Caught Between a Rock and the Middle of the Pond

Something not so strange is happening to us. And, I mean ALL of us. Inevitable really.

Now this is no big deal, just an observation and par for the course, but in varying degrees the four of us are all speaking more and more Americano.

Kids are kids and they talka the talk and walka the walk to fit in. I did exactly the same thing moving around the UK when I was a child; from Yorkshire to Durham to Scotland to Surrey to Warwickshire. A childhood journey that was probably only the map size of North Carolina but had more regional accents than the melting pot of NYC. In fact I set myself goals each time we moved. 'In two weeks I will fit in', and invariably I did. The only spanner's in the works were my parents who would invariably remind me in front of my peers to 'talk properly'. Grrrr. So I do get it!

So, here we are. For me it's not about fitting in anymore but more about being understood and...just making life a little easier and easing the frustration. For example when, in a restaurant, you are met with blank stares when you ask for a glass of water several times you give in and it becomes "a glaass of warrter", when you tell the landlord the garage, it becomes "the garragge". It's all in the vowels and rrr's you see. No wonder then that Luke needs some speech therapy. But then here lies another problem, names for things vary alot too...for example, the speech therapist showed him a picture of a hoover and expected the answer to be 'vacuum'.

Then there is the North side of the Pond, the North being "OMG I LOVE YOUR ACCENT, WHERE ARE YOU FROM?" Great for conversation starters...for a while...but now, after 15 months, 15 times a day...it's wearing a little thin. Honestly, I find myself just wanting to blend in or just shut the h* up - a difficult concept with two children with primed inter galactic selective hearing when out in public. Somedays I apparently sound English. Somedays I'm Australian and other days I'm between the devil and the Ukraine. Yep, if you're in the habit of saying you're from the UK just answer either England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales if you're asked where you're from because the UK, for some Americans is apparently the Ukraine.

Today:
I asked for tom'A'to in my sandwich, it was subconscious right up until the word spluttered out of my mouth but probably I'm now conditioning, because it was just easier, would attract less attention and there would be no doubt. Ellie announced that she needs to go back to England soon because she "can hear" she's getting an American accent and she's not 'surrre' she wants one! She's not wrong, she can roll those rrrrr's like a local and Pledge Allegiance like the best of them. I'm trying really really hard not to make an issue with pronunciation like my parents did....but it's not easy. And although Luke spends 95% of his time with us he can yell 'Momeeeee' and be heard a mile away and shout 'Awesome' whenever he achieves a result.

In the South of the pond, to the right of the rock is a little school of fish. At age 6 it's all about the 3 R's and spelling....Ahem 'color'? I think not!

7516 Miles

To this very day and hour that is exactly how many miles I have driven since taking delivery of my car, give or take a few days, 4 months ago in October.

To put this into some sort of perspective when I was a SAHM in England my average annual mileage topped a whopping 4000 miles, that included dashes here there and everywhere countrywide to visit friends and relatives and the odd holiday or two. The reason it was so low; because I could and did walk everywhere that I possibly could in my hometown, there were many days, even weeks when my car never left the driveway.


Now (and this is frightening) of all those 7516 motored miles none of them include any wild and wonderful road trips, oh no, they are completely made up from school runs, grocery shopping runs and all the driving around in circles that I find myself doing. Almost. All. Of. The. Time.

Even if you wanted to walk anywhere here you can't, it's just not set up for that. People only walk for excercise and dress accordingly so there is no doubt as to what is it they are doing. A few weeks ago we were sat at some traffic lights and Ellie piped up,
"Oh wow, there's something you don't see everyday!"
While I was laughing at the tone of her observation I realised that she was actually pointing to a family who were WALKING and actually risking life and limb CROSSING THE ROAD! I have to say, that she was completely right...that is not something that you see here everyday...comprendez?

So the upshot of all this driving is? Well let me just ask... "Does my bum look big in this car?"

Words of Wisdom From Ellie (aged 5 and a half)

About a week ago:
"Wouldn't it be good if everyone was already really clever and knew everything they needed to know about everything because then people wouldn't have to to go to school".

Yesterday:
"Mummy wouldn't it be good if life was just like pre-school"

Anyone else get the feeling her enthusiasm for school is on the wain?!

Today about language:
"Americans call shopping centres 'The Mall', I thought that was somewhere the Queen goes, why do they say that?"

"Listen to this...Yoghurt. I say yoghurt. Why do Americans say Yoh-gurt"?

"Garage, that's what we call it...do you know that Americans call it the 'Garrraaage'?

And I thought we'd finally got over the whole Tomato Tomahto thing!

How Would You Like Your 'Bangs'?

How indeed? I hear you ask.

Well, I'm talking about hair...what were you thinking about?

Luke was in desperate need of a haircut, being mistaken for a girl once was one time too many for Ian so reluctantly I took him to a hairdressers for a trim.

Hairdresser: " How do you want his Bangs?"
Me: "His what?"
Hairdresser: "His Bangs". Lifting up his fringe
Me: "Say that again...his what?"
Hairdresser: "His Bangs"
Me: "Never heard that one before...I'd call that his fringe"
Hairdresser: "His what?"
Me: "Fringe....the bit that covers your forehead"
Hairdresser: "We call it a Bangs, never heard of a fringe"
Me: "So we do all learn something new every day! Trim it.

Maybe I just got off the boat, maybe if I were a hairdresser, maybe, maybe...whatever, but I have never ever heard of a fringe called a bangs before! http://beauty.about.com/od/hairstylephotogalleries/ss/photosbangs.htm