the world from a different point of view

In the last two months we had the pleasure to take a peek into the lives of two expats, one Slovenian and one Hungarian. Both Danijela, working in Hungary, and Bori, staying in Germany, reported to be satisfied with their choice of living in a foreign country but admitted the hardships coming from the fact that they communicate in English in a country whose native language is different. Today I brought you Eszter, who has chosen to work in a country whose official language is English. Ladies and gentleman, let's hear about life in Scotland.

Welcome to our TEA room. Are you already fed up with drinking tea, or your Scottish stay hasn't made a negative impact on you in these regards?

Thanks for the tea and the invitation. I'm not fed up neither with tea, nor malt whiskey yet. = )

Good, then let's get started. Why did you decide to leave your home country?

I had several reasons. The most important is that I need money to travel around the world, and earning it in Hungary takes ages. Secondly, I want to be an appreciated bartender in a fancy cocktail bar, but without significant experience and acquaintances it's hardly possible at home. Finally, it's fun to live a totally different life.

So you enjoy being an expat?

Eventually, yes. I like this role: being a cute little foreigner. However, sometimes it's a bit disappointing when someone thinks I'm dumb, just because I don't understand something. But I guess it's more rather me that thinks I'm dumb if I don't understand exactly what I was told or can't express myself properly. But I've still got a lot of time to improve.

Well, as I hear, you have some difficulties in communication. How does the English you learned in school relate to the actual usage of the locals?

Scottish English is notorious... it's hardcore, like any other dialect in the UK. The English language we learned at school isn't spoken by almost anybody, except for the cute, old English ladies wearing pearl and drinking tea. And there are also differences between Scottish accents. For example the Western or Glaswegian is terrible...  

Huh, terrible. And what is your experience about the Scottish themselves? 

Since I'm working in a hotel, we have had a lot of weddings, and it's cute to see that at the altar both people are wearing skirts, even though one of them is called 'kilt'.  Scottish people are friendly with some strange traditions they are so proud of.

 

Did you have any other memorable or funny incident, related to language use?

It was two years ago, when I was working on the west coast as a waitress. When my manager on my very first day turned to me and said 'Tablesex!', I was a bit shocked. Because of course, everything for the career, but I found it slightly inappropriate. (Besides, she wasn't my type at all.) It took me a second to realize that she was just referring to Table 6 and asking me to take their orders. 

Funny, indeed. Lucky you that you didn’t start undressing! Finally, to turn to a more serious tone, what advice would you give to someone considering to live abroad?

If you have the opportunity, take it. In the beginning it's going to be hard, but not as scary as you thought before... And your decision doesn't need to last till eternity: if you had enough or changed your mind, you can go somewhere else or back home. But it's worth to see the world from a different point of view. And it's pretty good to feel that your money has got an actual value.

Good luck with the delicious cocktails and fancy bars! Invite us over once.