My marriage has brought me into contact with a wide and wonderful community of people who have chosen to live in the UK. Seeing my fellow Brits through the eyes of those who weren’t born and bred here is sobering. I feel the frustrations and anxieties of the everyday behaviour that, to Brits, is natural but to others is completely baffling. I feel the mental exhaustion in a simple exchange of small talk. The confusion of those having to get something done in a culture full of elaborate rituals which must be observed before anything can happen. The difficulties so many face when trying to work out what Brits really mean when they speak and, even more difficult, when what they mean goes unsaid.
This is why I am running a course called Reading Between The Lines – to unravel the mysteries of communicating with the English. In France, if you get their rules wrong, they will tell you straight away. In Britain, they will notice but no one will say a word. Which is where I come in.
At the age of eight I was sent away to a boarding school founded in the year 627AD. Its motto is Super antiquas vias – along ancient paths – could be Britain’s motto. This is a culture that venerates tradition and one where there are codes for every occasion: unspoken rules for what words you use and which ones you don’t and what to do in almost every situation. It can feel like an obstacle course if you don’t have a guide. I will be your guide. I will tell you how it all works, where the dangers lie and, most importantly, help you treat it all with humour. Like all the best adventures, it will be fun. In the words of the BBC’s founder: my mission is to inform, to educate and to entertain.
Previous participants have said:
‘Many thanks for the course. I keep catching myself thinking about your words of wisdom in social situations, which is exactly what I wanted.’
‘Is there any way to get a notification about your great course in the future? I really want to give it as a gift to some members of my family.’