📘 Part 3: Countryside

This episode's vocabulary

The rat race (noun) - a way of life in modern society, in which people compete with each other for power and money.

To decompress (verb) - to reduce in pressure or return to the original lower pressure, or to cause something to do this.

Ideal (noun) - a principle or a way of behaving that is of a very high standard.

Diverse (adj.) - including many different types of people or things.

Smattering (noun) - a very small amount or number.

Conversely (adverb) - in an opposite way.

Demographic (adj.) - relating to demography (= the study of populations and the different groups that make them up).

Trait (noun) - a particular characteristic that can produce a particular type of behaviour.

Trail (noun) - a path through a countryside, mountain, or forest area, often made or used for a particular purpose.

Landscape (noun) - a large area of land, especially in relation to its appearance.

Appeal (noun) - the quality in someone or something that makes him, her, or it attractive or interesting.

Questions and Answers

M: Is there anything special about villages in your country?

R: Not that I'm aware of. Although, they could be made up of materials or in particular styles that are unique to the area. Something like sandstone, for example.

M: Why do people want to go to the countryside?

R: For starters, it's a nice escape from the rat race in cities. So they might go to decompress before returning to that. Another thing that comes to mind is having some sort of romantic ideal of like the peaceful countryside in general that draws them there, not just to visit, but to live. Whether that's true or not is another matter entirely, but those are some of the reasons.

M: What do people usually do when they visit a village?

R: Well, your guess is as good as mine. Villages are pretty diverse in terms of what they offer. I mean, if it's just a smattering of houses, then there's possibly not much to do but sit and read a book or something like that. Conversely, there may be local tourist attractions like waterfalls or hiking routes or even festivals that people can enjoy. But that's not always certain, and some places are just really quiet and they like being that way.

M: Will more people live in villages in the future?

R: Well, the sort of demographic trend has always been increasing migration from the countryside to the city, since that's where the work and opportunities are, and that doesn't show much sign of slowing down or reversing. So I'd say no.

M: What are the advantages and disadvantages of living in the countryside?

R: We covered a few already, but the main ones are probably things like having more space and supposedly, cleaner or healthier living, since the downsides of towns and cities are rarely present in such cases.

M: What kind of people would like to stay in the countryside?

R: I mean, well, people who want to enjoy the advantages and don't mind too much about the downsides. It's hard to think of specific personality traits, but I imagine people who don't like change and value their own space would rather spend their time there than people who don't share those kinds of traits.

M: Do people in your country like to go hiking?

R: Well, there certainly seems to be a big demand for it, and this makes sense, since we've lots of mountains and mountain trails. But despite being in Northern Europe, the scenery and landscapes are still quite diverse, so it's easy to understand the appeal from that perspective, too.

M: Thank you, Rory, for your answers!