It has come to my attention that
over the past week I have traveled from New York City to Boston to London to
Newcastle. The endless hours of transport seem a petty price to pay for the
adventures I have embarked upon. I have taken public buses, trains, taxis, and
two planes in such a short span of time. My favorite activity upon returning to
England is to reminisce about the subtle cultural differences between here and
the U.S. Because, as Tom’s mom says, “You do not speak English.” I won’t even
get into the spelling discrepancies (as you can see I am using U.S. spelling
for my blog). For starters, Lay’s chips have become Walker’s crisps. I have
been anxious while on the road because we drive on the opposite side. I realize
I need to become accustomed to people asking, “You all right?” because, in
America, we simply ask, “How are you?” to which people inevitably reply, “I’m
all right.” When British people ask an American, “You all right?” it almost
implies that something seems wrong. This backwards language takes some getting
used to. People up north do not say “me,” they say “us,” such as, “Let us call
you back in five minutes.” Who the hell else was on the phone with me? Last I
checked I was speaking to one person! However, one will say, “I bumped me head,” rather than using a possessive “my.”
The London Underground railway
system is SUPERB in comparison to New York City’s grimy subway. The train cars
in England contain plush, cushioned seats, with a friendly Brit reminding you
to “mind the gap” when stepping onto the train from the platform. The NYC trains
have dirty, hard seats, and you can hardly ride two stops without encountering
a crazy person lecturing about the state of our society to nobody in
particular. Basically, even bums on the street appear better in England simply
because of their accent, which is much more pleasant on the ear than the harsh,
grating R’s we drop in American conversation. I will continue to observe and
report back on these unique citizens of the UK.
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