A comment from Brit in the USA on my post concerning the problems of making myself understood talked about the way that people will comment on your accent. I have had lots of people remark on how much they love English accents. Once they actually said “I love your accent”, as though it was some conscious style choice that I had made.
I have had to repeat an order in Starbucks, not because I was not understood, but the woman taking my order wanted her colleague to hear my accent. It was somewhat discomfiting to my English sensibilities to have attention drawn to my differences.
I have also been asked if my accent was from Liverpool; which implied a lack of familiarity with regional accents from the questioner. It turned out, however, that she was asking as she planned to spend a year of college in the UK and wanted to spend that year in Liverpool. She wanted to know what the city was like and on hearing an English voice was hoping that I was a native of the city. She had apparently heard that was a dangerous, crime ridden city. I told her it was no more dangerous than LA; for some reason this did not totally reassure her.
(I realised having posted this, that it is my 100th post to the blog; a cause for minor celebration. Thank you to everyone who has commented on my blog either in person or on the site… at least I know that someone is reading my thoughts.)
Slightly unrelated note, but your last paragraph reminded me of a friend I have in Belfast. I once asked him if he lived in a Protestant area or a Catholic area; he said he lived on the road right in the middle where all the fighting happened.
So he decided to come visit me in London one day and said his mom wanted to speak to me on the phone. She said she was worried because she heard how dangerous London was. It took every ounce of restraint I have not to boggle at the irony of her saying that despite living in Belfast!
I’m fond of your blog. I’m from Ukraine. I have been twice to the US (San Francisco) and I’m ready to sign nearly to each of your observations.
I took from home dollars in 100 banknotes. Can you imagine their faces when I paid with this money in Safeway?
At present I’m preparing to extended stay there. I’m reading your blog as a kind of guide or reference book to life and work in the US. And I can’t stop laughing.
I found myself in funny and awkward situations being there. I had troubles with coins