Day 107 - Becoming one of them?

Am I becoming one of them?

I've caught myself saying things like "lifts", "carpark", "... as well", "talking rubbish", "half five", "postgraduate", "fresher", "chips", "crisps", "at university", "course", "module", etc. Some of it is by accident and some is just to help people understand easier. I have one friend who always tries to use American terminology with me, and it confuses me more than anything because I'm so used to the English terms.

Recently, someone I met was surprised when I said I was American (and not English). She said "Wow, you have a very weak (American) accent.. it's almost English". It wasn't the first time I've been told that. It's probably just because most Americans they meet here are from the East, so people from the West Coast sound less 'American' to them. Or maybe it's because I occasionally try to use less American pronunciations to avoid confusion (with "Meteorology", for example, people always used to think I was saying something related to "media" -- American "meteor" sounds almost identical to their "media"). But don't get me wrong, most people can tell I'm American within about 3 seconds.

Because of all the cloudy weather, my skin is lighter than it has ever been. So I definitely look a little more British. On the other hand, I've been told I look like an American. I've also been told that I don't look like an American, and that I look like a famous English football player.

I'm even starting to like English tea.

However, a few things confirm that I'm definitely not becoming "one of them"..

I still have no interest in English football

I still put loads of ice in my drinks whenever possible

I still don't understand Cricket (though that might be true about most people here too)

I still don't like the taste of blackcurrant, curry, ginger, or unseasoned chips/fries

I still can't handle the ridiculously high temperatures in most rooms here

I still can't drink my hot chocolate or tea at 99°C

I still like G.W. Bush

I still don't like dance/techno music

I still don't have tea breaks

and when people ask me for directions to somewhere a few blocks away, I still don't give them a 10-minute reply filled with all kinds of confusing details.

But I still have another month to go.

posted by Matt @ 11:00 PM