LaVonna and I have been best friends since we met over kindergarten coloring pages in 1998. We’ve traveled Europe together three times and hope to do more trips in the future.
In this interview, LaVonna, a linguist, ESL instructor and academic program coordinator at Navarro College, gives us insight on how to study abroad in northern England.
What’s your background? Why did you choose to study in England?
My name is LaVonna Phillips, and I’m an ESL instructor and program coordinator at Navarro College. I decided to go to England so I could go to concerts and see my favorite British bands play at a decent price. No, that’s only partly why. I decided on England because I wanted to research about an area for a series of short stories I was writing. I hadn’t learned about this area before. It was new to me. I didn’t even know the Geordie accent existed crazily enough. I partly decided to study in Newcastle for that reason, but also I looked at the University of Newcastle and found that their program for Applied Linguistics and Cross Cultural Communication was perfect. It’s a great institution, and the area is lovely, so it became a very easy choice.
How did you make it happen?
When I decided to apply to graduate programs, I was actually looking at Germany because I wanted to study in Europe. Once I started doing that, I found myself completely at a loss. I didn’t know where to start or how to begin. I was looking on Facebook one day, and I saw an ad a mutual friend had liked. One person had liked this random program that said they could help you apply and go to England for university. I found out this program pairs you with an educational adviser who helps you through the entire process of going to England to study, completely for free. I emailed the program, and they got back to me really quickly. We mapped out some of the things I wanted to do, what I wanted to study and where I wanted to go, and we narrowed down my options. They helped me with every single part of the process. The name of the program is Across the Pond. They’re excellent.
What was the best part of living in England?
Not having to drive anywhere. I’m not a driver, and when I was there I couldn’t drive. The accessibility there is great. I got a great workout every day as well as carrying 20 pounds of groceries every week from the shops. Just going to little seaside towns and villages and places in and around Newcastle: by train, by bus, on foot. It was excellent. Accessibility is probably the best part of being in England and in Europe. It’s so different from living in Texas, for example, where you need to have a car.
What differences did you see between English in northern England and English in the U.S.?
Before I went to England, I would consider myself an Anglophile. I was well-researched and well-read when it came to accents, or so I thought. I hadn’t heard about the Geordie accent or Newcastle so I didn’t know what to expect. But I had been researching for this short story I was writing and one of the characters was Geordie, so I had lists upon lists of links to different resources of people speaking Geordie, getting a feel for the accent. When I got there, despite all my preparation, I was completely unprepared for the reality of listening to someone speak with the Geordie accent. It was really amazing. The first one to three months, it was a bit difficult to understand people, especially if they had a very strong Geordie accent. But after that, it was no big deal. I could decipher some slang words or words I didn’t know before. It’s a lot different from other regions and regional accents in England.
Could you give us an example of some Geordie slang?
If you’re going to be in Newcastle, you’re of course going to need to know the phrase: “howay man.” And it’s important to know the spelling of Howay. In Newcastle, you have H-o-w-a-y. But in Sunderland, you have the spelling, H-a-w-a-y. They have a big rivalry between the two football teams in the cities so that’s a big distinction. That’s a proper Geordie phrase. It means like, “Come on.” Like, “Howay man, we’re going to the pub.”
Then you have the “neet.” The neet is like the night. You’re like “going out the neet.” You’re asking someone if they want to go out for a drink or 20. Because in Newcastle you go out for drinks at any time, in any season. It’s a popular thing to do. The drinking culture is something to behold. Girls in short dresses and heels when it’s negative 20 degrees. It’s a definite cultural change from living in Texas.
Where did you live in Newcastle?
I lived five minutes from my university building. It was in the city center. It was accessible by walking, and I could get to shops really easily. I lived in a flat accommodation which was a big building with two flats on each floor and four floors. Each flat had six bedrooms and six bathrooms, and then a kitchen where you would share a common area. It was student accommodation, but it felt like I was living in my own flat somewhere.
How many roommates did you have?
I had five roommates from different areas of the world. One is from Greece. One is from Ecuador. One is from Sardinia, in Italy, and another is from Sri Lanka. Then I had another roommate who was from England, from York, and I’m from Texas, so we had a good mix of people. It was fun getting on with all of them.
Are international students in England allowed to work on a student visa?
It is allowed. They allow you to work 20 hours. You can work pretty much anywhere, I think. One of my friends who is from North Carolina worked at a Levy’s shop in the mall.
How were the classes and academics different from those in the U.S.?
Classroom sizes for us weren’t very big. I think the largest class I had was 80 people, which isn’t too different. We had to swipe in and swipe out [with cards] every time we went somewhere [on campus.] The class expectations I feel were a bit more mature, because it was a graduate program. As far as the markings, the course load itself was heavy with reading. We didn’t have tests or quizzes. We had essays to write at the end of our term. At the end of my first semester, I had five different essays to write for my modules, or my courses. Those were all due as final exams in January. I had the same thing the next semester. That was mainly what our marks amounted to, the essays. And then we had our dissertations to write. (LaVonna’s dissertation passed with distinction and was accepted to an international linguistics conference in Sweden.)
What was the biggest challenge of living in the UK as an international student?
I think one of the biggest challenges was the weather. It’s very easy to underestimate the weather especially if you come from a place like Texas or Sardinia where the weather is a warm climate most of the year. In England, it was like 365 days of cold, gray, grim, rainy weather. It was excellent for tea, but when you needed to go to the shop every week, and you had to walk with all your groceries or walk to class or the library or you had to get comforters and pillows… not fun. The weather is a challenge for people who aren’t used to cold, really cold and rainy weather for most of the year.
The Geordie accent is a bit of a challenge, and it can be so hard to understand. I say the accent is a challenge, and it is if you’re not used to it, but it’s a good challenge. People are friendly, and it’s not a big deal if you can’t understand them.
Stereotypically, are northern Englanders friendlier than southerners?
I can’t say anything about the south because I hadn’t spent much time there. People were incredibly friendly in the north. Speaking of racism, for example, American racism is in your face, it’s not hidden. In Britain, it’s very subtle. I’m not saying I was in a position where people were being racist toward me directly. There were instances where that came out. Despite that and stupid comments, people were really friendly and very accommodating and curious. People just want to have a good time. It doesn’t really matter who with. They just want to enjoy a good drink or good food or have a laugh. I would say in my biased opinion, maybe the north are a bit more friendly, but I can’t say for sure.
What advice do you have for those who want to study abroad in England?
Just do it. If it’s in your mind, then you gotta do it. If you don’t, you most likely will regret it. If it’s something you want to do, and you feel like you have a chance to, try to make it happen. Get a good support system back home, especially if you want to go to England where the winters are long and hard and harsh. Having a support system somewhere is going to be paramount to your success.
The most advice I can say would be that: just do it. Take the chance. Take the leap. You’ll be surprised what you find. You won’t regret wherever you go. South. North. Liverpool. London. Just go.
Where can we find your work online?
I blog a little bit at a blog called Her Lavender Latte. It’s mainly poetry and short story prose ramblings. You’ll find a post or two with a comparison of Geordie and German. Check it out if you want.
https://herlavenderlatte.wordpress.com/
