - "Yes, I have." *Smiling*. No, it was more like: "Good morning, I hope you are well." 

It probably would have been less awkward, if I saw him every day getting on at that particular station. Then at some point I would say you can start noticing people and smiling at them. But until then you ignore their existence. He must be new in town!

Weather Talk

It's mid of April now and still wintry in the UK. The other day I tweeted: "I take back everything I said about spring is near. It's snowing again." and had so many retweets and replies as never before. On my flight yesterday the pilot mentioned the rumour that it's supposed to get warmer this weekend and added: "I believe it when I see it!"

Well, the English like to talk about the weather. Dr Samuel Johnson, an English writer of the 18th century, already said 250 years ago:
"It is commonly observed, that when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather; they are in haste to tell each other, what each must already know, that it is hot or cold, bright or cloudy, windy or calm."
Of course, no one is actually interested in the weather itself. The weather talk is more of a ritual greeting, conversation-starter or default filler. Almost every small talk situation starts with a comment on the weather.

Therefore, I was quite shocked when an American guy from L.A. told me recently that they never talk about the weather. I mean it does make sense, since it's always sunny and warm in California:

But imagine you just met someone and you don't really know what to talk about, you start feeling really awkward because of this ongoing silence, but you don't wanna start a conversation about politics or personal matters either. So, seriously Californian people, how do you strike up a conversation and socially bond?

Becoming British

Yesterday, I actually caught myself humming the British national anthem. Probably because I sang it for the first time ever last week.
It made me wonder, though, what the Brits are going to sing when Prince William (let's face it Prince Charles will never become king) will be king. "God save our gracious King"? If you know the answer to this question and also how they are going to change all pound notes and coins, please let me know.

But I actually wanted to talk about the reason why I sang the British national anthem. My Canadian friend Miranda (name changed by editor) could apply for the British citizenship since she has lived X amount of years in the UK and last week the official ceremony took place.
How exciting, right? That's what I thought and came along.

During the ceremony you have to make an oath of allegiance (or you can make an affirmation if you prefer not to swear by God) and a pledge:

On the UK Border Agency website they say:
"You may wish to practise saying the oath or affirmation, and the pledge, before you attend the ceremony."
It's just one sentence, but it might be particularly difficult, if you don't actually speak English. Why would someone who just becomes British not speak English, you might ask? In fact, I did. Especially after my American friend Sam (name changed by editor, because I'm such a professional) had to leave the country a few weeks ago despite having a job, a flat, and friends here as well as being fluent in English.

I still can't really answer that question, but I guess there are other ways to become British. Miranda met a guy who used to work with her a few years ago. He was there with a lady who used to live next to their workplace. Guess what? They are married now. Guess for how long? 3 years. Ummm, interesting!

So, there are multiple ways of getting to attend this ceremony. After a couple of speeches, where I learnt that being British is "a blessing and a privilege", and the oath and pledge, the newly British citizens received their certificate and their welcome pack which included a commemorative gift (which was a not very exciting looking pen in this particular case). We then sang the national anthem and the participants could take pictures with the local speaker and of course the Queen:

It was an interesting experience and it made me wonder how the ceremony for becoming German might look like. Any suggestions?

Afternoon Tea

My favourite activity at the moment on a lazy Sunday afternoon is having Afternoon Tea. If you are not British, you might think Afternoon Tea is just having a cup of tea and eating a piece of cake. No, no, no! Afternoon Tea is a ceremony, it's like having a picnic indoors.

The ritual of afternoon tea dates back to Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford. In the early 1800s, it was common to have only two main meals per day - breakfast and dinner. Weakened and irritated by a feeling of hunger each day, the young woman decided to schedule time to take tea and a snack in the afternoon.

What the British understand by "snack" nowadays are tiny sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserve (jam), and pastries and cupcakes. It looks and tastes delightful!

I can highly recommend Afternoon Tea at the Tate Modern. It's only £4.75 and you get two scones and a pot of tea. Plus, you can stroll through the Tate before and afterwards. 

If you want a more playful and stylish atmosphere, go to Sketch: http://www.sketch.uk.com/
You can have 3 scones, 2 different jams, and a pot of tea of your choice for only £10.50. Bargain!

If you like it even more playful and stylish and you are a bit of a fashionista, you shouldn't miss out on the Berkeley London designer afternoon tea. Their Prêt-à-Portea (love it!) is inspired by the themes and colours of the fashion world. The menu is transformed every six months to follow the changing seasons in fashion. The current Autumn/ Winter 2012 collection sees "designers such as Manolo Blahnik, Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Jacobs grace the Berkeley's tea stand as Prêt-à-Portea adds a creative twist to the classic elements of the traditional English afternoon tea with cakes and pastries resembling the latest catwalk designs for the style conscious": http://www.the-berkeley.co.uk/fashion-afternoon-tea/

Carrie Bradshaw would be in heaven!
But what would Mr. Big do meanwhile? Well, he could enjoy the Gentleman's Afternoon Tea at Sanctum Soho Hotel. Head Chef Lisa Sutherland has created a sumptuous Gentleman's Afternoon Tea menu with ingredients such as Poached Oyster, Lamb Hotpot, Seared Steak, Smoked Salmon served with Jack Daniels and a cigar: http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/

Warning: Please don't blame me for inevitable weight gain!