Sorry, Is My Anglophilia Showing?

Look at this face. 

This is my roommate for the past year, Amy. She's from England. "Where in England?" You might ask. Well, do you know Birmingham? Yes? Well, do you know Wolverhampton? Right in the center (or centre, and she would spell it). That's where she's from. 

Ever since I was little I had a slight obsession with England. I once wrote a story about twins whose parents got divorced, and one of them moved to England with the father. I watched the "Parent Trap" and tried to copy Lindsay Lohan's accent. I was in "A Christmas Carol" in 3rd grade, and was so stoked that I had to speak in a British accent. 

Anyways, enough about my eccentric childhood. I have to admit, I was secretly thrilled last year when we decided to live together. I've lived with Amy for over a year now, and have learned an extensive amount about England and the culture. I have realized that although we share a language, our cultures are significantly different, and I'm not just talking about "color" and "colour". 

Example #1:

Amy walks into the room and announces that she will be having, "beef for tea". Matt and I look at her with a blank face. I know that people in England drink tea-common stereotype, right? But beef tea? Sounds gross. Turns out, tea, along with being a hot beverage, it is also the name for dinner. 

Example #2:

In England, what we call "college", they call "university". In England, college is for ages 16-18, and it's optional. So when we said, "I went to college at UW-Eau Claire", Amy thought that we had never been to university. 

Example #3:

My grandma lives 4 hours away from me in Wisconsin. Matt lives about 5 hours from where we went to college (or university). For Amy, driving more than an hour to get somewhere is "a mission". When I told her that Matt and I live 5 hours apart in the States, she couldn't believe that we would drive there and back in a weekend. England is 50,356 square miles. Wisconsin is 65,503. 

Countless other situations have abounded over the past year, and even now there are time where we will be talking and I'll have no idea what she's saying. It keeps things interesting for sure. 

There has also been an awful lot of cultural exchange going on in the Barwell-Bardwell-Pitt household. When Amy was home for the summer, her friends commented that she sounded more American. Just last night, I told one of the new auxiliars that they need to buy an umbrella "straight away", and was called out on it by another American auxiliar. I've gotten in the habit of writing "travelling", and "favourite". I can also speak in a pretty convincing accent, so good, in fact, that it freaks Amy out. We have, in turn, introduced her to "Jersey Shore" and tacos. 

My brain might be getting all mixed up, but my 11-year old self is finally satisfied.

Originally posted 10.7.11