I was having a chat with an American friend of mine about how English people (and I'm guessing other Europeans too) and American people see time very differently because of the way it's treated in their countries generally. I see 100 years as a blink, she sees it as an eternity.
-
Show this thread
-
To her a house from the 1950's is old. To me it's so new it's like it's out of a box. To her a house from the Victorian era is a museum piece, to me it's the house I grew up in. To her a book that's 100 years old is to be treated reverently, to me, it's just something to read.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
We see space and distance differently too. What to me is travelling the width of the county, is to her, the same as visiting the next town. For me, going from London to Glasgow is a really long way, to her it's basically a day trip. It's weird to think about.
2 replies 0 retweets 0 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @JayHulmePoet
The distance thing is super weird when I talk to Europeans. "I've never been to ____." Me: "But it's only 3 hours away! I've left after work to pick something up at a store three hours away! And then went home!"
1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes -
Replying to @EmilyGorcenski
I think about how confused I am when Americans are shocked by the age of things, and if you guys are feeling the same way when we are shocked by distances then honestly, I get how weird it is, and how ridiculous we must seem to you.
2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @JayHulmePoet @EmilyGorcenski
I think it's related to our perceptions of space in relation to our tiny nations. Like, travelling three hours in one country seems like a much shorter journey than one of the same length that crosses national borders, even when they're open and take no effort to cross.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
In all my travel to Berlin, I've never met a German who has even entertained the idea of learning Czech and Prague is a beautiful city closer to Berlin than I am to Philadelphia.
-
-
Replying to @EmilyGorcenski
Oh I love Prague! But yeah, the language thing is a problem, particularly in England where the mindset is generally "everyone will, or should, speak English". The system for teaching foreign languages at school here is awful, and it shows.
0 replies 0 retweets 2 likesThanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.