[Help] What would you teach someone from abroad about British Culture?

[Albion in the north]

Hi all. If you follow the "Russia invades Ukraine" thread at all, you will know that my wife and I are going to Ukraine on the 20th to volunteering in an orphanage for a week. The orphanage is for 14-18 year olds and they live and study in a college learning different trades and skills. There are 24 females and 53 males. One of the things that they have suggested we might be able to do for them is to teach the young adults something about British culture. Their level of speaking English is quite low. My wife does speak Ukrainian as well as English. So I am looking for ideas and any pointers to online resources to highlight the best that this sceptred Isle has to offer. Anyone that has worked as an ESOL teacher? I will be taking a BHAFC shirt with me!

 

[GT49er]

Wrong thread.

 

[Eric the meek]

Gah! You nearly made it but just couldn’t resist!

My answer? There’s no such thing as British culture. We’re too pluralistic.

That's our strength. Ancient Britons, Romans, Anglo Saxons, Celts, Normans, Vikings, and many others, including as I learned recently, Vandals and Burgundians.

Nobody duffs us up for long. We just absorb them all.

 

[jakarta]

Our obsession with Sport?

 

[essbee1]

We have a good sense of humour, especially puns, irony and self deprecatory.

Teach them about sarcasm. It's the bedrock of most NSC posters and British culture.

 

[essbee1]

Teach them about sarcasm. It's the bedrock of most NSC posters and British culture.

and show them some episodes of Blackadder as a perfect example.

 

[dangull]

With so many different cultures and race's nowadays, I'm not sure what is typical of an English person today.

 

[essbee1]

 

[Insel affe]

British culture didn't 'start' 40yrs ago it is an evolving thing. How about Byron, Constable, Shakespeare?

Nah, codswallop
Not one of them painted, wrote a book or poem about fish.

 

[Coldeanseagull]

British culture didn't 'start' 40yrs ago it is an evolving thing. How about Byron, Constable, Shakespeare?

You could go back further to when we invaded everywhere......and no one need to slag off which ever political party is in charge for that one......probably not a good reference for a countries youth suffering from russian oppression
We best stick with culture, (past)industrial ingenuity and fish and chips

 

[Silverhatch]

A pub. One with a fireplace. Preferably dark decor and a purveyor of fine ales.

 

[Insel affe]

Seriously to me one of the main stays of British culture is humour in the face of oppression and strife.

From Agincourt in 1415 when the English longbowmen put their two fingers up to show they hadn't been captured by the French and had those fingers removed.

We do not feel complete unless we had a laugh at work, either through someone’s misfortune or funny incident, it makes us tick and accept disappointment.

This sums us up.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Nah, codswallop
Not one of them painted, wrote a book or poem about fish.

Nonsense. Have you never heard of A Midsummer Night's Bream?

 

[Algernon]

 

[Baldseagull]

We are obsessed with the weather. Strangers experiencing the same weather will inform each other that is really, hot/cold/wet/humid.
No one wears a bowler hat with pin stripe suit and carries a briefcases and umbrella anymore, but we accept this is what is seen as a form of traditional clothing by the rest of the world for an English man.
Our favourite foods are foreign dishes, except the Roast Dinner, which is usually reserved for a Sunday and family gatherings.
If someone treads on someone elses toes accidentally in a crowded pub, both parties will apologise to each other.

 

[Whitechapel]

I’d stick Original Pirate Material & A Grand Don’t Come For Free by The Streets on for them.

Not sure what could sum up being working class and young in Britain better than two albums about losing bets on the football, doing too many drugs in a club and fighting in kebab shops?

Masterpieces.


*Then I’d show them how far up his own arse Mike Skinner is now as a cautionary tale

 

[Shuggie]

Once is enough

 

[Shuggie]

My wife Ann has also mentioned the Pendle witches. That would give the Ukrainian kids a really unique view of England !

There are certainly some great local tales and maybe it would encourage them to tell me some of their own.

In a previous life, I worked with Poles, Bulgarians, Czechs, Russians, Slovaks and Ukrainians.

They were all brought up with a Russian version of Winnie-the-Pooh (“Vinny Pukh”) and were astounded to hear the hundred acre wood is actually in Sussex. If my experience is anything to go by, all ages will get quite animated by this overlapping cultural reference and be keen to hear more … set the record straight and you might give them WtP back (VP is possibly outcast as too Russian these days). And don’t forget to stress Sussex.

Other stuff that is so familiar to us we don’t even see it sometimes: ancient roots in old castles, cathedrals and universities … in short, a country made a 1,000 years ago on the backs of sheep!

And good luck … you’re actually doing something when most of us just daydream

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I am referring to the changes in NHS dentist funding, which has left a lot of people without basic affordable dental care. Obviously due to the nature of dental treatment, the signs won’t show immediately, but in the next generation where access to an NHS dentist will be even more uncommon.

In which case you should be blaming Labour for the change in dentists contracts when they were last in power meaning loads of dentists went private only.

As for the original question, sarcasm - something most of my Canadian and American collegues don't get.

 

[maltaseagull]

We have a good sense of humour, especially puns, irony and self deprecatory.

You forgot to add that everything bad is the fault of the Tories.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I’d stick Original Pirate Material & A Grand Don’t Come For Free by The Streets on for them.

Not sure what could sum up being working class and young in Britain better than two albums about losing bets on the football, doing too many drugs in a club and fighting in kebab shops?

Masterpieces.


*Then I’d show them how far up his own arse Mike Skinner is now as a cautionary tale

Agree with this. Have you read his autobiography? I recommend it