Children in Need
Because we still have the BBC website as our homepage (and because my parents are quite comical about things like this) it has been impossible for us not to notice that it is Children in Need this weekend. Which brings on a strange feeling - not really of homesickness but more of nostalgia - nostalgia for being somewhere we'd actually recognise the people on a programme like that! Where we'd know all the names of the news readers doing their Bond tribute (sounds a little less terrifying than some of the previous offerings!). And where we'd get to see Terry and Kaplinkyplonky and understand. A few weeks ago we had an event at church of the week-long-guest-speaker variety. We had never heard of the guy but apparently he's quite famous in a Trevor McDonald sort of way. He was great and really easy to listen to and had amazing stories about people's lives and so on. So we were glad to be there but I think it was a totally different thing for us than for other people. We couldn't even pick him out of the audience before he stood up to speak. When there is so much shared "culture" (like American junk TV and soaps (with regard to Pomgirl's latest post, we don't get Eastenders here either - which surprised me considering we do get Corrie (though they refer to it as Corro...) and Emerdale. Odd)) it feels really noticeable how much isn't shared and how that is actually the more important stuff when it comes to feeling at home. What this has been developing in me is a strange attachment to the adverts on telly here. On the whole, I hate them. Loathe them. Despise the regularity of them (we watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban last night...it lasted three hours. It had 11 advert breaks.). But some of them, some of them, are hysterical. Blooming genius advertising! I won't try to explain any here, it just wouldn't work. The point is though, these more genius moments seem to have become my link (in my mind) to local culture. To being able to understand. Which is just a little strange, don't you think?
5 comments:
I liked your musings on *understanding* culture rather than just being *in* it. The real next point to look out for is when it becomes *your* culture somehow (not cue first year university discussion paper 'what is culture?'!). How would you recognise it? It would certainly be interesting to see if after a year you feel part of the NZ culture which then carries on when you are back.
Incidently, what do you think are the indicators that you are a 'local' in a place? I will start by saying when other people ask you for directions (and you can give them without aid of a map!).
Terry and Plinkplonk were indeed fabbo (I got to take sneaky looks at the TV whilst cleaning up bodily fluids etc. All good!) but the best (and I am a girl without any leanings towards newsreaders whether male or female) by far was Fiona Bruce in the gold catsuit. Excellence! Ooh and le Tart's friend Emily From Work presented a cheque to Terry! How jealous?!
Ruthie - I think even if we came home *now* there would already be things that would have changed in our personal culture - mostly vocab - but I don't know how long they would last. I suspect we are here too short term and have too much of a view of the end already for it to really become our culture but I may beproved wrong on that.
As to your other question - I think you are very right re maps & directions!! The other thing we are aware of is being dressed to a similar standard - i.e. we still wear a lot more layers than anyone else here, generally seem to be colder... and we keep our shoes on! But on the looking right thing, we'll never be able to change Husbink's hair colour so will always look pretty non-NZ. I shall ponder this more and see if I have further insights!
Welsherella - Jealous indeed!!! Glad Terry was on good form. I tried watching the news readers online but the picture wasn't great...I thought it must be Fiona Bruce in the catsuit but couldn't quite tell. I loved the Sophie Raworth/Jeremy Bowen bath bit! xxx
Oops. I had no idea it was on.
By the way, what's with the 'chippies' thing? It makes crisps suddenly so much cuter!
Snoo - doesn't it? I'm not fully into the swing of it yet but Husbink seems thoroughly caught on to chippies. Weird, eh?
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