Sometimes English is weird. There is, of course, the example of ‘pineapple’, which manages to be called ‘ananas’ in all the other languages:
Etymoline.com informs me that the word ‘pineapple’ comes from ‘pine’ + ‘apple’ (really helpful there), which still makes about zero sense. I’ve just done a similar search for ‘shower’ (because isn’t etymology fun?!) after realising that the German word for ‘shower’ is Dusche. Much as it’s douche in French, and душ (‘dush’) in Russian. Why don’t we have the same word as the French or German? Interestingly, I found that ‘shower’ comes from the proto-Germanic skuraz/later German Schauer, being like a rain shower. I can see how this would fit with the English mentality of having one’s own personal rain-cloud following one around :p
I’m now in the UK, and as usual, refusing to believe in jet lag. This is the seventh time I’ve moved hemispheres (Australia-UK-Australia-UK-Australia-Russia-Australia-Europe), and I’ve travelled between the two more than that of course. I’ve left the UK on a Saturday and been at work in Australia on the Monday several times now, and done the same the other way around as well. I even have a vague recollection of going straight from the international airport in Aus to work. Apparently refusing to believe in jet lag works out for me, and I blame it all on my system flying over. I generally fly Etihad, so it’s all about staying awake for the first 10 or so hours of the flight then having a 3 or 4-hour nap; cleaning your teeth, washing your face and changing your socks in Abu Dhabi to feel human again; then sleeping immediately once you get on the plane for the last 8-10 hours. That’s pretty much what I did this time, apologising to my poor body as I took a sleeping pill once on the plane in the UAE. And hey, it’s worked: I stayed awake all day in Germany, went to bed at 19:45 that night in the UK, slept through until 6 the next morning, then stayed awake with two micro-naps until nearly 23:00. Haha in saying that, I was pretty seriously confused for the first few hours yesterday, and I woke up just now needing to throw up. My poor body doesn’t know what’s hit it!
After my bonding experience with creepy Ronald in Düsseldorf airport, I went on a mission to check in for my flight. I’d managed to get a business class ticket for only 15 euro extra, and as if it wasn’t totally worth it to spend the day chilling in the lounge! Now, if my prior ridiculous behaviour in Russia, Finland, the UK and Greece didn’t give it away, I don’t take airports very seriously. At least this time it was airline staff rather than border security I was taking the piss with: I went to check in and the guy said “I need to see a passport”. I replied with “just any passport, or did you want to see mine?” He laughed then looked at me disbelievingly and asked “why, how many passports do you have with you?” “Obviously a bagful,” I replied. Haha asking ‘concept checking questions’/CCQs unfortunately comes with the English teaching territory I’m afraid—if you say something ambiguous, or use the wrong word, I’m 100% going to fuck with you. I’m sure it’s never annoying..!
Little else entertaining happened in the airport—one guy asked me rather indignantly why I didn’t speak German, which made me laugh; I had silly conversations with a lot of randoms; and then I wound up in the lounge. Sadly (!) the business class lounge was closed for the day, given it was xmas, so I had to put up with the first class lounge. Lame, am I right?! So I ate lots of delicious food and had a shower in a gorgeous bathroom (hence the pre-occupation with the word for ‘shower’), and generally had a good time.
I flew into Manchester later that day and waited for my friend Tilly for an hour or so, then she picked me up and took me back to Liverpool, where I am now. So far it’s been very chilled—yesterday we pretty much hung out, ate chocolate, watched Netflix, and watched snow fall on the skylight. What’s a bit weird is that I can’t stand how early it gets dark in the northern UK: when I lived in Manchester it used to really get to me, and it was dark well before 4pm here yesterday. Yet when I was in Russia it was night all day, and I kind of loved it. There’s just a different feeling about it here.
One last burst of entertainment, because I’m well aware I’m absolutely waffling right now. One of my friends and I were talking about going out, and they said that they couldn’t, because “actually I’m out on bail at the moment”. I pause, as I know they’re staying with their parents at the mo. So I go “out on bail? You mean, from your parents? From your friends?”. My friend pauses. “Well I was arrested.” Hahahahahahahahahaha. Actual bail. Bail from the police. For partying-related offences. Hilarious!
Apart from that, i’d forgotten how hard it is to understand scouse accents. It was only slightly more difficult to understand people speaking German, so a completely different language, than it is to understand people here. The different words and slang don’t help, but the accent is just insane. Priceless.