posh vs bush (no, this is not some victoria beckham vs G.W. weirdness…)
disclaimer: yes, i know, we don’t need any more boxes, this post is genrally for a laugh and a lark.
so i was telling a friend of mine about this whole tck thing. she is also tck haivng grown up in the states although she is originally from botswana like me. she was delighted with the idea and admitted that she’d been thinking a lot about her “difference” lately. she started listing all the things she had been thinking about, basically all the tck traits, so there i was on the other side of the phone (she was in shanghai at the time) going “yeah! yeah!” and then she said something to the effect of ” not being able to live somewhere where everything moves at snails pace, needing to be somewhere cosmopolitan!”
that’s when i stopped with the “yeahs”. after we got off the phone i started thinking about it, and the more i post and read posts and learn more about tcks, i realise that we are sort of divided into two groups; posh and bush. the great thing about being tck is that we can move between the two fluidly, but when our hearts cry for the familiar, it is usually one or the other of these two groups.
posh: usually grew up somewhere where it snows, in a big city. public transport is metro, buses that run on a schedule that can be found on the internet and cabs. the posh dress up to go out, they wear heels and shine their shoes. the men are often clean shaven and the women’s hair is styled. clubs and restaurants are what are considered a good night out. they are wine connoisseurs and consider some french bread, cheese and fruit a meal. life for the posh is often fast paced and organised, tardiness is considered rude to them.
bush: usually grew up somewhere where the sun shines 80% of the year. public transport is a kombi/matatu/mini bus type thingy or some contraption strapped to a bike that shows up wherever, whenever. the bush dress down, always. jeans (shorts) a tank top and flip flops are pretty much their uniform, if not then some sort of random cloth thing wrapped around the waist as a skirt (for the men too). the guys usually have full beards and the women often wear dangly earrings made from local flora. hanging out on the beach grilling fresh fish on an open fire is considered a good night out. they are beer connoisseurs and don’t consider anything a meal unless it has meat in it. the bush take a whole day off work if they have to deposit a cheque at the bank (because it is that slow) and understand that “on time” means at least an hour late.
i am a complete BUSHY, born and bred. i miss walking about barefoot, so much! (too much random glass here. not to mention all the SNOW!!)
what are you?
March 16th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
by the way..where are you guys now?
I know Uncle Dan is in Switzeland??
what about Doreen?
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March 17th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Hi Constanza!
I live near Goshen, Indiana…just about an hour away from you! We probably watch the same news! Benton Harbor is in MI. My family and I actually ate in Edwardsburg, MI last week, at Lunker’s…it’s only about 1/2 hour away from our house.
I would say posh people are found in pockets (posh people in pockets…Dr. Seuss, what?!) around this area…esp. around Notre Dame campus during football season, but generally, it’s a pretty casual/tacky area, esp compared to Europe- I agree with Uncle Dan on that particular point…
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March 17th, 2008 at 10:08 am
hahahahahahahaha! haven’t checked this since i posted it! forgot about it actually.
yes, yes, i know we are all a mix. i mean i grew up “bush” but really the poshest part of my life (own flat, own car, fancy restaurants etc) usually when i am in “posh” parts of the world i live a very bush (read: poor) life. so yes, i get that, there is no one way to describe us blah, blah blah.
dan, you are a total posh! sorry. i love you, but you are. hahahahhahahahahahaha!
priyanka, you and me both with the bare feet! but i must say even in bots folks look at me funny as i walk in the mall holding my shoes in one hand.
so, let me reiterate, although i have had posh moments (lots really i mean private school my whole life, gardeners, housekeepers etc) but i am a complete and utter BUSHIE!!!!!!
bring on the sun, yo!
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March 17th, 2008 at 10:25 am
There’s no shame in it, hahaha!
It was weird being in the US for holidays though. My grandparents treated my sister and I as if we were spoiled brats… which we never considered ourselves to be because we had met REAL spoiled brats. The ones with elevators in their 4-story houses, maids tagging along with them to big public restaurants… that sort of thing.
But my grandfather gave us such a hard time for the wasteful way we used toilet paper, for crying out loud.
Besides, I love eating at the best restaurants. And knowing how, too.
And, 5* hotels in Asia are the best… but I’ve also backpacked too, so it’s fair. A plastic roof over your head can be a luxury.
But you know what this reminds me of? Early on in Facebook, when it was still US-only and groups were just trickling around as an idea… The “I went to a private school” and “I went to a public school, bitch” groups got formed. And my friends over there were so… vehement about this. That apparently being poor and going to a public school made them… better people? And that private school kids were a bunch of preppy spoiled know-it-alls? Who COMES UP WITH THIS STUFF? It’s as bad as TV. Early on in *that* debate, I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t think I was better than anyone, but I had gone to a private school, but does it count if it’s not in the US? Does it count if it’s British? And I had people judging me for being spoiled when I really didn’t think I was…
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March 19th, 2008 at 7:08 am
I am in Shanghai (along with Cynthia)!
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March 20th, 2008 at 10:51 am
aww nice! one day i shall go there to visit
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March 20th, 2008 at 10:53 am
oh wooow!!! we are pretty close to each other!
i agree wih the “posh” people being in pockets..very true..
and anyways, do you go to school here or is this where you work?
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March 20th, 2008 at 10:58 am
heh! i know what you’re talking about..
not that i’ve gone to super nice schools, but it does seem that people who go to public schools think they’re welll…above you? i think they’re just intimidated and don’t want to feel inferior, so they try to place themselves above you.
that’s how i interpreted a lot of things when i was in the philippines. i felt that a lot of filipinos assumed i thought of myself as being better than them because i was a foreigner, and i NEVER thought that way!! so i guess because through the years they’ve had so many people “invade” their land (spanish, japanese, americans)and act like they’re superior, filipinos are sick of it and don’t want any foreigners doing the same thing again.
but i dont know.
i just hate it when people judge me for thinking i’m “better” when i dont think that way.
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March 20th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I’m a middle school teacher…currently exploratory German and Spanish, but I’m getting switched to teach 6th grade Language Arts (English) next school year.
Yeah, I don’t technically have the paperwork for the teaching position, and learned exploratory-level Spanish on the job, but it’s been a wonderful experience. BUT…new principal, new rules…sigh, I’m bummed.
Next year will be my 8th year teaching in this system (Middlebury), and I have been married for almost 12 years, with 2 kids…that makes me sound sooo old…I’m having some trouble adjusting to that…not that I’d change my life, by any means, but this age is a weird age.
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March 20th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I laughed out loud - I’m very posh. And I’ve chiefly moved between developed countries. I make fun of how casually Americans dress, based on - you guessed it - Europe. And I have a lot of childhood memories that involve snow. And I have a huge planner. And I speak German. I think that nails it right there. If you speak German, you’re at least part posh.
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