Transcript of Bonus Ep 13 - Pt. 1 Transcript

Charlie:
Welcome to The British English Podcast, the show all about British culture and British English, and today we have an American back on the show. We have Shana from The American English Podcast, and we're going to be talking about going to places that only our dreams can imagine, hopefully. I did an episode with Harry on this, a few episodes back, called Off The Beaten Track, and we're going to be doing the same kind of episode, but this time with an American. See where an American would like to go and and yeah, see what language comes out of it as well. So welcome, Shana, and how are you doing today?

Shana:
Thanks so much for having me, Charlie. I'm doing really, really well. Actually, I have been anticipating this day for a long time. Not talking to you. No offence, my daughter. No, I'm very excited to talk to you. I'm just kidding. But my daughter had her first day of pre-school today and we were on the wait list for one full year and she had a wonderful day. The teacher was so excited that she was so ready and making friends, and I'm just in shock. Yeah. Yes.

Charlie:
Oh, wonderful. So pre-school, I think British people would say Nursery or Reception, but I'm not sure which one you mean. What age is she?

Shana:
She's two and a half.

Charlie:
How old is she?

Shana:
Right.

Charlie:
Ok. So nursery.

Shana:
Yeah, so we could call it. I mean, actually accidentally called it a day-care to the woman who's in charge. And she said, No, we have credentials. We are a pre-school. And so it kind of gives the impression that they're going to be teaching and reading and being involved in the development of the children. So that was sort of the little difference I saw there.

Charlie:
So we could say, you put your foot in your mouth by saying...

Shana:
Yeah, yeah, yes, I have a little bit of foot and mouth disease. That's something my husband mentions to me on occasion. So yes.

Charlie:
I've never heard that joke before. That is that- that disease that went around the UK 20 years ago, I think. Foot and mouth disease, isn't it for- for farm animals?

Shana:
I- I- you know what? I think possibly. But in American English, it's also an expression for someone who constantly says the wrong thing in the wrong place and time. So that's something, for example, my dad has like, if you know someone's cross-eyed, he might mention something about it. Start telling a joke about a cross-eyed judge and you go, Oh God, no, don't go in that direction, don't do this. And he- and he says it. So we'd say he has 'foot in mouth disease'.

Charlie:
Yeah, that's- that's really good. I love this already straight away. So, yeah, we would say, put your foot in your mouth. There are a couple of other idioms or 'put your foot in it'. Yeah, 'put your foot in it'. But 'foot and mouth disease' was a real disease that killed many cattle. It created- I do know of it. Do you know of the disease?

Shana:
I vaguely remember this. I- I did a podcast episode on this expression, and I don't think I even mentioned the actual disease. But what happened exactly?

Charlie:
It- it was just a problem that meant that we had to unfortunately kill a lot of animals throughout the whole of the UK because it was spreading like wildfire, this disease. And my family, I know of this. I very clearly know of this because I was about 10 or 11 and my parents have sheep, which is a whole another conversation. But we were very worried about this foot and mouth disease coming to our sheep and affecting and infecting them and then causing them to have to be...

Shana:
Wow.

Charlie:
They didn't...

Shana:
Survive... Because it was that also known. Sorry, just to- last thing on that, was that also called Mad Cow Disease by chance? Is, are they the same thing? No.

Charlie:
No, that- that's a different thing. But yeah, that was another thing that happened. And that is another reason why I can't give blood in Australia.

Shana:
What?

Charlie:
Yeah, how mad is that?

Shana:
...is that connected? You're a mad cow?

Charlie:
Because apparently it's in our blood. I'm a mad cow. Yeah, so mad cow disease, again, is another disease that happened in, I think it just- not just in the UK, but in the UK, certainly it happened. Do you know when-.

Shana:
I remember my mom was going on a trip to France and it was the big talk of, Oh, that was definitely over ten years ago, I believe. So, but in the 2000s, I think. If I'm not mistaken.

Charlie:
Yeah, ok, so it happened- it happened across the- across Europe, then by the sounds of it, right?

Shana:
Possibly.

Charlie:
Yeah.

Shana:
I need some research.

Charlie:
Ok, Australia, being an island and very far away from the disease, didn't get it and and I can't give blood because of it. It's interesting. Anyway...

Shana:
So odd.

Charlie:
How did we get into that? The- the significant day? Yeah, it's- it's a significant day for you, not just because you're speaking to me because your daughter went to pre-school. That's fantastic. My sister has actually experienced a similar situation, but her daughter is going to actual school now. And she said to me, "It's unbelievable, Charlie. It's five days of paid day-care. I- like, free. I can't believe it. It's so good!" And I never thought of it like that. But you must feel like that as well.

Shana:
Yes, I feel your sister. For sure. It's, you know, a long time in waiting. I mean, school here is paid. I mean, pre-school is paid. So it's not- I haven't really felt the full extent of that, but just having someone else be in charge of my child and, you know, know that they're in a good place and teaching and being cared for, it just- it's such a relief. To the point, like, I didn't even know what to do today, and I'm sure your sister kind of had that same moment where you go. It's like an early retirement. Like, Do I just- do I- do I read, do I... I mean, I have another kid, so I wasn't going to read, but you know, you have a significant amount of extra time that you didn't have before. So it's- it's nice.

Charlie:
Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Well, we haven't caught up in a while, and I do want to ask you lots of questions about your- your trip that you've just been on, but let's save it for during the process of going through your- your dream trip away in the game that I like to call Off The Beaten Track. So let's get straight into it and we'll talk about all the things around it. So the first question, Off The Beaten Track, again is your ideal itinerary for an adventure or a relaxation, whatever you like. And the first question is driving or flying? Driving or flying? How are we getting there? And what are we doing in the way of transport?

Shana:
Do I have to choose driving or flying?

Charlie:
You don't have to. No, you don't have to.

Shana:
Well, that's the thing. I just took a long plane flight to Brazil with my daughters, and we were that family that woke up the entire plane in the middle of the night. So flying with a baby is not something that I would want to do on a dream trip. I would avoid that at all costs. Driving, similar thing. We went on a trip recently in California. I thought road trip, great times, and it was not so wonderful. So I would prefer to go on a high speed train or a hyperloop if one existed.

Charlie:
Is a Hyperloop the Elon Musk dream?

Shana:
Yes. Yeah, that.

Charlie:
Can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Shana:
Yeah! So a hyperloop, it was something thought up by Elon Musk, and he kind of left it open sourced. So anybody in the world, any team can get together and think up how they can make a hyperloop happen. So a hyperloop is actually a mode of transportation that is supposedly faster than an aeroplane, faster than a- high speed trains that you would find in Japan or in Germany. And it functions through what's called magnetic levitation. So they use magnets and I guess, air flow to kind of make this little pod travel at extremely high speeds and so that I would love to to go on if it existed. But they just did the first trial run in Nevada, and it worked. So maybe sometime, 10 years down the road or so. But yeah, so if this is, I have to know in this game, am I allowed to choose, like, things that don't exist?

Charlie:
Definitely. Ok. Yeah, you are. I was also going to pull you up on the the fact that you felt bad for other people in an aeroplane, but you could have a private jet. You could have your own...

Shana:
True. Private jet, though also is a little bit frightening. I feel a really small plane travelling long distances,

Charlie:
Don't you?

Shana:
Not really. My cup of tea.

Charlie:
Oh OK. Ok, fair enough. Fair enough. Yeah, but the Hyperloop, thinking about it, I would say the Hyperloop is an amazing piece of engineering, but I would use it- I would see it as more of an efficient solution to something, not as a luxurious mode of transport for your, you know, dream holiday.

Shana:
Right? Well, I suppose if you're strapped down in the pod, that's moving. That would be a little bit frustrating, but if you could see outside the windows? I mean, I guess if it's above ground, then I think that would be pretty cool. Maybe, I don't know if things would be flying by too fast or not, but I'm- what I'm thinking about with this- this whole idea of being able to sit down and maybe get up is just being able to move from one place to another without having, you know, the squirming child screaming in my lap. Yeah, so.

Charlie:
That's- that's- that's the solution, is it? Whatever the mode of transport is, as long as you can move your child away from you from time to time, that's what you want.

Shana:
Yes. And actually, I mean, in the- you have a lot of train. I- I read Harry Potter, you guys have lots of trains and- in England, right?

Charlie:
Oh, we have a train or two, yeah we do.

Shana:
And in the trains, they're nice, right, luxurious that you get that sort of, I don't know, comfort and like, you're in a nice hotel, but moving, right? I mean, you have those sorts of trans-

Charlie:
I wouldn't- I wouldn't go that far. If you're- if you're thinking about the Harry Potter trains, you're not going to- you're not going to be satisfied if you tran- travel through London or the south of England too much. It's more of a bog standard train, but I will say for the listener, the two countries are very different in terms of public transport. You guys don't have a train infrastructure like we do, like Europe does really, because you guys rely on- on cars, don't you? You've got a much more sophisticated highway system and you all have your own cars.

Shana:
Right. And we have a train system that was built a really long time ago. It's- it doesn't really hit that many places. The United States is just so massive. So, yeah, it's not. I would- it's not as nice. It takes really, a really long time to get from one place to the other. If, say, for example, you go on the East Coast, the Amtrak, we call it. But yeah, no, I can imagine in Europe I would enjoy going on one of your nicer trains that are used to having more, I guess, customers, it's not customers. What would you call it? Passengers, called passengers.

Charlie:
Passengers, there we go!

Shana:
Oh, yeah, just- I mean, in those cars where you can sit down and have a cup of coffee, relax a little bit, you know, that- I think that sort of environment would be nice.

Charlie:
That's true. Yeah.

Shana:
Yes.

Charlie:
Oh yeah. Germany, Germany has very- that- they have that. Yeah, they have nice- a nice experience on the train, sometimes double decker, nice seats, and it's very stable and speedy.

Shana:
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Ok, so high speed train. I'm going to go with high speed train. Not necessarily. Not necessarily the Hyperloop. Too risky, I think right now. So I'll go with the high speed train as my final answer, Charlie.

Charlie:
Yeah, you don't want to be the guinea pig. Thank you for that. You don't want to be a guinea pig, do you? You guys use guinea pig as the person that is trying it, can you?

Shana:
Yes, we do.

Charlie:
Mm hmm. Ok, so you're you're taking the train. Nice. The next question I will ask, but I'm going to allow for some advert break right now, probably an e-book of mine or a reminder of the worksheet or something like that and we will come back.

Shana:
Sounds wonderful!

Charlie:
Ok, so we're back and let's get into the second question, which is to travel solo or not to travel solo, that is the second question.

Shana:
Good question. I have done a lot of solo travel and so I feel like now I'm ready to have some experiences with my family. And so I definitely would choose going with my husband and my two daughters, Julia and Clara.

Charlie:
Nice. Ok. Even though you said that it's, you know, a bit hard to travel with your...

Shana:
Yeah. No, I just got to find the ways to make it easier. That's- that's the- that's the goal.

Charlie:
What would you say- you know, talking emotionally, why do you want to share it with your family?

Shana:
Well, I actually like them!

Charlie:
What? Can you explain that?

Shana:
You know, it's funny. Well, the thing is, I was very fortunate in my past to travel a lot. My husband, he spent most of his 20s working really hard to get where he is. He's a music producer. And it just- it took a lot of time and effort, so he hasn't travelled as much as me. And so it's really exciting to see the look on his face when we go someplace new. It's a different sort of look that I feel like I had. Maybe when I was 16 or 17 going to places for the first time.

Shana:
My daughters, I think it's more of seeing how they will react to people and different- I mean, just every experience is new for them. So if they're trying, I don't know, say, for example, we're in Brazil and they're trying some, I don't know, catfish for the first time. It's like, I have- we haven't had catfish here, but it's something new and they- they like it. It's- it just feels like a moment of excitement in my body. It's kind of a surge of, I don't know, like, I get little- I don't even know what it's called, like little jitters or something like, yeah, it's very...

Charlie:
Yeah.

Shana:
Yeah, it's just a nice feeling.

Charlie:
Magical. Much deeper than travelling solo, but important to have that part before to be able to then show them. Yeah, that must be really nice. A deeper, deeper understanding of what it is to travel.

Shana:
Have you- have you done a bit of solo travelling?

Charlie:
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I've done a lot of that. I haven't, for the last two years. We've been locked in to Australia, locked in Sydney, really. Pretty much. We've explored a little bit. But yeah, this is the least amount of travelling we've done in the last ten years. I remember- I apologise for everyone who's upset by carbon footprint, but I remember Stacey counted. With work, she once did 50 flights in one year.

Shana:
Woah.

Charlie:
So she was going all over the place with work. I was also going to different places, but I don't think I have that count of 50 flights.

Shana:
So I'm guessing you didn't go with her on those flights?

Charlie:
I went to- I went to some places, yeah. And one of the places she promised me a really nice accommodation in Copenhagen.

Shana:
Wow.

Charlie:
And because she was getting really nice, big hotel rooms with massive king sized beds.

Shana:
What- what-

Charlie:
And then that- that one,

Shana:
What does she do? Sorry. Sorry to interrupt you.

Charlie:
Oh she's a- yeah, yeah, she's a princess. No, she's a graphic designer,

Shana:
Very important graphic designer, apparently.

Charlie:
Well, she worked for Puma or Puma, as the Germans would say, for a couple of years and then before that, Abercrombie and Fitch. So she was in the apparel or the fashion design industry, and they would go to lots of other countries for inspiration trips and to see the factories and stuff. Yeah, Copenhagen was a fashion- it was the Fashion Week, and she said, "Yeah, come, I've got an accommodation for you. You don't have to pay for anything. You just get the flights."

Charlie:
I got over there and then she signed in and it was a single bed and there was barely any room, even on the floor, because it was like a really bouti- boutique, quirky hotel. So it wasn't the dream that I had imagined. But yeah,

Shana:
That's fun. How fun.

Charlie:
I occasionally went with her to places.

Shana:
It's nice to have those experiences too.

Charlie:
But yeah, I look forward to being a family man and sharing that love. Yeah. Ok, so you're travelling with your family? Nice! Third question. You ready for it? All right. Resort or road trip?

Shana:
Hmm. So road trip, I'm thinking if you go on a road trip, you're sort of roughing it right? You're like, don't- I mean, I could go on a road trip and stay on resorts- in resorts along the way, right?

Charlie:
You can. Yeah, you can. You can pick and choose, really. The question is just to see your reaction to the word resort. A lot of people have an assumption about resort.

Shana:
I've never been to a resort. I don't think. So.

Charlie:
Oh, really?

Shana:
And you know what, actually, probably up until the point I had kids, I was that sort of person that you would see with a backpack on and travelling like Europe with no clothes and like hippie style. So like- like no, no clothes in my backpack, like just like the same, like, with the clothes on my back, like wearing them every day and stinky. So I was that type of person. Honestly, I think a resort, even though I'm sure some people will think, 'Oh, that's pretentious' or, you know, like, that's a everybody, you know, is- they're- they're serving you too- I don't know what's- what's your impression of the word resort? Like, because you gave off like an impression, like the idea that people judge that word?

Charlie:
Yeah, I think British travellers would assume that somebody who goes on a resort kind of holiday is somebody who just wants to sit and sunbathe and drink alcohol in a half or full board hotel. So half board, like you get breakfast and maybe another meal paid for in the bar and you can just order what you want. And loads of drinks but full board would be the extreme of that. So you get everything paid for. And a lot of people have that like as an ideal. They- they think, okay, I'm going to wait and then do two weeks in Ibiza or in the south of Spain. And I'm just going to sit in one place and drink as much as I can and eat as much as I can. And people like yourself who like to travel would probably look down on that and think, where's your sense of adventure?

Shana:
I think I would like to hop from one resort to another. I just- having not done it before. I like to go out and do things that are off the beaten path and just getting to know places that you know, locals go to and not having that experience that all tourists will have if they go to a location. I don't like that. But at the same time, just given where I am in life, I'm feeling like a resort. Someone catering to me and delivering food to my table, sitting right next to me sounds pretty, pretty nice. Like I wouldn't mind a cocktail, you know, being delivered right now to my- to my table. That would be kind of nice, I don't know.

Charlie:
I think it's different once you're a family.

Shana:
Yeah.

Charlie:
Yeah. As a single person, it might be a bit strange to- not strange, but just if you're an adventurer, you would find that hard to believe, just to sit down. But as a mum, I can imagine, yeah, all you want to do is just put your feet up and have someone bring you a pina colada.

Shana:
Although I have to admit the idea of a cruise would still bug me a little bit. Like being on a boat for a very long period of time and not being able to make decisions for myself on a moment's notice that I want to go and explore some place. And being out in the ocean because it's just a lot of the same. I think that would be problematic. What about you? Like, do you- would you be interested in going on cruises, or...

Charlie:
Again, only- only my opinion could be wrong, but I feel like you guys have a lot more cruise holidays. We still have them, of course, but I think we- we have that resort idea. Are you saying that resort holidays aren't as popular? Maybe that's the replacement. You go on cruises. We go on resort trips...

Shana:
Possibly. I'm think- we do have a lot of resorts that we go to in Mexico. Like you hear a lot of Americans that go to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta, you can pronounce that better than me, with your Spanish lessons. But, but yeah, but in the United States, it's not as common. I don't think so.

Charlie:
Cruise ships? Yeah, I actually do want to go on one because I've never been on one. So I want to try it. But there is a stereotype attached to it. I think the same as you as it's a little bit like you're being force fed a tourist attraction or a touristy itinerary.

Shana:
Yeah, I gotcha. Yeah.

Charlie:
So before we go on to the next question, are there any adventures that you've been on that you'd like to include in this? Because we haven't actually got any tangible, like real examples of what- what this trip is? I know how you're getting there, but I can't imagine where you're going.

Shana:
Yes. Ok, so I have two places in mind where I'd want to go and where I've been. Well, I've been in a lot of- to a lot of places before. So just to give an idea of where I- I lived in Germany for two years and also I did an intensive French programme in France for three months. I lived in Spain for a year and- in Spain for one year. Right along the Santiago de Compostela. So I did- I started that pilgrimage, which I heard in Harry's podcast. You talked about the same thing. I was one of- you guys were making fun of people along that path. It is very- it's becoming more touristy. I get that. But for me, you know what? Yeah, I put you on the spot. I did that.

Charlie:
I- yeah, you did. No, I wasn't taking the piss. I was just observing that I was going at a faster speed than the Walkers. Nothing more.

Shana:
Did you do it all the way to Compostela?

Charlie:
No. I was doing a different route. I was just going from France down to Pamplona on a bicycle.

Shana:
Ah, that's a very nice- that's a very nice. I did that walk from there. The- I forgot- Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or something like that to the- to Pamplona. Also, I did that part of the walk. So you maybe- maybe passed right by.

Charlie:
Wow. Respect. That's a lot of miles.

Shana:
No. Well, that- that actually is only, I think, three or four days that up until that point, I kept going and I lived in Logroño, which is like La Rioja, Spanish wine country. And so actually it's along the route. And so I used to see all of the people walking through it on a regular basis. And this is when I was teaching English in that area of Spain and I realised like, I need to do this, like if I'm right here and right in this location, I- so I booked a trip on a moment's notice and ended up in the mountains, very cold with my little backpack. I had mentioned like no clothes. Like, no, no, absolutely nothing. Not prepared. Wearing like Chuck Taylors on my feet and ready.

Charlie:
Ah, question. What are Chuck Taylors?

Shana:
Like those All Star shoes, you know, with...

Charlie:
Ahh.

Shana:
We call them just Chucks.

Charlie:
Is Chuck- is that a person? I'm terrible with it.

Shana:
Oh.

Charlie:
Why do you call?

Shana:
Oh, wait, no, the shoes. Do you know the shoes? The really popular brand of shoes?

Charlie:
I know the old style all star. I know...

Shana:
They're converse. Yeah, but we call them Chuck Taylors. I don't. I have no idea why. I have no idea.

Charlie:
Oh, OK.

Shana:
That is an incredible question. I never asked that. We just call them Chucks. Oh, my gosh.

Charlie:
Oh, brilliant.

Shana:
I will look that up.

Charlie:
That's quite a nice name. Very American, though, Chucks. Have you got your Chucks?

Shana:
Oh my gosh.

Charlie:
Chuck your Chucks in your truck. Women's classic Chucks. Ok, maybe I'm just an idiot and I don't know. I don't listen to my girlfriend who's in fashion or was in fashion. And maybe British people do call them Chucks, but I think we just call them Converse.

Shana:
Yeah, Converse is what they're technically called.

Charlie:
High- high tops. Converse high tops.

Shana:
All right.

Charlie:
Yeah, OK. Anyway, so you got your- your Chucks on...

Shana:
In the Pyrenees up in the- at the top of the mountains and, you know, arrived there. It was foggy out and I was by myself and not prepared and sleeping on a little mattress in the middle of the night, like practically crying because I was so cold. And just- this is just, you know, a little image of kind of the rest, the rest of my time along that path because I was just not prepared. And I realised, you know, if you don't have the right backpack, you just will not be able to fit stuff in a regular backpack. So you can't really be prepared unless you have a good backpack. So I don't know.

Charlie:
Yeah. Lesson learnt.

Shana:
So that's not the place I will be going on my wonderful imaginary trip. I would be going to the- first of all, I don't want to, you know, lead the discussion, but I will- I have been to this place in northern Italy. It's called Meran and it's in the Dolomites, in the mountains. And there is this wonderful valley where you can go hiking in the vineyards, but not just grape vineyards. There's a- I didn't even know it's possible for apples to grow on vines, but you can. At a certain time of year October I was there and you can be walking along trails with views of the mountains. Cows on all sides. Apples growing on all sides. Then like off in the distance, some nice castles and churches and it honestly was- it's the most beautiful place I've ever been in my life. So yes.

Charlie:
Wow! That does sound beautiful.

Shana:
That's where I would like to go back to as a starting point, yes.

Charlie:
Ok, perfect. So I think that's a good point to leave Part One on. You, taking your family on a train all the way to the Dolomites with these lovely apples. A vineyard? No, no. Like on vines, these apples on vines.

Shana:
Mm hmm.

Charlie:
Delightful. Ok, so we're going to continue the conversation in Part Two and Three. We're going to talk about your favourite climates, whether you like it hot or cold. What kind of food you're going to explore when you go there. Whether you like to stick to your McDonald's, or whether you like to explore with all the different cuisines in the world, wherever you are, and what activities you like to get up to. But that is for Part Two and Three. So anybody who is just here for Part One, thank you very much for listening. This has been Shana from American English Podcast. She does pretty much exactly the same as I do, but for American English and to- to go and find out more www.americanenglishpodcast.com right?

Shana:
Mm hmm. Exactly. Thanks, Charlie. Yep, that's where to go.

Charlie:
Fantastic. Ok, so thank you very much, Shana, but we will see, those that join us for Part Two and Three, in a second. So thank you very much.

Shana:
Thanks so much for having me today. Bye everyone!

Charlie:
That's all for me this week. I hope you have a good seven days ahead of you. My name is Charlie Baxter, and I will see you next time on The British English Podcast.