QUESTIONNAIRE OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
Interviewer: Eliza Piano
Interviewee: Rene Torin
Date: 12/10/12
1. What did you expect before you came to England?
I expected the weather to be cold, and the people as well. (laughs) I also expected the people to be organised and very polite, like the stereotype.
2. When you got to England, was it different? In what way?
It was cold – obviously. But not as organised as I thought it was going to be. The people here say thank you a lot and are way too polite. I was a waiter when I first moved to England and every time I gave someone a coffee, they felt the need to say “thank you” for everything – when I gave them the cup, when I poured the milk, for the change. Everything.
3. Do you feel the need to reconnect with your own country and culture? How?
At the beginning, yes. Even though I am from Venezuela, I had adapted to Spanish life and was used to working in that culture. But now I feel comfortable here, before I didn’t. I sometimes wanted to go back to Spain, sometimes I wanted to go to Venezuela. But I now have a life here.
4. Do you like it here? Better than your own country? In what ways?
When you say “Better than your own country”, I am not sure if you are talking about Spain or Venezuela. I lived so long in Spain, I feel more Spanish than Venezuelan. But, to answer your question, the three places are very different. I like all of them differently, for different reasons. The one similarity between Venezuela and England is that people drink a lot more than Spain. There is more “binge” drinking – the Spanish respect alcohol more.
5. Do you find that you are accepted here? Why and how?
I have adapted. I know how to work with people here now. Although in Spain, in two weeks, I made a group of friends. Here it took my four months to get one friend! Only one! People here are much less accepting.
