Italy to England and Pesto to Beans on Toast - A Chat with Aurora from Online Language Lessons 🇮🇹 🇬🇧 #347
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This is Rock and Roll English. Real people, real English. Here's your host, Martin Johnson. Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of Rock and Roll English, episode number 347, baby. Oh, yeah. The first podcast as well of 2025. And today we have a very, very, very special guest, someone who is...

I would say famous these days on the internet. I see her videos absolutely everywhere. Her name is Aurora. She is from, well, she's not from, but her channel is Online Language Lessons. You may have seen some of her videos. She does lots of different sketches.

often about an Italian girl that is trying to talk English and having a bit of difficulty. As I mentioned, they are very, very famous on the internet, especially in the learning English world. So I'm guessing you've probably come across one of them. And I must admit, I have had quite a few people on the podcast, but Aurora is one person who I've

I follow, I actually properly follow and I have been following for a couple of years, mainly because I find it very interesting because obviously I lived in Italy for a long time, but she is Italian and she lives in the UK. So I quite enjoy seeing things from the other side, let's say. So in today's episode, we have a chat about...

a bit of everything, really. What it's like to live abroad, especially strange things that Aurora finds in the UK, strange things that I noticed in Italy. And then towards the end of the conversation, we finish on one of my favourite topics, which is drinking and the difference

in the drinking culture between Italy and the UK. So make sure you stick around for that. And as it's the first podcast of the year and we have a special guest, I have decided to be really generous and I'm giving everyone the transcript to this podcast. It is in the description of the podcast you are listening to right now. So you can stop the podcast, click the link and then you will have the transcript.

We are doing the full episode as well. Often we split the episode to go in the Rock and Roll English family membership area, but today it's the full episode.

So the conversation is a little bit longer than the usual one. And one last thing I have prepared is a PDF with all of today's R&R vocabulary. So all of the difficult vocabulary, let's say, that is used, there is a PDF which you can download so you can have a written copy of it. Again, that is in the podcast you are listening to. You just need to click

on the link. And on the subject of vocabulary, remember, if you have not done my free 14-day vocabulary challenge, make sure you do. Remember, it's free. It lasts 14 days. All you need to do is listen to one 10-minute podcast every day. And it is designed for lazy people that have no time to study because all you need to do is listen. Again, the link to that is in the

description of the podcast you are listening to. Anyway, that's enough of me talking. Let's jump into the conversation. I will talk to you again at the end to talk about the R&R vocabulary. Happy listening. So, hello Aurora and welcome to Rock and Roll English. Hello, Martin. Thank you for inviting me.

Thank you for accepting the invitation. I do feel like a bit of a strange stalker today because strangely, I know lots about you. And as I quickly mentioned in our brief pre-podcast chat, the reason I enjoy watching your stories, sometimes just sitting on the toilet, you know, flicking through your phone is because it's very much like rock and roll English. You're just talking about day-to-day life, you know,

like things that have gone wrong with your kids or things that just, just general life. And that is what we love on Rock and Roll English. Not talking about really serious stuff, just general life. So yes, I am a very, very big fan. And as mentioned, I can see myself in you in many ways because, well, in fact, you tell us just in case anyone that doesn't know about you, tell us who you are and what you do. Yeah. Okay. So my name is Aurora. I am

Italian and I've been living in the UK since 2011. Is that right? Yes, 2011. And I moved here when I was 18 to go to university where I studied drama and modern languages because my original dream was to become an actress. After that, I went into teaching. So I did a qualification called PGCE.

And I became a Spanish, Italian and Latin teacher in secondary schools here in the UK. And I worked as a teacher for eight years. I also moved to Qatar to teach in a British school there. But then the pandemic hit and we had to return to the home base. So me and my husband, that is. And we... Yes, I...

taught in British schools for eight years and then I started doing videos online just to teach languages in general originally and then it turned into more like teaching English to Italians because I kind of enjoyed the camera really but I was still really very much into I was very much still in my teaching mode so my

The first videos we shared were quite serious and, you know, quite academic. And then I started embracing my drama side and slowly, slowly, because I've been doing this for four years now, started including sketches and situations and very much created characters that played roles

that represented me on a site like one of my characters is Laura and she's literally my alter ego. She represented me fresh from the boat to the UK as an Italian with a strong accent or making lots of mistakes and falling into

into the traps of of English and I play that creating lots of misunderstandings that may cause laughter and comic effect and that's something I always found that it's successful when teaching so when I was teaching Latin or Spanish in school I always would you know

play it to make it as comical as possible so that my students would laugh and remember and stay focused. And so the entertainment really played a positive role in the language journey, in the teaching journey. And so, yes, those videos

started developing and changing and they're always changing and I do everything myself from the script writing to the filming to the editing and you know I've become a better editor. Just on that quickly I just don't think people understand what is behind

Like people see your videos and think, oh, that's great and stuff. But even just the script writing, some of yours in particular are fantastic. The way like you've found some words, maybe where there's a misunderstanding, but just that whole process is amazing.

so time consuming and so difficult. So yeah, I just want to say a big well done because your video, I mean, obviously they're great. Everyone loves them. But when I watch them, I just think of everything behind that as well. I didn't know you edit them as well. Yeah.

Wow. So sometimes I start from a situation. So like, okay, I want to create a situation at the airport or at the supermarket or at the grocery store or at the post office. And I create the situation around it and I start brainstorming all the vocab that may be involved in that specific situation that may be required, sorry, in that specific situation or any mistakes

I start thinking about any misunderstandings or any words that as an Italian or as a non-native speaker, I would use and then, you know, cause, sorry, and cause, you know, how would I?

How can I describe it? And then cause a... Confusion. Confusion. And other times, I start from the joke itself. So, for example, very recently, one of my latest videos was the Italian cashier. So, I've done a few of those. You've got the Italian cashier and the British customer, right? And this latest one started from the word berlin.

So Berlin in Ligurian dialect is a bit informal word, which means the male genitalia. Right, okay. I didn't know that one. And it's used to say...

oh come on or it could be used in any way like oh come on oh yeah and i noticed very recently that sounds like berlin the city so i really wanted that joke in one of my videos berlin berlin okay and i started from that and i created a situation around it to get to berlin

so it depends on the video it depends how inspired i am sometimes i write scripts and then i'm like oh i just i don't think it works i don't and i leave it i just leave it there and i go back to it a week later or two weeks later and then i read it again and i and i realize what was what was missing or i reread it i'm like actually it's not too bad let's try it

And sometimes they share things which I think are absolutely hilarious and they're going to be great. And then they do not perform. And there's other things where at other times where I'm like, I hate this one. And I post it and people love it. My very first supermarket video was Laura...

not understanding what the cashier was asking and the cashier was um asking questions such as um do you want a bat do you want a bat with that should we play with cart do you have a cup cart like this right and laura was really panicking and she was saying sarah please help me sarah is my british posh british character and sarah pops up as a little fairy and she kind of translates what the cashier says so that was my very first supermarket video and um

I was about not to post that. Oh, wow. And that one, that was the one.

So that one, just in case anyone hasn't seen that, is what's great about that is the English girl with the fake eyelashes, which my wife as an Italian has picked up on and always says that to me. And it's that and wearing like flip flops. English girls love fake eyelashes and flip flops. Yeah, and the headband.

yeah exactly sorry um so so yeah that was my very first supermarket video and people absolutely went ballistic about those they loved them and they several of those went viral like the majority of those get always get millions of views on tiktok and facebook and instagram so

The very first one I was about not to post because I hated the editing of it. I just thought the green screen was really rubbish. The quality of the video was really rubbish, but then it worked. So who knows? Yeah.

Well, that's, I think, actually a useful lesson because I've had the same, similar situation to that. But I always think I've got to the point now, I think if I've invested more than like 20 minutes doing something, I just think I'm just going to do it because sometimes you actually just don't know how it goes. But it's also good seeing the opposite now of when you have the supermarket sketch and you have the like,

English girl going to the supermarket and like making a bit of a fool of herself and like saying things which make it's for example it's nice for me to see almost English people looking stupid I mean yes because in the majority of my videos as they represent me and my mistakes there there's always the Italian girl looking stupid

Yeah. I always remember when I first said to my wife, we were having a pizza and I said, can we have some oregano? And she absolutely fell on the floor with laughter. One of my husband's greatest lines was at the restaurant, an Italian restaurant, and he said, possiamo avere acqua del gabinetto, per favore?

It said gabinetto, which is the toilet, instead of rubinetto, which is the tap. So, you ask for toilet water instead of tap water. And I was dying. Yeah, it is strange how when you speak that language, you probably sometimes can't see the connection between those two words. But then when someone else says it, you can actually... Yeah, I never noticed that. One of my first things when I was in Italy, I said to...

I was talking to someone and her brother had had a baby and I knew the mum as well. And I wanted to say your mum is very happy. Like obviously Felice, but I said Facile. Like and sort of obviously your mum is easy kind of. Yeah, I'm sure that sort of translates to most languages. This is what happened to Sam. He wasn't speaking to me in Italian. He was speaking to me in English and he said this. He looked at me and he said, hello, boo.

And I was like, sorry. And he was like, sorry, I meant beautiful. You completely spoiled the moment. Thank you very much. That one time you gave me a compliment, you called me a bull. Thank you very much. Lovely. It happens in English as well, two native speakers. Calling someone a bull, yes. I'm a bull. Sorry.

What a compliment that is. But as mentioned to you again in our pre-podcast chat, I see myself in lots of ways because, well, when I was living in Italy and I was married to an Italian, obviously I had children there, and it's obviously the same for you on the other way. So I wanted to ask you some questions to see what it's like on the flip side. Because I've spoken on this podcast so many times about things that I find interesting.

that I found so strange in Italy, obviously being a Brit. Going there as well, I had the disadvantage of not knowing anything of the language when I got there. So that took me quite a while as well. So living in the UK, what are some things that you find strange about us Brits?

I mean, it's too late to ask that question. Or, in fact, so here's the other thing. You've just become so, so, I was going to say Britonised. I can think back at the beginning and some things that...

really annoyed me. So one thing that I've heard you say, which I do this myself, is because you've lived abroad for so long and I've heard you say that your Italian has suffered. And I feel like that with my English because I lived abroad for so long and I was just obviously teaching English, using basic English for the whole day. And actually, I made a video the other day and I think I said...

it's one of the most expensive areas of London. And I was thinking, is it of London or in London? Sure, it's in London. But I was just like, you translate from Italian sometimes. I find myself making errors in English because I'm almost translating from Italian sometimes. Yeah, no, my Italian is...

really bad and it's a shame because I because I went to you know I did Licio Classico and when I graduated from that my Italian was amazing and I was very

I was, yeah, I spoke really well and I wrote really well. And now I am awful. I make lots of mistakes. I, sometimes I have a weird accent. A lot of people say that when I speak Italian, my accent sometimes is a bit strange. Like I sound a little bit English when I speak. Yeah. Maybe with some consonants. I'm not sure. And then, um,

Yeah, when I have to, if I have a chat, an informal chat, I'm absolutely fine. But if I have to have a formal conversation, then I struggle a little bit more because I know what I don't know, if you know what I mean. If that was my first, if that was my second language, I wouldn't. But because I've studied, I know the level of,

of Italian that people that speak really well have, I realize what I'm lacking and I'm like, oh my God, I really miss so much vocabulary. So I lack, sorry, I don't miss it. I lack it. And yeah, so, but at the same time, I find the same in English, even though I'm fluent and I feel like,

perfectly confident in English, I find the same, that I'm not 100% as confident as I'd like to be. And I wonder if that's normal when you're bilingual. Yeah, I imagine, I don't know. That's something that probably you never, I think if you speak a second language, again, this is my theory, you will always still think

I can do better with this. I assume, I don't know, but these things about living abroad, it's good to sort of share these things. People don't really think about these things when you live abroad, how you, even your own language, you start to almost lose in some way. I love the meme. Instead of bilingual is bilingual because you're saying goodbye to both of them because you're not completely fluent in either by the end of it.

Absolutely. This is a bit of a deep question, which I wasn't thinking of asking, but I want to get your thoughts on this because I had to proofread someone's dissertation or something like that once. And it was about immigration. And it said how when you move abroad...

obviously you're always a foreigner there like you could you can be really integrated like i'm sure you are i felt really integrated when i was in italy but i still i still was a foreigner like and there's still you still feel i am different um but then certainly now i've moved back i still feel like a foreigner here and so they say in in this dissertation this person was making the point when you move abroad you never fully belong in your new adopted country

And then when you go back, you don't feel like you belong in your country. So you're just stuck in the middle. Is that a feeling you've had? Absolutely. And every time I go back to Italy, I feel the same. I feel like I'm a bit of an outsider. I think what the problem is, the problem is that we kind of seek the same feeling and comfort of that feeling of belonging that we had when we were children.

And we'll never have that once you've grown up and you've left. And when you go back to your country... It's such a long time as well. It's not like you've gone for like three months. When you go back to your country, you kind of are seeking that feeling that you had when you first lived in that country, but it's never going to be the same. So that is also...

why, you know, that it may be scary to go back to your main country because you may feel, oh, I left there for a reason. I left from there, sorry. I left from there for a reason. And I, you know, am I going to feel the same?

Same way I did when I was 16, 18, whatever, and left? Or is it going to be completely different because now I'm going back with my family as a new person? You can tell me what your experience is like. Is it exactly the same the way you left?

No, 100%, no. You do feel weird. And then, obviously, I came back with an Italian wife. And so you've always got that connection. We speak Italian at home, for example. That's our, like, well, I talk Italian with her. I talk English with the kids. But everything just seems so weird. And now I...

As mentioned, I feel like a foreigner. Like the thing that drives me crazy now in the UK is like someone says, oh, let's meet on Saturday. Let's go out, have something to eat. Right. Yeah. Brilliant. What time? They say three o'clock. Exactly. What is that? Well, you're lucky because every time I say to anybody, shall we meet on Saturday, I already have plans. Yeah.

I have to work into their calendar. That's something I hate. My friend, one of my closest friends, Rosie here, she loves the fact, she's like, I love how I can just call you and ask you, show me it up right now. And you say, yes.

Just come over. That's something I can never do with any of my other friends. And I'm like, and you know what's something I absolutely hate about you guys? It's like, shall we meet up? Yes, let me check my calendar. Right, in three months on that Sunday, whatever, of January, we can meet up. And I found that ridiculous. I hate it. I'm much more spontaneous. I don't like to plan so much in advance and put a meal in the calendar with you three months later.

beforehand because I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to do this weekend. You think I'm going to know what I'm going to do on the 8th of January? Actually, I know what I'm going to do on the 8th of January because I've got my British citizenship ceremony.

Oh, wow. There's like a full-on ceremony. I didn't know. Yeah, there's a ceremony you have to swear an oath. Do you get to meet any of the royal family? Is that part of the deal? I know it's really expensive, isn't it? Is that right? The ceremony is not. The whole thing? Yeah. I paid just under two grand and I didn't have to do the English test.

So you've got the, obviously the life in the UK test, which is a ridiculous test. That is mental, isn't it? Asking some crazy question. I did a few videos of me testing Sam and see if he knew the answers and he didn't. Of course. Then you have to do a language test to prove that you can speak English. But I didn't have to do it because my degree was from the UK. So I didn't have to sit that test.

And then you have to do a, you have an appointment where you're bringing your documents. That's another 250 quid where they're checking whether your passport matches your face and things like that. And yeah, so, and then finally you wait, I waited for eight months and,

to see if it was approved, you get an email and then you can book your ceremony. Right. And do you get a passport as well as part of the... No, after that you have to play for a passport. There's going to be another few months to wait. And will that say nationality British? It would say British, yeah.

So one of my friends lives in Sweden and he got a Swedish passport and he said when he got it and it said nationality Swedish, he said there was just like a feeling in his stomach. Okay. Oh, when you applied for a Swedish passport?

Yeah, he lives in Sweden, so he got his Swedish passport. Yeah, so we'll say British. Yeah, I'll be British. I'll be a dual nationality holder. Yeah. Well, my plan is to do the same. But when I looked into doing this, I was still living in Italy. I went to the local common thing like council.

and then they said no yeah they sort of like waited like the whole the whole day and then they said no you have to go to the police station and then I went to the police station and then they said no you have to go to the commoner oh my god I'm gonna do a sketch about this because I think that's hilarious and then um and then they said well maybe you have to like call the London embassy and then I think at that time they weren't taking appointments for like

another like almost one year i thought you know what i don't really need this so i think i'm just going to give up i think that's what they count on like they just they just really want to not pursue um your passport yeah my favorite one of these was um well i say favorite it was absolute fucking disaster when it happened so i was i was living in italy i used to get the bus to work and i

Already the bus times was like, well, I think it was one at half past eight. And then the next one was at half past nine. And then if that didn't come, the next one was at 12 o'clock. And so I missed. So I said, I missed it. I was there. The bus half past nine. I was there for about quarter past nine. The bus didn't come. And so I waited there to from about quarter past nine to about nearly 11 o'clock. So I waited a whole morning. Then in the end, I just had to drive.

And I thought, you know what? When you got the car, you saw the bus coming, I bet. I didn't see it at all. And I thought, you know what? I'm not having this. So I'm going to go and complain. And so I went and complained and went to the office. And they said, you have to go to the other office. So I went to the other office. And they said, no, you have to go back to that office. Went back to that office. And they said, no.

okay call this number so I called this number and then when I called it it would say um I'd call in at probably 11 o'clock in the morning and it said um our offices are closed at the moment they are open from nine till one I was like yeah but it's 11 I'm in the I'm calling in the hours that you'll say you're accepting calls um

So you just couldn't do anything. I went to both offices. What is this complaining thing? You can't complain. Exactly. So, yeah, that was one of the things that drove me crazy. But so as you mentioned, you've been so like ingrained now in like British life culture. So one question I have to ask you, like, because I'd imagine you've never,

obviously lots of British traditions and stuff for just part of your day-to-day life. If you drink a cup of tea, would you drink it with milk in it? Yeah.

Oh, you do? Wow. Wow. I mean, you might lose your Italian passport for that, I think. Way more than I've done to lose my Italian passport. Wow. I didn't think you would say yes to that. Again, my wife, when I remember it was at my grandmother's house and she made a cup of tea with like milk in it.

And my wife's just like, when my grandma left the room, she sort of like quickly passed me that cup of tea of like, please drink this. I can't, I can't do it. I have just come a mile with honey and yeah, no milk, but with tea, yes, I have to have milk. I mean, I feel literally I'm 50, 50. Like I feel literally I am British in Britain and I can be Italian in Italy. I'm a hundred percent Italian.

I feel that's why I'm really looking forward to get my British passport because I feel having the dual nationality really represents me at the moment. Yeah, yeah. I must admit, I have a similar thing. Like I remember when I first got to Italy and

It would be like, if we're eating this, you could only have this pasta. And it'd be like, no, you can't have that pasta. You know, when I, now I see that. I am going for the Italian way. I have the Italian food. I just appreciate each culture properly for the way they do things. So if I am having Italian food, I have it properly. I don't mix it up with other shit, you know, with, I don't, you know, I hate Italian.

when they put chicken with pesto. No way. Like, no way. Maybe it's also because I'm Ligurian, so I'm a big pesto lover, like proper handmade. I can't have the radio pesto. I can't have that. I have to make it. But I also love a good Sunday roast. I love it. I love beans and toast. I love a full English breakfast. I love soft bacon.

I just love both cultures. There's also things I hate about both of them. So, yeah. Any come to mind about English? Because when you said Sunday roast, I thought, you know, that is nice. But I was surprised at beans on toast. I love beans on toast. I love beans on toast. Yeah.

such a great meal, isn't it? Just a quick... Yeah, I love it. It tastes so good. The first time, I remember myself, the Laura of me, my alter ego, when I moved here and I had, I moved to the UK and I met a boy and we went out for two years and he was, he was the first British, oh, again, he was the first, you know, British person that really

really got me into the culture, let's say. And I remember he woke up one morning and he made beans and toast and I was like...

What is this disgusting thing? Like, what are you having beans with ketchup in the morning? That's disgusting. It's not ketchup, it's tomato sauce or something along the lines of that. And he said, you absolutely have to try this before you judge it. I was like, no way, no, no. And I resisted for months. And then one day I was like, okay, right, I'm going to taste it.

And I loved it so much. I was like every morning having beans on toast. And he would add cheddar as well. Okay, taking it to the next level. Wow. Wow. I loved it. Yeah. And I never thought I would. So it's also, you know, embracing another culture is also thinking, you know,

be more flexible with your ways of living and thinking what life should be lived like, you know, and really be more open-minded about trying new things and see, you know, there's another way of living. When I go back to...

When we have to deal with moms, my mom or my husband's mom, they have their ways. They have their ways and they have to do their things that way. And we are trying to tell them there's a different way of living. There's a different way of doing things. And it's okay. And it's really hard to get them out of that situation.

routine you know life should be like this and you should go to school you know you should attend school and then you should grow up and then you should find your job and then you have your you know long-term relationship and then you get married and yet then you have which is exactly what we did which is exactly what we did but also we are more flexible with choices

absolutely like i still i am surprised with the beans on toast and i i must admit that is what a way to treat a woman hey to uh in fact what a treat relationship which didn't last yeah i i actually thought what that's strange that uh that didn't last the one which drives me crazy and i i know a couple of italians that have lived in england for so long they actually do this but i

for me is just absolutely not acceptable is if you are eating like pasta with like some fish in there and then put cheese on that pasta like if you've got fish in there what are your thoughts on this have you become English as well I am not a massive fish lover but I wouldn't I don't have pasta with fish in England at all ever

ever right if i have pasta i have pasta with scampi right in liguria back home that's as far as my fish in pasta goes and i wouldn't put cheese so i respect i respect the dish right okay if i have a roast a sunday roast i put gravy on it that's the way you eat it absolutely funny something i've noticed of

Italians that other cultures don't really do is, maybe, you know, I'm not sure about like Brits don't really think that far is every time we have an English dish,

We are really looking around at other people, see what they're doing. Or we ask, we're like, what should I do with this? How should I eat it? Because we know how each dish, we really have that mentality, that culture. Each dish has to be eaten in a certain way and you cannot change the way you eat it. So we would do the same with an English dish. We're like, okay, how should I eat it? Should I eat the gravy? I remember the first time we have a roast,

Every time I have friends from Italy or family from Italy coming over and we take them out to have a roast and they all love it. Everybody asks about the gravy. Where should I put the gravy? And we just say, on everything? Yeah, just go mental. Is it just on the meat or is it just on the broccoli or is it just on the... No, no, no, on everything. Or is it just inside the Yorkshire pudding? So it's really funny because I don't think you guys, when you come over...

over naturally would really make sure you ask how to eat something you just go for it the classic is seeing people cut pasta which I must admit I actually did that as well when I first got to Italy and

was quickly made aware that that is not really tolerated. A big debate we have between me and Sam is the fact that I eat risotto with a fork and he eats it with a spoon. And I'm like, you can't eat it with a spoon. And I don't know why, but it just doesn't taste the same if you eat it with a spoon because it's not a soup. Yeah, I agree. It's a bit weird. It says you're ridiculous. It's so much easier to eat it with a spoon. But,

but one of one of mine was when my brother came to see me and we'd gone out for dinner and there was some lots of italians there and then everyone had like an after dinner like just like digestive like yeah i think it was like grappa or something like that and um so you put a shot glass in front of an english person and they just bang just like threw it back yeah i was everyone kind of looked it was like oh like you're not you're not really supposed to do that you're supposed to

sort of drink that slowly yeah okay with limoncello you should go for it really no you would you would you would you would go for it even with a limoncello I would now I try and enjoy the taste I maybe I try and savour it

Yeah, the drinking thing is a massive thing, actually. You make me think about it because I moved to... That was why I moved away. I couldn't handle it anymore. I couldn't handle the drinking. Yeah. I moved... I was 18. Very naive. Moved to uni. Yeah.

freshers week right the first week god i don't think people understand how like i was shocked so if you don't drink like i was shocked because some flatmates wouldn't come out because they they said they weren't drunk enough sorry so you're not coming out we're organizing this thing going out all together and you're not coming out because you're not drunk enough

It makes no sense to me. And also the pre-drinks, you have to get drunk before you go out. I just thought it was completely, it just didn't make any sense. On the other hand, when I go back to Italy now, and we're going now, I'm very happy to have lots of glasses of wine or whatever. None of my Italian friends

are on the same, you know, you know, I do more than them now. And that's the British cultures affecting me. It's just so much more fun when you're drunk. Like, so I don't know if this is the same of weddings in the North, but yeah,

a wedding in Sicily, no one really gets drunk. And it's like, this is not fun if it's not. And the other thing I find really weird, again, I don't know if it's the same weddings in the North, but in Sicily, it's like you have your starter, for example, you sit down, you eat that and then everyone gets up and dances for like,

In Sicily? 20 minutes, half an hour. Yeah. Everyone will get up and dance for like 20 minutes, half an hour. And then they sit down again and then have like the primo, like the pasta or whatever. And then eat that. And then everyone gets up and dances again. So I obviously don't. I'm like, look, unless I'm absolutely shit-faced.

I'm not dancing like it's just not happening like I so I'm just that boring one like luckily my father-in-law is not a dancer and he he sort of like gives me some company so I'll just be sitting on the table next to him yeah um but I just don't get like that how to go they serve you their main course without wine or anything no they yeah you have like a glass of wine but

it's not like you're like properly drunk, like in England, like a wedding is like you have like the meal and then like drinking. And then when you're really drunk, you go on the dance floor. That's how British men work. I think this drinking culture is becoming more of a thing in Italy among young generations now.

So if I see my wedding and my friends getting married now, I can see that they are drinking way more. I mean, I am not supporting that at all. I mean, I prefer that British people drunk less in general and there was less peer pressure. There's so much peer pressure when you go out with your friends drinking.

especially among men to yeah yeah yeah lads yeah let's drink I hate that I hate that yeah I hate that culture I hate you know Sam was

a rugby player yeah and or he went to all boys school that's another thing that's really different to say we don't really have single sex schools and so the men are really laddy really manly and i i don't like that i don't see that in italy as much because of mixed schools like

men and women are growing up together and they can deal with having friends. I went to a mixed school, but the sort of drinking culture was still the same and like the peer pressure. And I remember the sort of, yeah, just even like being at university or like in my twenties and

I would be like with my friends maybe and you said, well, let's do something. What should we do? And we kind of look at each other and be like, when I was actually living in London as well, after I graduated, I was living in London. Right. Well, let's do something today. What should we do? Let's go get drunk. It's not really anything to do, is there? Except go to the pub. And we're like, yeah, I can't think of anything to do. That's probably also what it is. Like,

there isn't that much to do. So I would think like we lived in London, like zone two London. Um, expensive, like what are you going to do?

If we were cultured, though, if we were cultured people, we could have gone to a museum. But those are free. You do that once a month or every two months. That's true. What, are you going to do that every Saturday, going to a museum? Yeah, that's lovely. But I don't think very many people would be interested in that. I mean...

Yeah, so basically it's just, let's go to the pub. So that poses the question, what do the Italians actually do then with their afternoons when they are young?

I remember as well, again, when I moved to Italy, someone would be like, do you want to go out for an ice cream? And I'd say that. And I'd walk along the seaside. But they would say like, yeah, an ice cream. I'd be like, what? We're going to eat the ice cream. That's going to take like, you know, five, ten minutes max. Then what are we going to do? I just couldn't. I'd walk and chat along the seaside. Yeah.

Or sometimes I would be out in Italy, again, especially in Sicily, generally outside most of the time. Someone would just come along, like, do you want a drink? I'll get you one. No, no, I'm not drinking. I said, what are you doing here then? Like, you're making me feel uncomfortable because you haven't got anything in your hand. Yeah. And that's weird to me. That's true, thinking that that's awkward whilst...

And Italy is very much I'm coming here to catch up and see you and have a chat and, you know. Yeah. My brain just couldn't, even now really, that's, you know, like I said, I feel very sort of at home when I'm in Italy, but the...

going out and like not even like even just to get like get a bottle of water just get something to hold something in your hand like what are you doing with your hands like your hands are making me feel uncomfortable. is like British girls pictures

are all about them in a pretty dress holding a glass of wine. I don't know if you've ever noticed that before. Absolutely, yeah. Maybe because you're a man, maybe not. But that's not the case with Italian women. They wouldn't take pictures of themselves holding alcohol. It's not common. I hadn't noticed that point, actually. But, yeah, the British girls' pictures, I can...

vividly see that of like pictures on Facebook, everyone's got a glass of wine in their hand. I'd have to pay attention to the Italian one. But one other quick thing I thought I would share on like the wedding whole getting drunk thing. We went to my friend's wedding. My wife was quite shocked that

my friends like parents and grandmother were like ridiculously drunk and dancing she was kind of like like my friend's grandma she must have been she must have been at least 80 um and she was

very clearly drunk and kind of like swaying and putting her arm around everyone, which I don't, I can't imagine many Italian grandmothers getting smashed. Absolutely not. I've never, I've never,

seen my parents, my parents, my parents, friends, when we went out for meals and we went out loads, we will always go out on a Sunday to restaurants and stuff with, it was like a thing all the time going out for meals with, um,

you know my friends and their families never seen any elderly italian drunk none of my my my my friends parents never ever ever i've only seen drunk italians that were my age just right us probably we were the first generation of italians um to actually actually

get drunk and quite often as well. I mean, not once in a while, like, you know, go out more often and it would happen. It was more common, but that was not the case. And that I personally have never seen friends drunk under the age of 17. It started happening when we turned 17, 18, our last year of high school, not before ever. Yeah.

Yeah, I did a podcast about this of how it's just so ingrained in you because yeah, you mentioned you never saw your parents. I remember vividly

When I was under the age of 10 and maybe we would have a New Year's Eve party or we would go to someone and all the adults would be getting smashed. The thing is, in my mentality, thinking back of me as a 16, 15 year old, it was seen so badly by everybody. So I remember once I was, I think I was 18.

And we went to a dress-up party and I did drink too much. And I was a bit drunk and I was 17 probably. And I remember the looks of my peers. Like, oh my God, she is drunk.

with that tone of like, oh my God, she's like, it sounded like I was a drug addict. And I remember my boyfriend at the time was so embarrassed and he was like,

you embarrassed me you were so drunk everybody knew you were drunk and i was like oh my god what have i done i still remember it now like oh my god the sense of guilt of i drunk that extra glass of whatever that yeah so yeah so i think it's totally a cultural thing and that that

That is 100% true. The first time as well, I went to a party and it did a house party. I was like, right, house party. I'm good at this. I know what to do. I bought a crate of beers. I bought like 20 beers. Thinking like, and we're going to get drunk. And when I got there, so it was a house of students. It was quite a big student house of like friends that I knew. There were probably about six people living in this house.

and they were cooking and i was like what is this but like cooking like nice food as well like they were cooking like a fish and i was like barbecue i thought this is this is i thought this is a party like i thought we were just gonna get

I didn't even think of food. It's all about eating nicely and enjoying each other's company. I love that. I think that's lovely. Certainly now, and I actually think I left you. From your point of view. Pardon? It takes time to get used to from your point of view. It takes time to get used to the opposite for me and be like, I just want to have a nice meal with my friends. Why do we have to go out and drink and drink and drink? I don't really want to. So, yeah. Yeah.

Luckily, obviously, I imagine it's probably the same with you from when you were at freshers week compared to now with two children. Luckily, it does slow down, it seems. Yeah, yeah. Because like drinking with children, since I've had kids, I've only got really drunk once and...

the next day was like the worst day of my life. Do not want to let me hang over with kids. Yeah, and kids jumping on you at six o'clock in the morning. No. Absolutely. So I feel like we've kind of bad-mouthed English culture a little bit. So let's finish with something you really enjoy about British culture. So I think I said this to you before, earlier when we were chatting, before starting the episode, is...

how free I felt from people's judgment since I moved here. I was free to do whatever I want, to wear whatever I want, to get out with no makeup, to look great, to look horrible, to whatever, and to express myself and my creativity however I

I wanted even this social media you know that I set up and the sketches that I do I feel at the moment completely free to present myself however I want you know wear wigs and costumes and not feel awkward about it if I had stayed in my little town in Italy

I don't know if I would have reached this enlightenment of creativity. If I would have felt free to explore my creativity in this way, because I would also always think about, oh my God, they're going to think I'm such a loser for wearing fake mustache and a man's wig and put a voice on. And now I feel completely free to,

happy um now if we have in mind the idea of going back to Italy at some point so um will I still be feel free when I go back I hope so that's something I want to continue this if if you do go back that will you will be

our live stories will be even more similar of living in the other country for so long and then going back to your hometown. Yeah. We can do another podcast about reverse culture shock, which is a thing. Believe me, it's, it is a big, big thing. But yeah, well, certainly, yeah. If you were getting judged for having that extra glass of wine when you were young, then certainly, yeah,

I can see where you're coming from on that one of feeling more free. Again, I was 15. Teenagers are nasty. So in any country. So also you have to bear that in mind. Like we're adults now. I'm a mother. I've got a family. Hopefully it won't be the same.

I see British teenagers being really awful as well. Absolutely, yeah. Yeah, I think that is a good point. When I was in Italy, I sort of got the impression sometimes that people thought everything was perfect in England and said like, oh, everyone's so polite in England. And I was like, eh.

Adults can be. Not always. And I specifically remember for the Brexit vote, I was there and everyone said, yeah, but they will never vote to leave. And I was like, I'm a bit worried. And they were like, no, the English people, they will never vote to leave. And then it came in and I was like, oh God. People have in mind Londoners more than anything and don't realise that the rest of the country is...

Yeah, I kind of got the impression lots of people imagined sort of like the classic sort of like Mary Poppins kind of thing of like a British man walking with his umbrella and his like hat on. And I always thought that's not really the case. Yeah, no. Yeah.

Unfortunately not. Well, anyway, I've taken up more of your time than I actually wanted to because it's been so lovely talking to you. I feel I can relate to you so much and I hope people that maybe live abroad have found this useful. But just in case anyone hasn't heard of you, which I think is not likely, tell us where or tell them where they can find you. My page is Auroras Online Language Lessons on Facebook and

Instagram and Aurora Licotti Ottman, which is my full name on TikTok and online language lessons. Aurora's online language lesson. I can't even remember if my name is for YouTube. Yeah, I'll put links to all of this will probably be easiest in the show notes. Well, thank you very much, Aurora, and we'll see you soon. Thank you. Bye bye. Bye. Bye.

OK, so that was Aurora and I talking about a bit of everything, really. I obviously really enjoyed the conversation. I was very happy to talk to her and share my experience of living in Italy and hearing her experience of living in the UK. And I hope you enjoyed it, too. So as mentioned, now we are going to look at some of the R&R vocab. So let's start. I mentioned that my wife, my Italian wife, has picked up on the fact that English girls love Italian.

fake eyelashes so when you pick up on something you notice it then aurora said how english girls always have a hair bun so if you have a hair bun or you have your hair in a bun it's like when your hair is like on a

ball, in a ball, sorry, on your head. She also said that she paid just under two grand for British citizenship. So two grand meaning two thousand pounds, five grand, five thousand, ten grand, ten thousand. We use this word grand to say thousand. I then told the story about the problem I had with a bus driver.

when I was in Italy and I said, I'm not having this. So when you say that I'm not having it, it means I'm not accepting it. I also said that maybe Aurora is so ingrained in British life. So when you are ingrained in something, you are just part of it. It's part of you. I then said I try and savour the taste of like an after dinner shot, let's say. So when you savour it, you really try to enjoy the taste.

and Aurora said when she was 18 she was very naive. So naive means obviously not stupid but not a lot of life experience. Often young people are naive. She also spoke about Freshers Week which is the first week of university in the UK where there are no lessons. It's just go out and get drunk for a week then everyone becomes friends and then lessons start. We

We also had the word shit-faced, which means to get really drunk when I said I don't dance unless I'm shit-faced. And Aurora mentioned that there is less peer pressure to drink in Italy. So peer pressure is when your friends are saying drink, drink, drink. That is peer pressure.

And she also mentioned the word lads when she spoke about her husband going out with the lads drinking beer and said the whole culture is a bit laddy. So the word lad is a difficult one to explain, but someone that likes drinking beer often likes football and just behaves like a bit of a hooligan. That is a lad.

And then when I was talking about having an ice cream, Aurora said, yes, when you go out for an ice cream, it's nice just to go have a chat to catch up. So when you catch up, you haven't seen someone in a while and you just tell each other about your lives, what's been happening. I mentioned how my friend's grandmother was drunk and swaying. So when you are swaying, you are moving from left to right because you can't really stand up very straight. And I asked if

She had ever seen any Italian grandmothers getting smashed. Another word to get drunk, to get smashed. And then at the end, I said we have bad mouth British culture enough. So let's end on a positive. So when you bad mouth something or someone, you speak about that person or thing in English.

Not a nice way, let's say. And then Aurora also used a lovely piece of third conditional grammar and some lovely vocabulary when she said, if I had stayed in my little town in Italy, I don't know if I would have reached this enlightenment of creativity. So lovely conditional there. If I had stayed, I don't know if I would have.

Enlightenment, which means a state of greater knowledge, understanding, let's say. And the last lovely piece of vocabulary is when she said she puts on a moustache, she wears a moustache and puts on a voice. So when you put something on...

Google tells me it's when you assume a particular expression or accent. So if I put on an American accent, I will say, oh my God, whilst Aurora puts on a voice when recording her videos. So that is all of the R&R vocab. I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, you can download a PDF with all of this

R&R vocab in the description of the podcast you are listening to right now. And in that description, there will also be the link to my free 14 day vocabulary challenge. Remember, it is specifically made for lazy people because all you need to do is listen to podcasts. But you can find out more about it by clicking the link. So thanks, everyone, for listening. I will talk to you very soon. In the

rocking baby thanks so much for listening to rock and roll english for more great content and to stay up to date visit rockandrollenglish.com and facebook.com slash rock and roll english we'll catch you next time