ATTENTION VISITORS AND THE NEWLY REGISTERED!!!!!!

Chris OConnor · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:18 pm Post subject:

This is all helpful information. Us regulars need to do our best to make newcomers feel welcome. This type of forum can be intimidating at first, but once a person becomes comfortable and starts posting they tend to stick around for a long time.

Penelope · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 3:09 pm Post subject:

I am a well-known Lancashire Lurker.

I joined Booktalk because I tut tut all the time at the Americanisation of the UK. I get scared of the influence America has on our grey drizzly little island.

Confront what scares you eh?

Here am I being confrontational! - Here, there and everywhere - with the owner of this site's kind encouragement! I will post all over the place, wherever I feel provoked, until I feel at home somewhere.

And I do thank you for the opportunity.

Ophelia · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 4:02 pm Post subject:

Hi Penelope,

I think I'm not exactly the sort of person you were thinking of in terms of confrontations, but I do have a lot to say, and I'm sure other members will rise up to the challenge.

I am French. In 1990 I worked in San Diego, California, for a year, as a teacher (my first stay in the US).
Tell you what? It was DREADFUL. Cultural shock for a year, everybody was doing everything at top speed...
Someone announced to me (just because I was European) that HE did not understand British humour... and I was trying hard not to answer "I bet you don't!".

Well, work was dreadful, and the holidays (hiking in national parks) were bliss... but there was also the holiday in Hawai where I chose the quietest island and was greeted by a fair number of MacDonald's...
(This is the short version).

Then, in 1993, I went on a similar exchange programme in England and taught French for a year in Southampton.
Piece of cake! Everybody was behaving normally, etc...

But, what I'm driving to is... Never give up!
You're doing exactly the right thing by coming here.

My story is that, about a month ago, when I was looking for a book discussion forum, I didn't have a country in mind at all. Did I find an intersting forum in France, or in the UK? No!

And as for Americanization of the bleakest (ie financial) sort, aren't we responsible for not resisting?
During my year in England I went to ballets and wonderful things in London, but as far as cinemas were concerned, in Southampton it was American blockbusters or nothing, so I didn't go for a year. It doesn't have to be like this-- why don't we show more European films? Why did I know more about British cinema than my British colleagues?

I'll look forward to reading your posts Penelope, diversity is great. Smile

P-S: I see that you are from Cheshire. My two best friends in England are from Wilmslow. I've done some lovely walks with them in many different places.

Penelope · Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject:

I have never been to the US Ophelia. It is not fair of me to judge when I haven't been to see for myself is it? I have lots of cousins who live there, having emigrated when they were little children.

We get all sorts of television programmes from the US and of course the 'empty' films.

Because of all of this 'propaganda' I think most of the British people identify with the US. My husband and myself and 'some' of our friends feel more European. We love France and Belgium. We visit France often and feel at home there. Well we like your attitude to food - mostly. Not just about filling ones stomach - quickly. Fast Food - a curse from our US counterparts.

Our National newspapers report on what is happening in the USA and in the UK, but we get very little information about what is happening in Europe. We, for our part, still insist that we are Europeans!

We borrow films from the public library - Continental - we love the humorous ones - they don't insult our intellect by underlining everything in red. Actually we enjoy all foreign films - and watch Russian, Chinese, Afghan, Korean and in fact, anything we can lay our hands on. I am not so great with irony myself - I don't know what is so funny about Jane Austen.

But I do love the inovative American use of language. That makes me laugh and cheers me up. I really believe that there are good people in all nationalities, colours and creeds - but there are others who make you wonder! There are definitely national traits.....but as you say, God Bless the Mix....we only fear what we do not understand.

Ophelia · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:38 am Post subject:

Penelope wrote:

Penelope · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 3:32 pm Post subject:

In most areas of England, education is a mess. My daughter is a teacher of English Language at secondary school.

There is a lot of aggression/anger in our youth. They seem to choose any communal victim to release it. Looking for a common enemy.

The French are much to be admired - because they wont be pushed about. Perhaps we are just a lazy race, having accepted opinions fed to us by our right wing press.

I am not alone in my feeling of helplessness in the face of media power. We often feel ashamed of the behaviour of our football supporters when abroad. The press print zenophobic, provocative headlines - then berate the people for behaving like hooligans.

tlpounds

annaisabella · Eligible to vote! Joined: 08 Jan 2008 Posts: 13 Gender:

I also have my reasons for not posting as much as i want to and although they sound lame, that's the way it is.

I'm online only when i'm at work and as a HS Registrar, having to handle the paperwork of almost a thousand kids, leave me no time for almost nothing. Sometimes, when i get to read the stories at booktalk, i have to close the door of my office and just pretend i'm not in Twisted Evil

; then i can give the stories a quick read, print out what interests me most and take it home to read.

I rarely go online at home cuz the internet connection is really bad. I tried to post a message here once and it took almost 15 min to open the website and another 10 to log in! But, i do know what's going on and who posts what here and believe me, i do learn a lot more than i would by interacting with friends of mine here in Jakarta

Audrey · Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 12:08 am Post subject:

Well, let's see here, I joined because I love to read and I enjoy hearing other people's thought. I like to think it makes me a little smarter :]

ParanoidAndroid · Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Posts: 1 Gender:

because this website is infinately confusing


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