Außen(an)sicht
Loren Parker Englisch-Assistentin
You are here in South-Tyrol for the first time. What were your expectations before you came here? And what was the reality then? I have actually studied in Trento for one semester last year, so I knew a little about the area before I came to work here, as I visited a few places when I had time off from University. I was expecting a different dialect, but it surprised me the first time I heard people actually speaking it! I felt that I didn’t understand what people were saying and it was very confusing! Although, when people talk to me in German, they do try and use Standard German, and for that I am very grateful. I was also expecting the weather to be colder than the UK, but I was not expecting to be told that sometimes the temperature can be as low as -10/15°C! You might see me walking into school with lots of layers of clothing and more than one scarf if it gets that cold!! As a native English Speaker: how do you rate the English proficiency of the students? I always say that if I can understand you, then you are doing really well! This is my first time working with students of this age group, so I don’t have much to compare it to, but I would say that -in general -the ability of the students is very good. English is not an easy language to learn, so my advice is to keep up the good work! Also, when I am in lessons, don’t be afraid to ask questions –I will try my best to answer them. Even if it is in the corridor between lessons, come and say hello! In my free time I ... I love listening to music, but mostly singing along! I am a member of four choirs and societies back at home in Sheffield and one of the hardest things I find about being away from home is that I don’t get to sing with those peo-
46
ple. I sing with my family and we are all part of the same choirs. In fact, that is how my mum and my step-dad met! We perform shows by the Victorian duo Gilbert and Sullivan and although they are a little bit old and out-dated, a lot of the dialogue and songs are still very funny today! I particularly love the costumes we wear and the set that is built to make the show feel more real. I also enjoy reading, particularly fantasy and sci-fi novels, and watching Netflix with my family. I recently had my first skiing lesson, so maybe that can be added to the list! Things that I like and I don’t like here in comparison to the UK... One thing I really like is how much cheaper the train tickets are! When I came back from Innsbruck at the end of the Christmas holiday, I bought a first class ticket for around 30 euros. First class tickets in the UK are nearly double that! Another thing I like is being so close to the mountains. I love watching the sunset reflect off the snow on the peaks in Winter and it really reminds me how amazing nature is. I do think that one of my favourite things here is multivitamin juice! I first tried it when I was on holiday on Lake Garda a couple of years ago and now I can’t get enough of it! It is something we don’t have in the UK, so I am always happy when I can get some to drink. It is difficult to choose, but if I absolutely had to, I would say that something I don’t like about life here is that I can’t get my favourite flavour of Nesquik (Strawberry), but I brought some back when I came back from the UK after Christmas, so now I just have to make it last until my family comes over at Easter. The weirdest thing about South-Tyrol is... I would have to say the accent and dia-
lect! I am beginning to get used to hearing the different pronunciations, but sometimes it still takes me by surprise and it takes me a while to respond. I am, however, very interested in the dialect and love to hear it spoken, so it isn’t the bad kind of weird. You grew up in a more rural area in Scotland (Loren is from Sheffield), how do you feel about being here in the country, does it awake childhood feelings in you? It absolutely does. Although Mull doesn’t have the mountains and the snow! I do feel very at home here in Bruneck, which could be because I grew up on the Island and know what it is like living in a small community. I also feel like my love of languages started when I was little, as I used to be a member of the Mull Junior Gaelic (pronounced gal-ic) Choir, where I would compete in what is known as the Mòd (Mod) both as part of the choir and as a soloist. I won one gold and two silver medals between the ages of 6 and 7 for the poetry recital competition and learner’s solos.
