The city was the same, I was the same, but the way I saw it had changed --- dramatically.

TRANSCRIPT
Hello everyone, and welcome to Elsewhere with G.  Today, I’d like to tell you about how our perception can influence our experience of a place. When I was little, I was convinced that London, England, was a wonderful place. I went there quite frequently, because I had family living there, and I always looked forward to the trip. It had many things that I appreciated as a small child – material attractions that one couldn’t find in Mauritius at the time. The food seemed more familiar to me than what was available in Mauritius, because my mum didn’t cook typical Mauritian recipes. The way they spoke English was much more familiar to me, because I remember struggling in Mauritius with the accent and with the way people spoke, because obviously, that wasn’t what I heard when I spoke to my mum, and it was just destabilizing. Maybe destabilizing is too strong a word; it was just a bit weird, always being the one who didn’t speak like the others in English class.

So, I liked being in a place where people spoke in a way that seemed normal to me. And what else? I liked that people seemed relaxed, seemed to be sociable, seemed to have friends beyond their immediate family. My perception of London at the time, before I was eleven or twelve, was influenced by my mother, who had had a great time working, and living there, who is a British citizen, and who always said that being in England was much better than being in Mauritius. And then, something weird happened. I remember really looking forward to the trip one year – oh, I forgot to mention, that, of course, the other thing we couldn’t get that easily in Mauritius were high-quality toys. I really liked a toy called Polly Pocket. It isn’t what you find in stores today. Polly Pockets were these tiny, well, not tiny, these small boxes that could hold in the palm of your hand, and each one was themed. There was one that was shaped like a flower, and when you opened it, there was this beautiful, painted natural setting, and little figurines that you could place in various places. Sometimes, they made it quite fancy. I had one of a cathedral, where you could place the prince and the princess in front of it, and make them dance by pressing something. I can’t remember now. Anyway, I loved Polly Pocket, and couldn’t find them in Mauritius. Like I said, a child’s dream, being able to buy toys in London, dolls or Polly Pockets especially.

Yes, but, one year, I was about twelve. I wanted badly to go to England. We planned the trip. It just wasn’t like before. I remember thinking that I don’t know what I had seen before, how it could have seemed so magical to me, because it certainly didn’t seem magical now. It seemed crowded, dirty. I wasn’t a fan of spending my time the way people around me were spending their time. I started to distinguish between different kinds of accents, even within the same country, and found that some were grating, while others were more pleasing. It was a perception that I didn’t have before. I felt that I couldn’t see it the way that I used to, just a year ago, and that was very sad. I kept hoping that something would change, that one year, I’d go back, and that it would be wonderful, magical, and special again, but it never was. Now I can’t say that I particularly like London. I wouldn’t go there if I didn’t have a good reason to. It’s really sad, I think, when you start to notice things, or you learn more about a place. You start to see it the way other people do, maybe more knowledgeable people, and you lose the ability to find those little moments of joy or silly pleasures like the Polly Pockets.

So that’s my story for today. Have you ever had this experience, where suddenly a place that you loved looked completely different to you, to the point where you didn’t want to return? I’ll see you in the next one. Bye!

Losing London (click here for the transcript)

Do you already speak English but want to improve your comprehension of the spoken language and fluency? Have you always loved good books, compelling narratives, and deep conversations? Then, you're in the right place. Here, I'll tell you stories, real stories from my own life, from those of friends, and even from the world of fiction, in clear, slightly simplified English. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad or strange, the stories will always be memorable. My goal is to help you acquire English and enjoy the process, by providing you with compelling "comprehensible input." Ideally, you'll want to spend more time with the language because listening to these stories will bring you pleasure.