#wawavisualdiary

[wawajiji-blog1]

DARLING!

I was on the coach heading to London and the driver was so lovely. She was the first female coach driver that I had ever seen, as most of the drivers in Vietnam are male. During the journey, she kept saying ‘Darling’ to the passengers at the end of every sentence, such as, ‘It’s OK darling’, ‘Are you alright darling?’, ‘Fasten your seatbelt darling’, etc. I counted that she said ‘Darling’ more than 100 times, and it showed me that some British people are so sweet and lovely.

[wawajiji-blog1]

BUSKERS

The best thing I love about English buskers is their instruments. It’s easy to find a busker playing guitar, saxophone, harmonica or even a big piano anytime on most high streets in England. Watching them singing and playing music, I can feel that they are doing it not just for money but also for their passion, and that impresses me a lot.

In Vietnam, we have buskers but not as many as in England and with much less variety of instruments. I think there are many hidden gems but they don’t want to show off their talent publicly. Also, the places for public performance in Vietnam are fairly limited. Ed Sheeran, a famous British singer, started off as a busker in London for many years before he became one of the biggest music artists in the world. Hence, I really hope through this series of artworks, more Vietnamese buskers are encouraged to come out of their shell to show their talent.

[wawajiji-blog1]

STREET NAME SIGNS

Why are street name signs in England so inconsistent? Sometimes, when I am wandering through Lincoln, I can’t find the street name. Some signs are located on house walls in very high positions, while others are placed on bridges and fences in low positions. Also, these signs are rarely in the same format and are often unnoticeable.

I still remember on the very first day I came to Lincoln, it was in the late afternoon and I was literally in a panic. I kept walking down Sincil Bank (along the river side) but I couldn’t find Hood Street anywhere. Then, thank God, I found a small white sign with faded letters, high up on the wall, that read ‘Hood Street’! This was pretty difficult for a small Vietnamese girl who is used to seeing prominent signs placed on the ground in Vietnam.

[wawajiji-blog1]

SWANS

I had only few time to see swans in Vietnam and it was in a zoo. Living in England has given me many opportunities to see swans, because they are literally everywhere. I had no idea that all the swans in the UK are protected by the Queen until Charlie told me.

-       ‘Don’t try to steal or kill some of the Queen’s swans! You will be jailed!’, he warned me.

Also, I had always thought that swans were such a beautiful and decent species of bird. However, appearances can be deceptive! They are so scary and dangerous. I saw two women feeding some swans in Richmond Park, London, when suddenly the swans became angry. A dog had approached, trying to steal the bread, and the swans started hissing and trying to attack the dog. It’s true to say that we shouldn’t judge by appearances!

[wawajiji-blog1]

£10 CIGARETTE

I’m not against smoking, but I was so surprised to see so many people smoking in public in England. As far as I know, a pack of cigarettes in England costs around £9-£10, which is many times more than the cost in Vietnam (only 75p per pack), but there are still many people (including teenagers, adults and seniors) spending a large amount of money on smoking.

[wawajiji-blog1]

OLD COUPLES

Since I came to Lincoln, I have seen many old couples walking and holding hands on the streets, which surprised me because I had never seen that in Vietnam. Vietnamese seniors are quite conservative; unlike the younger generation, they rarely show their affection in public.

I really love to see old English couples doing things together, such as going shopping, having a meal in a restaurant or even drinking beer in a pub. To be honest, before I came to England, I had always doubted how long love could last. Now, England has shown me that love can last a long time, providing you treat and respect your partner as good as you treat yourself.

[wawajiji-blog1]

PLASTIC BAGS

Before I came here, I had been warned that the weather in England was really bad; mostly rainy and windy. However, during my first three days it couldn’t have been better. Lincoln welcomed me with warm weather, blue sky and only a few white clouds. I could tell I was going to enjoy all my new experiences in England.

The first time I went to Iceland to buy some groceries, I was so embarrassed and confused when the cashier kept asking me:

- ‘Do you need a bag?’

- ‘Erm... sorry? What did you say?’,
I kept replying.


I assumed plastic bags must be free like in Vietnam and I did not know that they charged for bags in the UK. However, I think it’s a good idea because it will reduce the number of people using plastic bags and encourage them to use reusable bags instead. This will help to save our environment in the future.

[wawajiji-blog1]

ENGLISH SOMETIMES CONFUSES ME A LOT

Me: ‘How are you today?’

Charlie: ‘I’m ok. I'm full of beans actually.’

Me: ‘Oh! Are you full? Did you have beans for dinner?’

Charlie: ‘No! Full of beans means I'm full of energy!’

Me: ... (ashamed)