SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 1575 Title : Conversation 38: Two female students discussing school in the UK and Luxembourg and travel Author(s): N/A Copyright holder(s): SCOTS Project Audio transcription F1148: So, how old were you when you went to school? F1149: Ehm I was four when I started, ehm cause I started in August and I turned five in //October, so// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: really five, kind of thing. How about you? F1148: I was four. F1149: Four for the whole? F1148: Four for the whole year, //cause I turned// F1149: //Really?// F1148: four in in May and then school started in September. F1149: Erm, was that because you started a year earlier or is that how old //you are when you start school in Luxembourg?// F1148: //That's how old you are when you start// school cause you, like you're four when you start pre-school, like we actually call it playschool, F1149: Okay. F1148: so you go there for two years. F1149: See, well, I think normally you go to nurs-, well I went to nursery for a year, //like the year that I was four, kind of thing.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: I went to like a playgroup before that. F1148: Uh-huh. F1149: But normally you're five when you start school, here, unless, like there were some people in my class who were four but that's because they were kind of, quite bright, F1148: Mmhm. F1149: and they'd been allowed to start a year early. F1148: So is that like primary school then? //Uh-huh, cause you're six when you get into primary school.// F1149: //Yeah, that's primary school.// //Are you? Aw, [inaudible].// F1148: //Yeah, cause you have to go in that playschool for two years.// F1149: And how many years do you have in, oh what's it called, is it called, do you call it primary school? //Do you? Alright, okay. [laugh] How many years do you have?// F1148: //Yeah, we call it primary school. Uh-huh. [laugh]// Erm, six, so you go there from like six to about twelve. F1149: Okay. Cause we have seven, so. //Like [inaudible].// F1148: //Like, yeah.// //Th-// F1149: //And then how many years do you have to do at secondary s-?// F1148: erm seven years [?]there[/?] //[laugh]// F1149: //Okay, that's like, seems quite a lot, [laugh] cause we only have to do four.// And you have to do Standard Grades, //in third and fourth year,// F1148: //Uh-huh, yeah.// F1149: and then if you want to you can stay for a fifth year, then if you want to you can stay for a sixth year. F1148: Mmhm. F1149: So. //O-.// F1148: //You sort of have to to get a degree,// //like do the whole thing.// F1149: //Yeah.// And is there any, er could you leave before seven years if you didn't want to go? //Oh yo-you- you graduate from// F1148: //We-// //yeah, cause you graduated from like the seventh year, but// F1149: //secondary school. Okay.// F1148: erm they have different like types of schools, so you could, like depending on where you go, sort of more practical based, you know, sort of more, ehm, you know, if you get like an a- an apprentice in, you know, ki- some kind of work place //then you might// F1149: //Uh-huh.// F1148: like only go to school for, until you're sort of fifteen or sixteen. And then do more work placement and only go to school like a couple of times a week, //until you've finished and like// F1149: //Mmhm.// //So is y-, yours is more classical// F1148: //get-,// yeah more like much more sort of, you know, probably more like your school days, F1149: Uh-huh. F1148: you know, cause you did languages and maths and everything. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: And then erm, yeah it's probably how it works. F1149: S- do you h-, like, did you like everything, all the subjects you did, or? F1148: Erm, I sort of di- cause you, like, the older you get the more choice you get. F1149: Okay. F1148: When you start out you have to do all of the classes, like F1149: Yeah. F1148: like in my school, you know, actually like the first year in secondary school was called like the the seventh year and then they count down to sort of the first //year. [laugh] But erm in// F1149: //I remember learning about that in French, that sounded [laugh].// F1148: like the other type of school where it's sort of more work orientated they actually count up from seven to thirteen. //[laugh]// F1149: //Really? Okay. [laugh] Okay!// F1148: So like in my school, you know, you'd have sort of a year of sort of orientation, in, like I said, like first year, F1149: Uh-huh. //Se- [laugh]// F1148: //seventh grade, and then// erm you could choose whether you wanted to start with English straight away or do Latin as well, //and like// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: second year, like sixth grade, and erm that would be the same for the following year as well, and then you could choose whether you wanted to do the, like, sci- scientific orientated or purely linguistic, F1149: Mmhm. F1148: but mostly everyone does scientific where you do a tiny bit of physics and chemistry as well, and then, cause they change it now again. [laugh] //But when I went// F1149: //Wh-.// F1148: to school erm you did that for two years, and then in your two last years you could choose whether you wanted to do, concentrate on languages or maths or biology or art, //or music, whatever you// F1149: //Uh-huh mm.// F1148: were best at. F1149: Okay. So like how m- how many languages could you be doing at one point? Like w- F1148: You could be doing four languages at a point, //one point, yeah.// F1149: //Okay.// F1148: Yeah cause you do French and German anyway, and then you st- actually, yeah, and then you do, no actually at some point you could do five languages. F1149: Because you do French and German //then Latin?// F1148: //You do French and German and then you do Latin, then English,// F1149: Mmhm. F1148: and then you get the option of doing like Spanish. F1149: So you did Spanish //as well?// F1148: //So I did Spanish as well.// So yeah, at some point I actually had //five languages.// F1149: //See,// see like the school that, like my secondary school just didn't have any sort of focus on language really. F1148: Mmhm. F1149: Like, they did it year about, like the year I was in we got French in first year, so then we got French again in second year and we ha- everyone has to do a French //Standard Grades in third and fourth year.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: And when you get to third year if you want to you can take up German as well. F1148: Mmhm. F1149: But then like they alternate it so the year above me and the year below me would have done German from the //start and then had the option// F1148: //Mm.// F1149: to take up French. Kind of once you get to sort of fifth year, you can, I think we did sort of Spanish and Italian but it was only like wee sort of modules, //it wasn't really,// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: like you couldn't do a proper Higher F1148: Yeah. F1149: in the subjects. It's kind of a shame cause obviously I quite like //languages and// F1148: //Uh-huh.// //Mmhm. Mmhm.// F1149: //it wasn't really, like other schools [inaudible] like focused more on it, we just.// //Don't know what my school focused on actually. [laugh] Nothing.// F1148: //[laugh]// Yeah, cause I, like, the, cause I chose to do languages, I gave up Latin after four years, I only did //it like from// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: second to fifth year, and then erm cause I chose languages, I did like French, German, English and Spanish in //my Highers.// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: But my sister's doing Maths, so //she's actually// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: erm she never did Spanish to start out with and she stopped doing Latin as well after like first year. F1149: Mm. F1148: And then she did, last year she did take erm three languages, like German, French and English, but this year she actually gave up French, so she o- she only kept the two. F1149: Okay. F1148: The other two because, you know, she's just concentrating much more on //Math and Informatic you know, kind of thing.// F1149: //On Maths, mmhm.// How many years does she have left? F1148: Oh this is her //last year, uh-huh. [laugh]// F1149: //This is her last one, I didn't realise. [laugh] Erm,// it's like, I did erm English, Maths, French, Chemistry and Physics, F1148: Mmhm. F1149: as my Highers in fifth year, so but that really put me off //sciences later down, [laugh] so that's erm.// F1148: //[laugh] Do you get to choose your subjects then for the Highers?// F1149: Yeah, y- well uh-huh. when you get to Standard Grades you have to choose eight subjects, //but really you only have// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: to choose five because it's compulsory to do Maths, English and either French or German, //whatever language you'd been doing.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: You can choose the other five, so I did. And you had to pick at least one social science, //like either Geography,// F1148: //Mmhm.// //Mmhm.// F1149: //History, or Modern Studies.// So I did so I did Geography and History, Chemistry and Physics, and Art, //as well.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: And then you can obviously, obviously you have to pick your Highers //as something you'd done in// F1148: //Uh-huh.// F1149: Standard Grades in. And in fifth year you have to do English and Maths still, so if you've, if you didn't get a good enough Standard Grade //to take a// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: a Higher in those subjects you have to take like an Intermediate //One or Two, which is// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: like a lesser qualification. But I don't know, when I was, just when I was doing my Highers, a lot of people were complaining about that, //because// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: there were a lot of people who really weren't so good at Maths, but because they were having to do it //in fifth year,// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: it meant they could only do four Highers //cause they couldn't do Maths as a Higher, do you know?// F1148: //Mmhm, yeah.// F1149: So the- if they didn't have to do Maths they could potentially have done five //Highers just in// F1148: //Highers, uh-huh.// //Yeah.// F1149: //other things, so.// //I don't know if that's changing now or,// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: cause I think that was just, I know other schools didn't make you //do that.// F1148: //Mmhm.// //[laugh]// F1149: //It was just my school again! [laugh]// So, //yeah.// F1148: //Ah, cause like in// our final exams, you have to like take exams in sort of all of your subjects, F1149: Oh right, okay. F1148: [inaudible] like musical education or something or //art but you only have the one class in that a week.// F1149: //Oh. [laugh]// //Mm.// F1148: //So you don't have to take an exam in that in that one.// But we had to take an exam in Philosophy and erm like, you know, sort of Economic Studies //as well// F1149: //Uh-huh.// F1148: I remember that one, erm or [?]I didn't have my[/?], what's the other one, [?]other one[/?] oh erm there was History as well. No more Geography, erm no. //[laugh] I can't really remember! [laugh] Yeah.// F1149: //[laugh] It seems like ages ago now.// [cough] Like, my sister is in second year now //so she'll have to pick// F1148: //Mmhm.// //Uh-huh.// F1149: //her Standard Grades this year.// And there's, seems to be a lot more they can choose from now. F1148: Mmhm. F1149: Like a lot more sort of business //subjects and// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: computing and things like that. You know, when you get to fifth year now as well if you want to you can choose to do Psychology. F1148: Uh-huh, that must be interesting. F1149: And the school, there's a college quite near where I //live and// F1148: //Mm.// F1149: the school sort of sends you one afternoon a week to //college.// F1148: //Mmhm.// //That's very good, yeah.// F1149: //So tha- it's quite good.// I think if that had been there when I was sort of in [inaudible] sixth year, //just to kind of escape from school, [laugh] for an afternoon.// F1148: //Mmhm. [laugh]// F1149: But I might have tried it. F1148: Did you go on any school trips? F1149: Yeah, uh-huh in primary school ehm we went to this activity centre, F1148: Mmhm. F1149: in England, which was was quite good fun, and then in secondary school I went to Majorca! //[laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// //[laugh]// F1149: //Which must have been educational! [laugh]// [laugh] So, [laugh] not really any sort of //actual educational trips, just the ones, how about you?// F1148: //Uh-huh.// Erm, we went ski-ing in the last year of primary school //for a week.// F1149: //Oh yeah, okay.// //Where did you go ski-?// F1148: //Uh-huh. Erm, to Switzerland.// //Mmhm, it was really good.// F1149: //Oh, nice.// F1148: And erm, F1149: Is that when you got a taste for snowboarding and stuff? F1148: No, I got that before. //[laugh] Erm,// F1149: //Did you? [laugh]// F1148: well my mum decided to take us on like a ski-ing holiday beforehand, so we would already be able //to ski and not break our necks on that school trip. [laugh]// F1149: //To ski! [laugh]// //I think I was insistent I [?]wouldn't do that[/?]. [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh] Erm,// //no and then erm [laugh]// F1149: //[laugh]// F1148: in the like third year of secondary school F1149: Mmhm. F1148: like all classes went on a school trip but half of them went ski-ing and half of them went to Normandy, in summer, //so I went to Normandy.// F1149: //Okay.// Mmhm. //So did you li-// F1148: //That was really good as well, yeah, did loads of, you know, like water sports like canoeing and// erm what are they called aga-, you know? [tut] You know, it's not like er it's like canoeing in unders- you know sort of the boat thing, but it's not, what are they called? Erm, it's ridi- I think they call it er in French "catamaran". //You know, it's// F1149: //Is it like white-water rafting?// F1148: no it's not really like, well no, it's it's completely different cause you do it in like on the sea. F1149: Oh okay. F1148: But it's not actually like going sailing but sort of slightly different, you know, you do have a sail, but it's, the boat has different shape, kind of thing. F1149: I think maybe it's just called a catamaran as well. //Like transferred.// F1148: //Possibly.// //I don't really know what that's called. Yeah, that's quite good as well.// F1149: //But you did that? [laugh]// We did a canoeing thing on a primary school //trip.// F1148: //Uh-huh.// F1149: We had to like get capsized //from the canoe.// F1148: //[laugh] Yeah.// //Not very nice! [laugh] [laugh]// F1149: //It's, no, it's just, no [laugh] took us on holiday and then capsized us [laugh] don't really know why. It was alright.// It was, it was quite fun actually cause there was like erm abseiling and archery and //all that sort of other stuff as well that was really,// F1148: //Oh that's// F1149: although the fact people kept setting off the fire alarm in the middle //of the night.// F1148: //[laugh]// F1149: Cause it was like, I think it was in Staffordshire, //or somewhere and there was, it was like a big centre for loads of schools, there was loads of other schools as well.// F1148: //Mmhm mmhm.// F1149: And it was dorms, and girls from a school in the dorm like across from //us kept like stealing things from us! [laugh]// F1148: //Mmhm. [laugh]// //[laugh]// F1149: //[laugh] It was actually quite stressful. [laugh] But yeah.// //[laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// F1149: But like, well I went on this trip to Spain, and that //was in second year,// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: but every year there's a trip you can go on. //I'm not sure where it is in first year.// F1148: //Okay.// //Mmhm.// F1149: //I can't remember, but second year you can go to Spain.// In third year you can go to Holland. F1148: Mmhm. F1149: And then, after that I think they must have run out of inspiration cause you can just choose to go to Holland //like [laugh] every year like when you're in fourth and fifth year so.// F1148: //[laugh] Uh-huh.// F1149: It's like Holland and Germany, it's the theme parks and stuff. [?]I think[/?] Sarah when she was at school, //she went ehm// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: to Venice. F1148: Oh that's really good. F1149: That's was a trip with the art department. F1148: Uh-huh. //Oh.// F1149: //Ehm, she went twice, so.// //I was quite jealous when she said that, it'd be quite nice to have the chance to do that. Different.// F1148: //That's really different. Yeah. Uh-huh.// [?]A trip to[/?]. Yeah I think we actually did like a trip to like Frankfurt once. F1149: Oh yeah. F1148: For just a couple of days, it was erm in fifth year, yeah, in fifth year. My sister, she went to Berlin when she was in si- fifth year which was really //good, [inaudible].// F1149: //Yeah.// //Have you been to Berlin?// F1148: //Uh-huh.// I have but eh it wasn't on the school trip. F1149: Mm have you been, have you been to quite a lot of places in Germany? //Or// F1148: //Erm, yeah.// F1149: would you go on holiday in France if you were younger? F1148: Well actually when we were really young we always used to go like just to the Belgian coast. F1149: Okay. F1148: Cause my sister's like really really fair. //Looks completely different from me. [laugh]// F1149: //So she is [laugh] yeah.// F1148: And my mum was too scared she might like get F1149: Get burned. F1148: get burned if we went to Spain //or somewhere.// F1149: //Mm.// F1148: Uh-huh, so we e- like either went to Brittany or just Belgium. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: Erm, yeah, like my parents used to, when we, when we got older my parents used to take us to like city trips and stuff, F1149: Yeah. F1148: which was really good. F1149: See I think my dad would quite like to, after he came, ehm, he went to Copenhagen. //And after that// F1148: //Mmhm.// //Huh.// F1149: //he got a taste for the sort of city thing.// But my sister's still quite young. F1148: Mmhm. F1149: Like, she's just turned thirteen and she still gets quite bored, F1148: Yeah. F1149: quite easily so. F1148: Uh-huh. F1149: She would be too, //she's interested in shopping and [inaudible] and that's about it! [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// F1149: But when I was younger I didn't really like beach holidays. I used //to get really bored.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: Because I'm quite fair-skinned as well, like, I //couldn't really// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: my mum and dad wouldn't let me lie out in the sun and //it wasn't fair! [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh] No,// like, we would never go on a beach holiday and just lie in the sun. //Our// F1149: //Uh-huh.// F1148: mum would always like choose somewhere where there's loads to //see, so we// F1149: //To do as well.// F1148: we would like, either drive there, like take our car, or rent a car //so we could// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: actually go on day trips. F1149: Yeah. F1148: Uh-huh, you know. But my sister really loves just being in the swimming pool and just going swimming, like spending //a whole day, uh-huh.// F1149: //Quite a holiday person?// How old were you when you learned to swim? F1148: Oh I was really old. //[laugh] Ehm.// F1149: //I was old as well, it's okay! [laugh]// //[laugh]// F1148: //Started from about six or seven.// //[laugh]// F1149: //Okay, I was ten! [laugh]// //[laugh] I'll get embarrassed now. [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// Just just too afraid to drown. [laugh] F1149: I was quite scared when I was younger as well. //[laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// F1149: My siste-, my brother, we learned at the same time, //so he was// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: like he was about seven, and I was really old. //But erm, my sister, she learned when she was really young, she was like three or four, she just really really loved the water.// F1148: //Mmhm. She loved it.// F1149: But ehm, once when she was tiny, and she was kind of swimming with //armbands on// F1148: //Uh-huh.// F1149: when we were on holiday, //and she went in the water and forgot to put on armbands,// F1148: //[inhale]// F1149: and my mum and I were just like sitting reading a book, //and// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: this man was sort of shouting on us like, "Your child is like [laugh] //drowning", so// F1148: //[laugh]// //[laugh]// F1149: //that was quite scary, we all to go into the water to get her. [laugh]// I used to be quite scared to learn to swim. F1148: My sister once got lost on the beach when she was only //three. Uh-huh,// F1149: //[inhale] Oh no!// F1148: cause we were on holiday and erm like we had met like sort of, you know, like people my dad knew. //And// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: they were j- like actually just by chance living right next to us, F1149: Mmhm. F1148: and they had two boys our age, so we like just you know went to the beach with //them all the time.// F1149: //Yeah, that's cool.// F1148: And erm I think all four of us went to like, you know, just to to the sea to get like shells and stuff or maybe some water for her. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: Erm, and I think I took like the younger boy back up to his parents, and the older one was supposed to look after my sister, //and he was fi- he was fishing// F1149: //Oh oh!// F1148: for shrimps, [?]I remember[/?]. //And he was// F1149: //Ah.// F1148: so busy doing that that he like sort of didn't actually pay attention when she decided to leave, F1149: Okay, and she was three? F1148: Uh-huh, and you know we ha- the, like quite colourful wil- windcheater and mum was like quite sure that we would find the windcheater //and get back to// F1149: //Uh-huh.// F1148: them. But for some reason, someone else had the same windcheater as //us.// F1149: //[inhale]// //Mm.// F1148: //But you know, when you're standing// at the be-, you know, like, at the water, and you're looking up at all the windcheaters, they all look the same and you don't really remember //like whereabout// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: yours was. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: So she went up to the wrong one. And then she couldn't find, and then they, like, you know, brought her brought her to //the baywatch, the coast uh-huh, the coastal watch thing.// F1149: //She mus- she must have been quite upset when she realised she was lost.// F1148: And you know obviously she could only speak Luxembourgish at that point, //and they// F1149: //Aw!// F1148: spoke Dutch, F1149: Mmhm. F1148: so she kept just like screaming "I want my mum, I want my mum!" //They couldn't// F1149: //Oh no! And they couldn't understand her.// //[inhale]// F1148: //understand her. And then like we we- like we// when we like realised she wasn't [inaudible], //we went down// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: to the sea front and then saw the other like windcheater, we went up there and when we couldn't find her there they told us that they like //took her to to the coastguard, yeah.// F1149: //Took her to coastguard, [inhale].// //Your mum must have been so worried.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: Did you ever get lost when you were younger? F1148: Ehm, no I don't think I did. But then I was like much less shy than she was, I used //to talk to everyone.// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: Apparently they took me to erm the Black Forest when I was about one and a half, //okay, and could just walk and just talk.// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: And I would almost like climb up, climb out of the highchair, //[laugh] walk about [?]dressed[/?] and talk to all the people. [laugh]// F1149: //[laugh]// //[laugh] Aw! [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// //[laugh]// F1149: //[laugh]// //Goodness only knows what you were [laugh] talking about! [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh] Yeah, who knows?// //Mmhm, mmhm.// F1149: //I think, I think my brother got lost once ehm in a hospital, like I think my mum was going to take him in to visit someone.// //And he was about three maybe as well and they were in a lift,// F1148: //Mmhm.// //Uh-huh.// F1149: //and the lift's doors opened on a floor to stop to let someone out,// and he walked out as well then they closed again really quickly. F1148: Oh my god. F1149: Yeah. So like my mum was really worried. //But like she ran, like she just got out at the next flight and ran down the stairs and he was just standing there like [laugh].// F1148: //Mmhm mmhm. [laugh]// F1149: I think I got lost in a supermarket once. Like I, I don't know what age I was but I kind of just lost //mum,// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: I had to go down to Customer //Services,// F1148: //Uh-huh.// //[laugh]// F1149: //and they had to put a tannoy announcement out for my mum. [laugh]// I was quite traumatised, so she bought me chocolate. //[laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// //I don't think I ever got lost like that.// F1149: //[laugh]// //It must be quite scary for your mum and dad.// F1148: //Yeah. Uh-huh.// F1149: [throat] So what does your sister, does she know what she wants to do after she finishes //school, has she?// F1148: //Uh-huh, I think she might do Civil Engineering.// //Uh-huh.// F1149: //Oh really?// F1148: Probably going to go either to Switzerland or Germany. F1149: Okay. Is she excited, or is she [?]really[/?] //[inaudible]? Yeah.// F1148: //I think she's quite excited about it, yeah.// But it's really hard work. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: And she gets to be really stressed out about exams as well, so F1149: Mmhm. My brother's girlfriend is in Switzerland //just now.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: Ehm, I can't remember where it is, it's like the German-speaking //part anyway, ehm// F1148: //Uh-huh.// F1149: cause she's really really like sort of //fluent in German,// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: and she wants to do primary teaching at //university next year.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: And she got all her qualifications last year //so she decided to get some// F1148: //Okay.// //Mm.// F1149: //sort of practical experience.// And they've got friends who stay in Switzerland so she's going to stay with them for two months to work in a school. //Yeah, so.// F1148: //That's very good.// //Mmhm.// F1149: //Quite like, she's quite nervous though, she's only// seventeen so that's quite, even though she sort of knows people she's staying //with, it's still// F1148: //Mmhm.// //That's true, yeah.// F1149: //quite young to be away from.// But I'm sure she'll have a great time. Apparently the school erm they take all the children out ski-ing and //things like that,// F1148: //Mmhm, oh aye.// //[laugh]// F1149: //cause she's never skied before so,// //I think they'll all be better than her. [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh] It's really not that hard to pick up. [laugh]// F1149: I would really like to go ski-ing but I've never done it either. F1148: You should give it a go. F1149: Yeah, it- it's snowboarding though that you're more into, //isn't it?// F1148: //Uh-huh.// //Yeah.// F1149: //Have you been, when was the last time you went?// F1148: Erm, didn't go this year so like last ye-, one and a half years ago, F1149: Mm. F1148: which is quite a long time, really. //Uh-huh, definitely, yeah.// F1149: //So you'll be itching to go again. [laugh]// Where do you go when you? F1148: Ehm, we usually go to like Austria, erm Tyrol. F1149: Okay. F1148: So yeah, it's quite good. //[laugh]// F1149: //[laugh]// Does your sister like it as well or //doesn't really// F1148: //Uh-huh, she does, yeah.// But I have had quite like some really horrendous trips. When I went like just with a friend, //and we// F1149: //Okay.// F1148: like had to carry everything //on the train and like// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: the train didn't come and //I remember the one time we like booked this hotel,// F1149: //Oh no! [laugh]// F1148: which was supposed to be like five minutes from sort of the centre of the village, F1149: Mmhm. F1148: but actually turned out you had to have this like huge really really steep hill that you had to climb up and I was completely like, you know, frozen, //and [laugh] I couldn't even get my bag, so I had to switch bags with my friend cause mine was just too heavy and it kept pulling me down.// F1149: //Oh no! [laugh] Uh-huh.// //[laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// F1149: She must have been stronger than you. [laugh] //[laugh]// F1148: //[laugh] Yeah.// //Er.// F1149: //How long did you stay for when you go-// F1148: Erm, just a week. //Mmhm.// F1149: //Was it worth the scary journey in the end?// //[laugh]// F1148: //It was, yeah.// F1149: Okay. Was that the time, was that the photo you had of, was that from that trip? I'm sure you had a photo, was it on your phone? Of F1148: Erm. F1149: or on your computer, it was you with you with all your snowboarding stuff on, //[inaudible]// F1148: //Oh no, that was erm in Austria with my// //my sister. [laugh]// F1149: //Ah, alright, okay. [laugh]// Cause I remember seeing it. F1148: Uh-huh, yeah. F1149: There's a n- a new erm place opened up over at Braehead, it's called Xscape or something. And it's a sort of F1148: Oh yeah, I've heard about that. //Uh-huh.// F1149: //You can do ski-ing and all that sort of stuff there.// //You should go there and you can teach me. [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// Actually we could go up to Glencoe if //if there's actually any snow this year.// F1149: //Oh, [laugh] yeah, we could actually. That would be// //a nice wee winter trip. [laugh]// F1148: //Uh-huh.// F1149: Did you like go on holiday in the winter then as well as //did you used to go on holiday in the winter as well as summer when you were younger? Yeah.// F1148: //Sorry? Uh-huh.// F1149: Cause we never really went away in winter. //It was always just summer holidays.// F1148: //Yeah.// I think I I was about eight when we started going away in in winter. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: And then we just loved it so much that like we always wa- like my sister and me would rather go in winter than in summer. F1149: Yeah? F1148: Uh-huh. //So,// F1149: //What kind of weather do you get in the summer anyway?// //Uh-huh.// F1148: //In Luxembourg?// Erm, well sometimes get like really really hot, //[?]bright[/?], proper summer like// F1149: //Like a proper summer, yeah.// F1148: yeah like thirty-five degrees quite a lot //this summer.// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: Erm, you do get like the odd showers and or so, //you know, thundery showers as well.// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: Erm. F1149: And do you get a lot of snow in winter? F1148: You do get snow, yeah, it was l- like we had snow for Christmas last year, //[laugh] which was quite good,// F1149: //Aw. [laugh]// F1148: in a way quite good but then, you know, you can't really drive places, //people, yeah.// F1149: //If you want to visit people, yes.// F1148: So that's not as nice. F1149: I quite like getting snow at Christmas, cause like, my gr- we just usually see my //grandparents and they stay// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: quite near me so they can walk and the only place they would go would be maybe to church, //and// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: it's like across the road, //so// F1148: //Oh yeah.// //Mmhm.// F1149: //doesn't really matter, it's sort of quite nice to be snowed in and that.// F1148: I re- like, I used to really love snow at home, //before before I came to Uni but then// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: like in the last couple of years I always want- you know, when I got home that was always the first time or the time after summer //and I just// F1149: //Mmhm.// F1148: want really wanted to meet up with people and my friend, //like [inaudible] go out to [inaudible]// F1149: //Uh-huh [inaudible].// F1148: uh-huh so you, my mum wouldn't allow me to drive to town to meet anyone. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: And buses, you co- you couldn't rely on the buses. //So,// F1149: //Mmhm.// //Oh no! [laugh] Stranded. [laugh]// F1148: //it was just a nightmare to get out. [laugh]// //[laugh] Yeah.// F1149: //[laugh]// Will you go home again before Christmas, or? F1148: Uh-huh, I'm going home in like during Reading Week, //for a for a bit.// F1149: //Aw, okay.// That's quite soon. //Couple of weeks. [laugh]// F1148: //That's quite soon, yeah. [laugh] In two weeks.// //[inaudible]// F1149: //Yeah. Really. [laugh]// Are you excited or I mean is it just quite soon since you F1148: Erm, //no I'm quite excited to see Nick again// F1149: //came back or. Yeah.// //[laugh] Mmhm.// F1148: //otherwise I wouldn't be too bothered.// F1149: I think, the wee-, not during Reading Week but the weekends afterwards, I think I might go up to Aberdeen, F1148: Mmhm. //Uh-huh.// F1149: //to see [inaudible] for a couple of days.// //so// F1148: //[laugh]// //[laugh]// F1149: //there'll probably be snow up there at this time. [laugh]// F1148: Erm. //[laugh]// F1149: //[laugh]// F1148: Yeah, actually I've been thinking of going on on holiday and, you know what would be quite good to go s-, like s- actually snowboarding or somewhere in Scandinavia, I could go up to Sweden or somewhere, //or// F1149: //Uh-huh.// F1148: Norway, that would be nice, //you know?// F1149: //Oh yeah, Norway would be lovely.// F1148: Cause I never re-, you know, actually really thought about going to Scandinavia before. F1149: Uh-huh. Would you go back? F1148: To Copenhagen? F1149: Yeah. F1148: Uh-huh, yeah, like definitely to visit. F1149: Yeah, //I would like to as well.// F1148: //Probably not to live there though.// F1149: Mm. //You should go back for a weekend or something. [laugh]// F1148: //Definitely go back and visit. Uh-huh.// //Yeah, maybe yeah. Mmhm.// F1149: //See all the old faces. [laugh]// [exhale] //Yeah, I'd quite like to see more of Scandinavia [inaudible].// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: Cause like Stockholm was really //really n-. Yeah, I really like Stockholm.// F1148: //Good. Did you like it?// //Mmhm.// F1149: //It was quite different from Copenhagen.// Not really [?]best or worst[/?] //just// F1148: //Mmhm, just different?// F1149: yeah, there's a lot of water cause it's all, it's like fourteen islands //or something it's made up of.// F1148: //Oh, yeah.// //Mmhm.// F1149: //But it was nice.// Some really nice bridges and stuff. //Ehm, yeah Norway [inaudible], like Alan went to Norway and he really liked it,// F1148: //Mmhm. Mmhm.// F1149: so. Iceland as well actually, //I used to have a// F1148: //Uh-huh.// F1149: like back at s- school, I used to have a Physics teacher at school who used to like be a bit obsessed with Iceland, //and [laugh] used to go there all the time,// F1148: //[laugh]// F1149: sort of drive around, [laugh] //tell us stories about it.// F1148: //I see.// My cousin's first boyfriend was erm Icelandic. //I I don't think h- I don't think he ever took her there,// F1149: //Oh really! [laugh]// //Mmhm.// F1148: //which is a bit of a shame cause// //I'm sure that [inaudible], yeah, uh-huh.// F1149: //Be a good opportunity! [laugh]// //[laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// F1149: Has Nick ever been to Scandinavia? F1148: Yeah I think he has been quite a lot. F1149: Oh really? To Denmark or? F1148: Erm they've been to Denmark, they probably went to Sweden as well, //because his dad doesn't fly any more.// F1149: //Okay.// //Oh right, okay. Uh-huh.// F1148: //So they would always just like drive places.// F1149: Mmhm. F1148: So yeah. F1149: How old were you when you first flew? F1148: Oh, erm, I was about eleven, yeah, I was eleven. //Ten, eleven, yeah.// F1149: //So was I.// //I went to London. [laugh]// F1148: //[laugh]// No, we went to San Francisco. [laugh] //[laugh]// F1149: //Oh right, okay, [laugh] Slightly more exotic.// //I think actually I went to Spain when I was about two, but// F1148: //[laugh]// Uh-huh. F1149: Obviously I can't remember it, //so I always think of the first time as like.// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: Is that to see y-, have you got family in F1148: Yeah, my dad had an aunt there. //So we went to vi- we went to see them.// F1149: //And that's where your your cousin// F1148: Yeah. F1149: Yeah, okay. F1148: [inaudible] where he come from. Erm, yeah, so we flew there and apparently erm [laugh] my parents had like missed one of the confirmation desk, you know, so we didn't actually, so we, like I think we were sort of meant to like confirm the booking with like I think my mum sort of confirmed with the agency that we were actually flying, but they only confirmed the flight from Luxembourg to London. But then they didn't confirm the flight from //you know with, from// F1149: //[inhale] London to// F1148: London to San Francisco. So erm but because it wasn't our fault we got new seats. But like a- cause our seats in the like the normal like travel class, whatever they're called, //erm were actually// F1149: //Like economy?// F1148: they were actually given away already, //so we got like free// F1149: //Uh-huh. [inhale]// F1148: we got seats in business //class, it was [?]embarrassing[/?].// F1149: //Oh nice! [laugh]// //So it worked out not too bad! [laugh]// F1148: //That was really good. [laugh] Uh-huh. [laugh]// F1149: What was it like in business class? F1148: It was really nice. [laugh] Really [?]spacious[/?] and you get your own TV screen in front of, //of the seats, yeah.// F1149: //On the back of the seats? Yeah.// Was the food any better? F1148: I can't really //remember. [laugh] But yeah, that was quite good.// F1149: //[laugh]// Cool. F1148: Then I I remember on the way back, you had to wait for for a bit, like actually I think when we went there we had, like, quite a long stay in London, so my mum decided to go to, actually drive drive from Heathrow to get to the Underground to get to London but we only had like two hours in London in the end. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: So we, she just like ran around with, //I think we got all of the [inaudible]// F1149: //[laugh] Uh-huh.// //Uh-huh.// F1148: //[laugh]// like run round to er like Buckingham Palace and back again. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: And that was just the the //no that// F1149: //[laugh]// F1148: was actually, no that was the second time we went. Uh-huh, cause that's when I decided to come [laugh] come and do like study English, I never actually had English in school before, I liked it so much that I decided //I had to do English cause I wanted to go back to London. [laugh]// F1149: //Really? That's [inaudible] [laugh] Would you still want to go back down to London to like// F1148: Erm. F1149: like could you live there, do you think? F1148: I, see I wouldn't mind living there but erm not completely by myself, no. F1149: Yeah. F1148: Like I'm actually quite happy now sort of to to go back and like I r- see I really like going like new places and meeting people but it's just too much of a hassle if you have like friends in too many places, //and you have to// F1149: //Uh-huh.// F1148: it's just hard to stay in touch with them and like //make new friends// F1149: //Yeah.// F1148: again and I think just easier like the way it is now. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: Between, because it's quite easy to like go back and forth between Luxembourg and Glasgow, //so that's still easy// F1149: //Yeah.// F1148: to like stay in touch with your //friends but if you// F1149: //With everyone, yeah.// F1148: go like to too many places it's just too hard to stay in touch with everyone. F1149: Mmhm. F1148: So, yeah. But yeah I could could sort of imagine //living there.// F1149: //Cause that's, is that, that's where Nick studied, isn't it?// //In London.// F1148: //Uh-huh, yeah.// F1149: Did he like it, or? F1148: Yeah, I think he really liked it. So maybe I can get him to take me. //[laugh]// F1149: //[laugh]// //My cousin, like, she went to Uni, like in Cambridge, and she lives in London now,// F1148: //[laugh]// Uh-huh. F1149: and like she keeps saying that she doesn't want to stay there //forever, like she// F1148: //Uh-huh.// F1149: couldn't really settle there, but I think she's kind of got quite addicted to it. But I think there's always so much going on around //her, like where she// F1148: //Yeah.// F1149: stays, she stays in Kentish Town, like //near Camden and I think// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: she just really loves sort of the lifestyle and F1148: Mmhm, see that's what would attract me, //to// F1149: //Yeah.// F1148: to London, to live there. But not so much. Cause I like I actually went there on, like, you know, one of thos- these city trips with my parents when I was about fourteen, F1149: Mmhm. F1148: and I really liked it then and I had this sort of idea of this beautiful town. But when I went back like last year just for the day to like //to visit Fraser, uh-huh,// F1149: //To er Sandhurst?// F1148: ehm you know, sort of walking about and I thought yeah, it's quite nice but nothing too special like, you know, //it's nothing// F1149: //Yeah.// F1148: that makes it any more special than Glasgow in any way //and it's just, like, it's nice,// F1149: //Yeah. [laugh]// F1148: but not as over-the-top nice as I had //like [inaudible], uh-huh.// F1149: //As you thought it was.// Like sometimes if you go somewhere and you you really like it, and you don't go back //for ages, you can// F1148: //Mmhm.// F1149: build up a F1148: Yeah. F1149: like build it up in your //head to be sort of better than it might have been.// F1148: //Mmhm.// This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. 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Information about document and author: Audio Audio audience Adults (18+): For gender: Mixed Audience size: 2 Audio awareness & spontaneity Speaker awareness: Aware Degree of spontaneity: Spontaneous Audio footage information Year of recording: 2006 Recording person id: 718 Size (min): 32 Size (mb): 182 Audio setting Education: Recording venue: University seminar room Geographic location of speech: Glasgow Audio relationship between recorder/interviewer and speakers Professional relationship: Speakers knew each other: Yes Audio speaker relationships Friend: Members of the same group e.g. schoolmates: Audio transcription information Transcriber id: 718 Year of transcription: 2006 Year material recorded: 2006 Word count: 6492 Audio type Conversation: Participant Participant details Participant id: 1148 Gender: Female Decade of birth: 1980 Educational attainment: Highers/A-levels Age left school: 19 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Catholicism, although not very religious Occupation: Student Place of birth: Esch Country of birth: Luxembourg Place of residence: Glasgow Region of residence: Glasgow Residence CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of residence: Scotland Father's place of birth: Pétange Father's country of birth: Luxembourg Mother's place of birth: Pétange Mother's country of birth: Luxembourg Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: At university with friends Language: French Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: At work, in shops, on holiday Language: German Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: At work, in shops, on holiday Language: Luxembourgish; Letzeburgesch Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: At home, at work Language: Spanish; Castilian Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: On holiday Participant Participant details Participant id: 1149 Gender: Female Decade of birth: 1980 Educational attainment: Highers/A-levels Age left school: 17 Upbringing/religious beliefs: Protestantism Occupation: Student Place of birth: Glasgow Region of birth: Glasgow Birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of birth: Scotland Place of residence: Glasgow Region of residence: Glasgow Residence CSD dialect area: Gsw Country of residence: Scotland Father's occupation: Economist Father's place of birth: Glasgow Father's region of birth: Glasgow Father's birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Father's country of birth: Scotland Mother's occupation: Housewife Mother's place of birth: Glasgow Mother's region of birth: Glasgow Mother's birthplace CSD dialect area: Gsw Mother's country of birth: Scotland Languages: Language: English Speak: Yes Read: Yes Write: Yes Understand: Yes Circumstances: