This is ‘studying in England’ week here at Gloriously Dismal. In case you missed it, yesterday I gave a not-so-brief overview of the application process, loans, and random tidbits that you might find useful and today I’m delving into some reading that will help you come to grips with your newfound home.
Like most people I’m a little more biased towards books that I’m currently reading, which means the first on this list has to be Watching the English by Kate Fox.
This book is worth the money purely for its description of freshers week. Here’s a taste: “Students like to describe Freshers’ Week as ‘mad’ and ‘anarchic’ but, like most episodes of cultural remission, it is in fact a rule-governed, predictable, conventionalized deviation from convention. Certain normal social rules are suspended or inverted for the duration of the festivities — talking to strangers, for example is not only allowed but actively encouraged: one of the many guides to Freshers’ Week produced by student unions reminds initiates that this is ‘probably the only time in your life’ that you will be free to approach and strike up conversation with complete strangers, and urges you to make the most of the opportunity. The subtext is equally clear: after Freshers’ Week is over, the normal rules of Englishness apply, and talking to strangers without good cause is no longer acceptable.”
Next up is a book that is not entirely useful but still pretty good fun: Knickers in a Twist: A Dictionary of British Slang, by Jonathan Bernstein.
Quick! What do bash the bishop, fanny magnet, totty, and minge have in common? You’ll have to turn to page 155 and read the chapter on sex to find out. As a side note do not use the words you find in this book, a lot of them are frightfully outdated and will solicit you some stares.
And, of course, a reading list on England would not be complete without a little commentary from Uncle Bill. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson will give you a good intro to the UK and you’ll probably come away from it knowing way more history than is actually necessary for day-to-day life, but you’ll still be happy to know it nonetheless.
“If you mention in the pub that you intend to drive from, say, Surrey to Cornwall, a distance that most Americans would happily go to get a taco, your companions will puff their cheeks, look knowingly at each other, and blow out air as if to say, ‘Well, now that’s a bit of a tall order,’ and then they’ll launch into a lively and protacted discussion of whether it’s better to take the A30 to Stockbridge and then the A303 to Ilchester or the A361 to Glastonbury via Shepton Mallet.”
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that if you’re interested in studying abroad then you’re probably also interested in travel. If I’m climbing out too far feel free to reel me back in. Vagabonding by Rolf Potts will help you to not freak the f*ck out that you’ve just decided to move half-way across the world at the ripe old age of 17. There’s something comforting about knowing that dumber and more adventurous people have gone before you. You’ll be fine.
“This book is not for daredevils and thrill seekers but for anyone willing to make an uncommon choice that allows you to travel the world for weeks and months at a time, improvising (and saving money) as you go.” I’m not so sure about saving money bit, but the improvisation part is right!
Let’s jump into some hardcore history here with The Thistle and the Rose: Six Centuries of Love and Hate Between the Scots and the English by Allan Massie. I haven’t read this one yet, but I’m sure I’ll get there.
So, there you have it! Five books that will give you a taste of life in England. Tomorrow’s post is going to be all about getting a student visa and the UK Border A-holes, ahem, I mean Agency.
Amy x
