Brit Abroad - European not so much
Practising blending in (Photo: Elizabeth Williams)
As a Brit abroad in Italy while on my study placement and one of only two British Erasmus students at my university, I have become increasingly, and indeed painfully aware that the channel separates me from the continent more than just geographically. Not only that, but the mounting Visa stresses and constant reminders of Brexit’s ever-toxic fallout have left me thinking, just what must they think of us lot?
Although we exist just a few nautical miles from the shores of France, the label of European by no means extends culturally to our nation. I’ve found I have the tendency to flinch at the common Southern European ‘two kisses on the cheeks’ greeting, while simultaneously setting any conversation on an awkward course by ending it with ‘love’ or ‘darling’ at the wrong time, to the wrong person. In fact I think I first distanced myself from the suaveness of the French, Spanish and Italian students when I produced an Ellesse bucket hat at the beach… or when asked which kind of tea I wished to order in a café, I panicked and replied ‘just normal’. I’m still mortified.
After these faux pas, I very quickly realised that no amount of beret wearing or knowledge of coffee etiquette was going to help me shed the Union Jack apparently plastered on my forehead. So I tried to keep my head down, entering shops with a simple ‘Buongiorno’ in the best northern Italian accent I could muster. Yet still, I was always shot down with the classic ‘Any help let me know’. As I'm sure every language student, or any bilingual person may agree, nothing is more irritating than the shop assistant or receptionist immediately greeting you in English. I mean, I know I’m certainly not Italian looking in the traditional sense, but with such a multicultural atmosphere in most cities, it’s a shame that the Queen’s is the immediate go-to.
These experiences have really made me think, which preconceived notions of ‘Britishness’ am I falling into that seem to set off an English alarm whenever I enter a room? To get to the bottom of this I conducted a highly scientific experiment with the help of my friends Veronica and Ludovica in the sala studenti of L’Universita’ degli studi di Genova.
I asked first what Italians’ stereotypical perceptions were of the British, outlining immediately that any comments about bad teeth or Harry Potter were banned from the experiment.
Veronica responded ‘Mi piacciono’ (‘I like them’), before elaborating on the stereotypes she had heard surrounding our lifestyle: ‘Bevono tè tutto il giorno, e piove sempre’ (‘They drink tea all day and it's always raining’). Pretty standard I thought, and honestly pretty true, although, my usual 5 cups a day has shrunk to 3 here, being partly replaced by coffee. When in Rome of course.
Ludovica agreed, adding ‘Mangiano male’ (‘They eat badly’). Now this preconception is partly true, but I think stems from a narrower historical stereotype about bland ‘British’ food. I must admit that while at Uni I’ve made some questionable family classics, all originating from a jar or packet, and all involving a microwave at some point. Yet, I'm always finding myself eternally jealous of my British-Desi friends’ home food, and I bet any Italian would be equally as excited to be offered a fresh roti from an old ice cream tub after a visit from the parents. So I think it’s safe to say that this stereotype may only apply to those like me, whose spice cabinet consists solely of salt and pepper (if you're lucky). Moving onto behaviour, I asked what they personally thought about us lot, how would they identify a Brit in a room of people?
Immediately, the word ‘Altezzoso’ meaning haughty or arrogant emerged, both Ludovica and Veronica proceeded to explain how our more reserved behaviours can come across as stuck-up. Reserved I get, I think my polite smiling has had to increase tenfold while abroad, especially at times when my Italian skills feel about A1. But stuck-up and arrogant? This immediately reminded me of the unsteady political climate in the UK this past summer and the flag mania that gripped my (predominantly white) hometown. Events which made me, and many others reflect on this apparent national arrogance and idea of a ‘Great’ Britain. I suppose we carry this with us abroad, an ingrained belief that our way is the best way, the unspoken expectation that shouting slowly in English will suffice and the all too familiar tendency not to learn another language further than ‘One beer please’.
In my experience abroad, I’ve felt quite the opposite of arrogant. I felt a pang of guilt during a guided tour of a beautiful Italian cathedral, when the tour guide drew the group's attention to an unexploded British bomb lodged in the wall as the entire group turned slowly to face me. On top of this, I found myself apologising as a Polish Erasmus student recounted his travels in Athens and lamented on the extortionate entrance fee of the Parthenon. To which I added, ‘Unfair since half of it’s still in the British Museum’. It’s safe to say I did not get many laughs. In fact my co-editor Lucy also found herself in an awkward situation after she was asked to make an introductory presentation on her home country, which was then followed by two PowerPoints on India and Ghana. Two countries with shameful British colonial histories.
As I’m sure many will agree, British is a label that carries weight, and rightfully so really. Yet it’s also a label inherited through years of meaningless conversations on the weather, ‘you alright’s and queuing, a label that sticks out in an awkward manner, and can be impossible to shake off. I’m not sure if I'll ever match the cool European wavelength, but if there’s one element of Britishness I’m going to harness while abroad, it's going to be humility (along with drinking tea, of course). Because who wants to be ‘Altezzosa’…