Brit's Perspective

When Oscar Wilde said ‘America and Britain are a single country divided by a common language’ he really wasn’t joking! With my first semester at USC coming to an end I think it’s important to remember not just the things I’ve learnt but actually what I have taught…

British people speak English, and no, just because I’m from England does not mean that I know your friend from France. I haven’t been to Paris, the capital of England - there’s no such thing! No, I’m not Australian. England isn’t near Europe, it’s in it. Wales isn’t a town in England. Scotland isn’t either. And it doesn’t rain ALL the time. Cheers means thank you. Yes, we have cell phones, MacDonald’s and black people in the UK! We also have the internet and Facebook; we do not live in the dark ages! Yes, we drive cars in England, not all of us have 4x4’s though. Just because I have blonde hair doesn’t mean all British girls are blonde. Half past four is not 2pm. I don’t have a favourite ‘soccer’ team, and no, I don’t know your friend’s Great Uncle who moved to Manchester in 95. A playsuit is a romper. Sorry for putting an ‘x’ at the end of my text messages, they’re kisses, as a term of affection! When I ask you; ‘are you alright’ I’m just being friendly and asking about your day, I don’t need to hear about the last time you had a check-up with the doctor. We drink tea with milk, and biscuits are for dunking not pouring gravy over.  We also drink coffee. For us, the point of a party is to get drunk as quickly as possible - the colour of the cups isn’t that important. No, we’re not all religious and I haven’t met the Queen. I don’t know how the baby is getting on (and by that I mean Kate and Will’s). And yes, we like Obama.

I’ve been grilled with all sorts of odd questions about England this past semester and met so many people who don’t even own a passport! So US of A I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blogs the past couple of months, maybe I’ve enlightened your opinion, or at least, given you a different perspective!