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Aug. 6th, 2008 05:58 pmThe most amusing bit of camp, incidentally, apart from filking songs to make them about ticks (the woods were rather full of the little blighters) was that the person making speeches at the opening ceremony got rather confused, and instead of mentioning a guest from Scotland, announced that they had a staff member from Sweden. Given that I am the proud possessor of a Fjellräven hat, as well as being audibly not German, I suppose it's not surprising that most of the kids (and some of the adults) leapt to the conclusion that I was Swedish, despite the fact that I am nearer short than tall, dark haired, and if I conform to any racial stereotype it's the Celtic, rather than the Scandinavian.†
Towards the end of the camp, one of the girls in the cafe team said to me 'You are from Scotland, aren't you? not Sweden?' I admitted this, and said that I thought the whole thing was quite amusing; for one thing, it made a change from being announced as being English.
'Oh' she said, in doubtful tones, as if this was somehow far less plausible than Swedish, 'I wouldn't have associated you with England. You don't seem very English.'
'Um... how do you mean?'
'Hochnäsig' (stuck up).
Because I try not to behave like a rabid nationalist, I did my best to persuade her that there are some quite approachable English people, really, but I had to stop laughing first.*
† Though having said that, I have once been told I look Polish, twice been asked if I am Jewish, and on two separate and utterly surreal occasions, mistaken for being Japanese, though on the first there were extenuating circumstances.
* It was more amusing than it might have been, given that I spent most of my childhood being suspected of being stuck-up by my classmates, largely, I think, because I talked funny and spent most of my time with my nose in a book.
Towards the end of the camp, one of the girls in the cafe team said to me 'You are from Scotland, aren't you? not Sweden?' I admitted this, and said that I thought the whole thing was quite amusing; for one thing, it made a change from being announced as being English.
'Oh' she said, in doubtful tones, as if this was somehow far less plausible than Swedish, 'I wouldn't have associated you with England. You don't seem very English.'
'Um... how do you mean?'
'Hochnäsig' (stuck up).
Because I try not to behave like a rabid nationalist, I did my best to persuade her that there are some quite approachable English people, really, but I had to stop laughing first.*
† Though having said that, I have once been told I look Polish, twice been asked if I am Jewish, and on two separate and utterly surreal occasions, mistaken for being Japanese, though on the first there were extenuating circumstances.
* It was more amusing than it might have been, given that I spent most of my childhood being suspected of being stuck-up by my classmates, largely, I think, because I talked funny and spent most of my time with my nose in a book.