Prepared by Ida Wrzesień from Kolegium Karkonoskie in Jelenia Góra

Lead In:

1. Why do tourists travel to foreign countries?
2. What do you think the tourist would like to see in Poland? Which places would you recommend? Compare your answers with those of the person sitting next to you. Explain the reasons for your choice.
3. What stereotypes about Poland and Poles do you know? Compare and discuss them with those of the person sitting next to you?

Part One:

·         Which parts of the United Kingdom have you been to?

·         Have you ever been to Wales? What places, monuments have you seen?

·         What do you think the Welsh people are like? Are they / Aren’t they different from the English? / Scottish? / Irish? In what ways?

Part Two:

• Play the short version of the interviews. They vary in length and difficulty so it is best to play them twice.

Answers

Interview one:

Tim is 24.

He’s from Delft in Holland

He’s been to London, York, Edinburgh, Dublin and Cardiff.

Interview two:

Dylan is a lecturer in the School of Welsh.

South Welsh accent is perceived as the Welsh accent. In a way the Valley accent as well.

Rugby and soccer

Interview three:

Jill is from Newport.

She’s English.

A person from North Wales

Interview four:

She studied in Swansea.

Australia and New Zealand

Language, history and very very friendly people, unspoiled nature and greenery.

Interview five:

David is 54.

It used to be a big coal miner

Nowadays people living in close communities.

Part Three:

You are going to listen to the longer versions of the interviews. Your task is to fill in the table below. Some information has already been already provided. The interviews are quite long (Altogether approx. 30 minutes).

Follow up:

Answers:

1. c

2. d

3. b

4. d

5. a

6. b

7. c

1. Read the article: Wales: Basic Facts and Figures. Prepare a similar two-minute presentation of the region that you come from to give to your group members
2. In pairs write a letter of enquiry (e-mail) to a Welsh university about the opportunities for studying in Wales for a student / students from Poland, a graduate / graduates from the NKJO / Teacher Training Colleges and PWSZ / State School of Higher Education, i.e. BA’s. Explain the reasons why you are considering studying there.
3. Project for students individual or pair work. Set the time span (e.g. 6 weeks). Ask the students to prepare questions about their local area, Polans and Poles and then ask them to % foreigners. Students might ask the native speakers at the College, use The Internet or ask tourists (e.g. in the hotels). Ask the students to prepare a written report and a presentation (using tables, diagrams or recorded interviews) to be presented  to the entire group.

Tapescripts:

Interview one:

Hi my name is Tim von Heyningen. I’m 24 years old. I was born 23 of May 1980, in Holland in Delft; I’ve lived there all my life. I never really moved around much. I’m kind of a  worker more than a traveller. And the last 3 years I haven’t really been on a holiday, except for this time. And nobody wanted to go with me so I just went alone. And just [to] see England and Ireland

Q: Why did you choose to come to Wales?

A:  I don’t really know. I ...er... Well ... er... the first choice of my holiday was in February. I just woke up and I wanted to go to England. Very much. And I went to the the travel agency that day and I booked it ... er ... the trip and I was planning to go to London, York, Edinburgh, Dublin and Cardiff, cos Cardiff was a larger place and I heard it was ... er ... it had a lot of history. And I arrived in York and it was scratched from my list cos it’s really not my kind of town.

Q: Okay, um.  What in your opinion do the Welsh people think about themselves? Did you meet any Welsh people here? [not asked here: What is unique about the people here?]

A: I did the first night there were a lot of Welsh people who ...er ... came from [the] northern Wales and the northern Welsh people speak more Welsh than the southern. That’s for sure. And they live here... er ...  a couple of blocks away, I think. And we were all gathered here at the bar. I don’t know why they were here but that doesn’t matter ..., and we’re pretty drunk. But the northern Welsh people are definitely proud that they speak Welsh. And I think they should keep that way. But ... er ... the Welsh are pretty proud of their own country.  They, er, they still separate themselves from the English. I’ve met a Welsh guy in Holland and he was just the same. I thought I’ll ask him if he was English and he really looked insulted.

Q: Ah. Um, okay, as a foreigner what did you expect the Welsh people to be like?

A: I didn’t really know. That I only, well, saw that guy for the first time so that was my impression of a Welshman, but he was pretty strange. Er, well I expected the English to be more stuck up with themselves, discuss more of their own country and the Irish are probably the most open people. And the Welsh I didn’t really know.  There was just ... er ... a shot in the dark.

Q: Would you say that there is something like a distinct Welsh sense of humor?

A: Er, well, I haven’t really spoken much to a Welsh guy who was humourous or something. The most humour I get from the from the Australians

Q: Hm. Do you know any Welsh jokes or stereotypes connected with Welsh people?

A: No, I don’t really know that.

Q: Er, okay, two more questions to go. So WHAT [out: How] is the young people’s lifestyle in Wales like? Is it different from the lifestyle of young people in other parts of the UK?

A: Well, certainly nn ... not in England. It’s just the same. If you look at the young people at ... er ...  the nightclubs and everything. Well, that’s exactly the same as in England. They just ... er... everybody gets dressed up and everybody goes on the streets and, er ... . I went out [Tim mowi: AT] on Saturday, and there has just been a concert of Tom Jones but the entire town was saturated with young people. But that ... er... the night life is pretty much the same. The rest? Well, I think they're more sociable. They’re more talkative than the than the English.

Q: Um, okay. Um, how is Cardiff different from the other parts ... er ...of the UK ... UK you’ve seen?

A: Cardiff is, yeah, how do you explain that? Er ... Cardiff, certainly, they’re proud of Cardiff. Everywhere I went they were really proud of Cardiff. I went to the Castle and the told me... er.... all kinds of occasions they were really proud, that Cardiff was the most ... er.... the biggest export of coal and iron. And they had the richest man in the world a hundred years ago and all those little kinds and everywhere that you read something they’re proud of something.  It’s just ... they keep to themselves, oh, they really hold on to their ... uniqueness. Just, yeah, it’s pretty hard to explain [it] in a different language than Dutch (a laugh).

Q: (a laugh) Okay, but you’ve managed quite well. Er, okay I [’d] guess this would be enough. Thank you.

Interview Two:

Q: Could you please introduce yourself to... er... to us? Could you present your background and yourself to ... er... to us?

A: Yes. My name is Doctor Dylan Foster Evans. I’m a lecturer in the School of Welsh,

Cardiff University. I’m originally from Monmouthshire from Ton in Monmouthshire and I’m a native Welsh speaker.

Q: Uh huh. What’s in your opinion is ... er ... perceived image of a Welsh person? What is an image of a Welshman? Or a Welshwoman, hm?

A: Um... I think it does vary and before I say anything it’s a very ... um ... fraught subject. Hm. And it’s very easy to find yourself ... um ... if you’re making public pronouncements about what is or what is not Welsh you’ll find yourself in trouble. Hm. (a cough) If you’ve not been called a racist or suggested that you are (a cough), I’m trying to close people out by saying anything. I think abroad, generally, Wales doesn’t seem to exist... um... in America or most of Europe. Yes, maybe in academic circles, of course but on the whole ... er ... most Welsh, Welsh people would find it very hard to describe why they are not English. But what does define Welsh people? Well, (a cough) for many people it will be the language and that does include Welsh speakers and non-Welsh speakers. Um... the language perhaps if you’re speaking to someone, say, from Americas, it is the easiest thing to say but it is different from English. This is absolutely different. And for non-spea..., for non-Welsh speakers as well, they will identify with the language even if they can’t speak it. Very often they will feel that the language is a key part of the Welsh identity. And the fact that they don’t speak Welsh doesn’t make them Welsh. Um... tut ... There are other characteristics, then, which tend to become almost clichés, really. Um ... things like the Welsh accent. Outside Wales, I think the Welsh accent is seen ... identified as the south-Welsh accent and, in a way, the Valleys accent. The accent of the South Welsh Valleys is seen as characteristic of the whole of Wales.

Q: Which is not true.

A: Which is no, not, by long way, is not true. It’s always strange, especially when you see Welsh people portrayed from outside Wales and they all have really the accent of area miles away from where they live. We perceive the Welsh accent as the valley accent. Another thing mining, mining industry again very strongly south Wales which has practically disappeared now. In a way it’s a backward looking identity there. Welsh people as rugby followers is another common image of again what is perhaps south Wales again. North Wales is more football, is soccer on the whole. But outside Wales, yes Wales is seen as a rugby playing nation. These things are in a way…, very even in Wales we don’t play rugby all the time. They’re not central to people’s lives in a way things like that …. Wales would formally have been seen as a strongly non-conformist country. Now I think now this country is the least religious part of the United Kingdom. But a hundred years ago there was a very, very strong feeling that Wales had a different religious identity, from England and obviously the Church of England was disestablished from  … . Now the Church of England is not an established church in Wales, as it is in England. But the difference is not really something most people would be aware of at all. Any more than people are aware of what is the difference between a Methodist, Wesleyan, Independent Church or Baptist church, people really don’t have much of an idea by now. So that’s looking back again that’s an old…, it would have been stronger years ago, and it’s declining hugely.

Q: Was there a reason, or a particular set of reasons why this has changed?

A: A very, very good question. Difficult one to answer. A hundred years ago this year there was a big religious revival in Wales. A very famous revival of chapels and churches were absolutely full and new members were waiting to get in almost literally fighting to get into a chapel. And that seems a very long way away now. Obviously western Europe has undergone a process of secularisation as a whole. The Welsh language which was strongly linked to many of the nonconformist chapels has declined hugely. As well I mean has halved in the last century the number of the speakers. So Wales has a strong connection of religion and the Welsh language. So that dislocation has probably weakened things again. But the Welsh even the Welsh speakers now are not particularly religious any more than the English. I’m not a theologian but that’s a very interesting question. That’s one of the key markers of the 20^th century, the decline in religion.

Q: How much has the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales influenced the concept of Welsh identity?

A: Obviously, it seems to be leading to a more of a civic society where it doesn’t really matter whether you yourself feel Welsh or not. If you live in Wales you are a part of a civic society. You pay taxes going directly to the Assembly, you’d be voting in the Assembly and services would be provided by the Assembly within Wales, which should be different from England. So in that sense the Welsh identity has become less of an issue in one sense. In another sense my personal impression is that the Assembly has made it much harder to discuss some things such as the language, the problem in a way is that the language tends to be seen as being linked to one political party in particular, Plaid Cymru and I get the impression that there are many politicians in Wales who are against Plaid Cymru and they would be usually attacking the language, not the language itself, but the Welsh speaking communities, as an attack on Plaid Cymru. I think it has become harder to discuss these things than five years ago. It’s very much harder now because there is a continual argument in Wales whether  different individuals are racist and it almost always tends to go round the Welsh language to some extent. And if you express strong opinions about the Welsh language if you feel it’s a bad thing, it’s declining. You have to be very, very careful to do that especially if you do that in a political way without attracting criticism that you are being racist against the English. Of course in Wales, English people there are more people born in England than there are Welsh speakers. So there’s  .. Wales of all the parts of the United Kingdom is the most mixed in a way only about 70 percent of people in Wales are from Wales by birth. Which is much lower than England or Scotland or Northern Ireland.

Q:  What attracts tourists to come to Wales?

A: I think it’s mainly the scenery, the national parks for walking, Snowdonia in particular. We’ve got the Brecon Beacons here. The history in general sense because it’s especially, you’ve got things like the castles, have you been to Carnavaron or Llanhilleth very, very striking. The history does attract people though I don’t think on the whole the culture does as such, it’s not a feature it should be but I don’t think it is. I think surveys have shown that people coming to Wales are pleasantly surprised that there are some parts where people actually speak Welsh. Would be surprised rather than been drawn for that. So I think that’s one thing we do badly I think that culture and tourism say you could be from Liverpool two hours and you could be living near a community that speaks another language, which I would have thought would encourage some people anyway to come and visit but I don’t think that’s an issue, that side of Welsh life is made very clear outside Wales.

Q: Do tourists romanticise Wales?   Merlin?

A: We all romanticise places we go on holiday because in a way that’s why we go there, we go on holiday because it’s different or more exciting, exotic. We perceive it to be more exotic than where we are from. Yes, the use of images, yeah they do encourage people to come and Merlin there’s a certain appeal for certain kind of what might be called New-Age or alternative lifestyles in Wales. Wales is closer to nature or away from the rat race, a very clean place, unspoiled. Although there is a problem in a way with that, these images of Welshness like Merlin things like that they’re not really important for the Welsh people themselves. It isn’t Merlin culture now, no not really they don’t really mean much culturally and we get things like King Arthur’s labyrinth which is probably a great place to go and visit. They don’t really have much to do with modern Welsh culture so there’s a danger of turning it into a theme park in a way. It’s not really Welsh culture that’s being brought to people’s attention. It’s a reinvention, through Hollywood and and various other things. I’m sure its same everywhere. It does. Modern Welsh culture isn’t really well known outside Wales and has never been presented outside Wales. So what people do look for is perhaps something that never was or has largely disappeared.

Interview Three:

My name is Jill Watkins and I live in Newport. I’ve got a husband, he’s retired. I work at market research. I am English although I have lived in Wales for 50 plus years. I have three children, six grandchildren. What else would you like to know?

Q: Would you or do you think that there is an image of a Welsh person? Is there such a phenomenon as a Welsh person around?

A: Well really a north-welsh person from north Wales would speak welsh, and their very proud of their welsh language. But the south Walians don’t speak Welsh. We speak English. That’s the only difference I can think of. I mean they’re really proud of being Welsh.

Q: Don’t they have to learn …?

A: Oh they learn Welsh at school, my grandchildren, it’s part of their curriculum to learn Welsh. But unfortunately we don’t speak it as a language. So it’s really a little unnecessary. But it is keeping the welsh language going.   (It very much an educational school experience)

Q: What would you say are the markers of Welshness. As we are in Wales right now, we are in the heart of Wales, we are in the capital. What would you define as such signposts of Welshness?

A: Very difficult to answer that. I don’t know. The language, their national costume. Have you seen their national costume? Yes   which is tall black hat (not very comfortable). No but the children put it on St. David’s day which is March the 1^st primary school children always dress in Welsh national costume and they have their welsh national cakes. They’ve got he Welsh cakes they bake        on St. David’s day. That’s the main way of celebrating Wales. All signposts are in Welsh as well as in English, aren’t they?

Q: One more question concerning tourists. What in your opinion attracts people to come to Wales as tourists not necessarily the British people, all the tourists. What is attractive for them in Wales?

A: It’s the heritage I think. The old buildings, the castles.  Mean there’s loads and loads of castles in Wales. It’s their heritage, the history yeah, the tradition, yes.

Interview Four:

My name is Ceys. I’m 28 years old and I’ve lived in Wales all my life. I’m originally from a place called Beddworth , which is in the south-east of Wales. It’s near Caerphilly. Caerphilly has the huge castle I think you might’ve been to. Er, I went the university in Swansea. That’s in the West Wales, on the coast. It’s a beautiful city with natural parks and the coastline and all that sort of thing. I’m working in the Backpackers now. Only’ve been here for two months because I went backpacking myself all around Australia and New Zealand. And I’ve seen all of that, all those countries and so now I want to tell everyone that to appreciate Wales, all the people that come here, show them where to go and that sort of things cos it’s so nice here.

Q: Okay, um. So could you tell me what in your opinion makes Wales so unique?

A: Er ... we still have our own language so although we are a part of the United Kingdom, Welsh is spoken quite widely mainly in the north and west of Wales, not so much in the south here; more city dwellers and people coming in and so we need to speak English more. Um. We’ve got great history and heritage in Wales. And the people are generally very, very friendly, and most travellers that come here have normally come from London and then they come to Wales and they can’t believe the difference. And they come for a day and end up staying for weeks and weeks cos it’s so nice. (A laugh) The weather isn’t so good but ... eh ... I don’t know really.  Well, see, we’ve got everything, as well: big cities, coastline, mountain ranges and it’s pretty unspoiled. Still a lot of greenery and all that here.

Q: So you’ve said that the language and the history constitute the identity of the Welsh.

A: Welsh people are also very proud to be Welsh. And they get rather annoyed if they get called English. We don’t even like British very much, really. We always introduce ourselves as Welsh. Er ... and my generation weren’t taught the Welsh language at school so more and more of us, myself included, are learning it as adults, because we don’t want the language to die out. And it’s like a ... It’s a choice, it isn’t a thing, nobody is forced to learn it. And the universities provide it really cheaply, just so that the culture can live on, that sort of thing. Er ... Rugby is rather a big passion here. I’m a girl and I even played rugby at school. Our na ... our national team isn’t so good anymore. But they still have a huge huge following. And when Wales play in Cardiff, and the Millennium stadium is always full. And the city is pedestrianised and it’s a big event for, you know, for families, or groups of girls, groups of boys. It’s a non violent fun-sport and there are never ever any trouble.

Q: Okay, the next question. Maybe ... er ...  Um, okay. Are there any stereotypes about the Welsh people, so called Welsh jokes?

A: Yeah, there are lots of jokes about but, oh, it’s a bit rude. They call us sheepshaggers.  Do you understand? Because, oh, there are loads of sheep in Wales and, er, and, you know, people just sort of think that we live up the mountains and we all wear wellington boots and we all have sheep as pets. So that was typical. Er ... if you see like caricatures, as well, they’re normally of sheep or coalminers because ... er ... there’s another really important part of Welsh history. There’s a colliery in nearly every single village in Wales. Um, the coal isn’t so widely used anymore and that’s why a lot of jobs are lost, people made redundant because they don’t have them any on / more.   And it is now, and they’re now tourist attractions: the Big Pit and the Rhondda Heritage Park. So people can go underground and see what life was really like for the miners. But you will see caricatures of ... of coalminers and ... and they think that the Welsh people are stupid and they just go down the pit or have sheep as pets.

Q: Are the young people, the younger generation, in Wales different in any way from the young people from the rest of the UK?

A: Um, I don’t really think there’s much of a difference. I would say the Celtic nations like Wales, Scotland and Ireland they seem to be more proud of where they’re from than the English and they’re much more friendly but I don’t think it’s just the youngsters. I think it’s just the nation as a whole that the Celts are a different, different breed to the English people. Um, it’s because we’re smaller, as well, a smaller country and so we like to just to be proud of it. Sorry (Carrey has to answer a phone).

Q: How is Cardiff different from the rest of Wales?

A: Cardiff’s quite a cultural city. We get the most, more tourists than any other part of Wales; they all come here. It’s small enough to get around easily, yet it’s big enough to feel like you’re in a city. And I think Cardiff’s got everything. Like at the moment, there’s the Cardiff Festival so there’s a lot of free events going on. The Cardiff Bay has recently been redeveloped and regenerated, (some clattering noise in the room) becoming ...  oh, it’s becoming more, more of a modern... um ... European city, Cardiff. Whereas if you go out into the Valleys, you get more of a sense of a community. Everybody knows everybody, and knows everybody’s business. People don’t lock the doors in the Valleys. It’s quite old-fashioned in that way. There’s not much crime out there whereas in Cardiff itself it might be a little bit more. (More noises further away in the room) …. Singing is another thing about Wales, as well, as I forgot to say that earlier. We’ve got a reputation for being really good singers, the Welsh, and there’s a lot of choirs, male-voice choirs that tour all around the world and again (the phone ringing).  You’ll find ... um ... if you go in any record shop CDs of different choirs and things, and they all mostly sing in Welsh, as well. ‘can play you a few songs if you want (a laugh).

Interview Five:

My name is David Allys, I am 54 years old. I was born in Wales and lived in Wales all my life.

Q: Is there an image of a welsh person? How would you describe an average welsh man or a woman?

A: I think the image of a Welsh person has changed over the years. Many years ago it used to be a big coal-miner but sadly most of the mines are closed, as in Poland. People have now changed quite a lot in what they do for a living, they’re family people, they seem to get on with everybody, and there are very close communities.

Q: What does Welshness consist of nowadays?

A: I think it’s still just as I said very much of a community way of life I think Welsh people stick together more than the English and the Scotch. The Welsh are very into family life and have always been that way.

Q: What in your opinion attracts tourists to come to spend their holidays in Wales?

A: Well, as we’re talking, we’ve got the Millennium Stadium building behind us, which  is one of the best football grounds in the country, which obviously attracts a lot. We’ve got beautiful countryside, lakes, mountains and good food.