50 Countries, One Continent
Emma Richardson
There are many occasions when I meet new people and as soon as I speak they ask me, “Where are you from?” Sometimes, they just assume I am from one of the countries frequently mentioned in the media such as Spain, Poland or Romania. They ask me “Are you Spanish?”, “Are you Polish?” and quite often “Are you Romanian?” I always say “No, I am not.”
I have travelled to many European countries and experienced different cultures, landscapes, traditions and people. Each and every country has its own original accent and unique way to speak English. How can something so diverse be attributed to just one nation? How is this logical? Europe consists of approximately 50 countries and each of them is unique and beautiful in its own way. So in this article I wanted to discuss the countries and peoples of Europe: its diversity beyond the labels and stereotypes which dominate the media.
One interesting fact is that many European countries have very different seasons that are more blended and less emphasised in the UK, especially towards the south. Many Europeans are submerged in piles of snow in the winter, with temperatures under -10oC, but are heated by a scorching sun in the summer with temperatures of 30 – 40oC.
In addition, Christmas is celebrated differently in different European countries. In the UK and some other countries, Santa Claus climbs down the chimney at night to leave presents under the Christmas tree. While in the Czech Republic and Slovakia they celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day instead, usually on the 5th-6th December. Children leave their boots on a windowsill to find candy, gingerbread, nuts and apples in the morning. However, if they were bad, they will only get coal and onions! So you would want to be a good child. In terms of food, turkey is a must-have Christmas dish in the UK while in some countries it is carp. Christmas is also still traditionally celebrated as the birth of Jesus in countries like the UK, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
I started with how some people place labels on people with accents. These people who are labelled are often very patriotic and proud of their nationality, like many people in the UK. Being blindly labelled can hurt these people just as being the target of racism can hurt. This is especially true when you consider the relationships between the country the person is from and the countries you assumed they are from, as they may not be on the best of terms.
I have travelled to many European countries and experienced different cultures, landscapes, traditions and people. Each and every country has its own original accent and unique way to speak English. How can something so diverse be attributed to just one nation? How is this logical? Europe consists of approximately 50 countries and each of them is unique and beautiful in its own way. So in this article I wanted to discuss the countries and peoples of Europe: its diversity beyond the labels and stereotypes which dominate the media.
One interesting fact is that many European countries have very different seasons that are more blended and less emphasised in the UK, especially towards the south. Many Europeans are submerged in piles of snow in the winter, with temperatures under -10oC, but are heated by a scorching sun in the summer with temperatures of 30 – 40oC.
In addition, Christmas is celebrated differently in different European countries. In the UK and some other countries, Santa Claus climbs down the chimney at night to leave presents under the Christmas tree. While in the Czech Republic and Slovakia they celebrate St. Nicholas’ Day instead, usually on the 5th-6th December. Children leave their boots on a windowsill to find candy, gingerbread, nuts and apples in the morning. However, if they were bad, they will only get coal and onions! So you would want to be a good child. In terms of food, turkey is a must-have Christmas dish in the UK while in some countries it is carp. Christmas is also still traditionally celebrated as the birth of Jesus in countries like the UK, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
I started with how some people place labels on people with accents. These people who are labelled are often very patriotic and proud of their nationality, like many people in the UK. Being blindly labelled can hurt these people just as being the target of racism can hurt. This is especially true when you consider the relationships between the country the person is from and the countries you assumed they are from, as they may not be on the best of terms.
