After a year spent living across the channel, I still think the French are arrogant, aloof and high-handed but will grudgingly admit I have a little more respect for them. Here’s what I learned…

British public transport is rubbish.

I was on a train from Lyon en route to Grenoble when it stopped unexpectedly for 10 minutes. Within seconds of grinding to a halt the conducteur’s voice boomed over the tannoy apologising for the delay. When we did set off a few minutes later, a member of staff came along and personally apologised to every passenger for the ‘disruption’ to the journey. Just like First Capital Connect would. I also failed to mention the splendour of the trains themselves. The glossy, double decker high-speed TGVs show the Gallic nation knows how to do transport.

Looking your best matters.

For a few months I lived with a French family in Limoges. Madame wouldn’t even go to the corner shop to buy a baguette without applying lipstick and throwing a scarf on in an‘elegant chic’ kind of way. She explained that French women all believe in “le no make-up look” but just knew how best to apply it to look their best. For the French, she said, one must look presentable at all times as you never know who you might comes across.

The French have a diet stuffed with cream, butter and cheese but aren’t fat.

You don’t see many overweight people waddling around France and the few you do spot may well be tourists or British ex-pats. Seeing as the French don’t diet or spend hours at the gym this seems a tad unfair. But you see, the French have the right attitude when it comes to food; they don’t snack, they savour their food (we bolt down a sandwich in the time it takes to butter a petit pain) and they’re passionate about cooking – junk food and ready meals rarely exist.

Rain is not always a bad thing.

Unlike us Brits who bemoan the weather on a daily basis, the French see the upside to the odd downpour. Rain makes the countryside beautifully green, rain means there won’t be a summer drought, rain means we can use a fancy umbrella…. you get my point.

The French are fiercely protective of their language.

Concerned about the invasion of the English language, the Academie Francaise creates new French words for American or English words. But sadly for the preservers of the French language it isn’t always successful. Take the 1980s iconic Sony Walkman. Fed up with people calling it a  ‘Walkman’ the AF insisted on usage of the word baladeur. It didn’t catch on. Radio stations are also required by law to play at least 40% of songs in French.

Politics matters.

Voting matters. And it’s not just the older folk who take an interest. The majority of teenagers argue theatrically over politics, they’re generally interested in the state of the economy or France’s international policies. I doubt the same could be said for their British counterparts.

Anything else you’d add to the list?

The post Lessons Learned From a Year in France appeared first on RTW Backpackers.

Spend just a few days in Australia and it becomes clear that language barriers do exist….you just have to know how to get round them!

It all starts with a visit to the pub, of course., or  hotels as they’re sometimes called in Australia.  You’re ready to order a pint of whatever it is you’re drinking and suddenly notice something rather alarming;

Wait, those aren’t pint glasses!

No, they’re schooner glasses and it’s basically the norm in Australia for a lager or ale to be served in one.  A schooner is 425ml, about 3/4 of a pint.  A friend told me a few weeks ago that beers are served this way as, if you were to sit in the Australian sun with a pint you’d probably get halfway through and find yourself drinking warm beer (never good) but I also sense it’s something to do with the stricter alcohol rules which Australia also has in place.

There are some pubs where you can buy a pint but you can also ask for something called a pot which holds 285ml  – you’ll often find that you’ll get a free pot of beer with a meal in some pubs as a meal deal.

The above applies to Queensland and Victoria but in New South Wales for some reason a pot is called a middie.

In South Australia and pot is a schooner.

In Western Australia a pot measures 575ml which, being slightly more than a pint, is usually just called a pint by all the English people living there.

Confused yet?

Maybe it’s time for a lie down……but not on the duvet.  Nope, in Australia a duvet is called a doona.

Maybe you wanted to drink at your hostel though instead of at the pub?  For this you’d need to go to the Bottle-O or bottle shop, generally an off license where you can buy 24 bottles or cans in a carton called a slab, a few stubbies (small, 375ml bottle of beer) or a tallie (a long-necked bottle of beer.)

Ooooh and don’t forget the goon; yes, it’s a gross cheap wine in a bag but it’s cheaper this way to get blotto, loose or magotted!

At some point you’re going to have to eat though right?

In Australia a pepper is a capsicum and an aubergine is an eggplant.

A courgette is a zucchini and if you want a toasted sandwich you need to ask for a jaffle.

A chicken is a chook and a lolly is what we’d probably refer to as sweets or candy.

tasty cheese is cheddar cheese and cheddar cheese is that plastic cheese normally reserved for barbeques and kids lunch boxes.

Want a sausage from the barbeque?  Ask for a snag and if you’re having it in between two pieces of bread it’s a sanger.

Many of the food names though are just shortened versions of the original.  If a word can be shortened you can guarantee that it will be in Australia:

Avocados are avos

Brecky is breakfast

Throw another shrimp (read prawn) on the barbie and get a stubbie from the Esky – an esky is an insulated container for food and drinks, usually taken to the beach to keep your beers cold!

That famous Australian dessert, the pavlova?  Call it a pav.

Need to pop to the corner shop?  Here it’s a milk bar.

And there’s no need to waste your breath asking for a cappuccino, that’s far too much effort, just call it a cap!

And these are just a few of the many ‘Australianisms’ I’ve come across!  Can you think of any more?

The post The Beginner’s Guide to the Australian Language appeared first on RTW Backpackers.