Amusing words

ok, so I know this is in writing, but just go research how British people say the following words:

Schedule
Yogurt
Compost
Buddha
and
Love

Also, I'd like to add my favorite phrases:

pants = underwear
garden = yard
lemonade = Sprite/7up
squash = the worst drink thing EVER
and
pop = go

I would also like to note, that in Britain, everything is a dirty joke. This amuses me more and more... dang it. Also, it is dark around 5 pm... daylight savings? I think not.

Home is Where My Rump Rests

I have moved 13 times in the past 4 years. I am a gypsy. And until this most recent move to England, I've usually moved in boxes and trash bags. So when I counted the amount of times I have relocated all my crap over the past few years to my current housemates they stood astounded at my absurdly high number.

"So what did you learn from all that moving?" one asked. "I think I'd feel like I really knew what it meant to have a home."

But I think my response was something unexpected. "Nope. What I've learned from moving every time is that 'home' is where your rump rests."

And I stand by it.

Home is a figurative idea of comfort. And to be honest, comfort is fake. Every time I start living somewhere that I feel is comfortable, shit hits the fan and things go nuts. And every time I'm somewhere that I feel like every day is new or different or crazy or adventurous, life seems to run more smoothly. Maybe when I feel like life is an adventure I give more grace to the people around me, or the situations I'm in. When I know what to expect I have a standard, I have rules.

Living in England I ditch most of my rules. They simply don't apply here. Just like the rules don't apply anywhere outside the US... and to be honest, my rules might not apply anywhere outside Gilbert, Arizona.

The States Have CAPITOLS?!

Yes, my foreign friends, all 50 US states have their own individual capitols plus the national capitol of Washington D.C.

Today, in my housemate's quest to apply for a university in America she realized that she had very little knowledge of state geography in the US. So while she was looking into various universities I found her a quiz to learn where all the states go. Somehow it came up that each state had its own capitol, which seemed astounding. And while she plays this new game (fuck?! where does Delaware go?.... fuck?! Utah! that's just a square) I realized we could all do with a little look into our states, since most Americans probably don't know where all the states go, what they look like, or where their capitols are, its probably not such a bad idea.

Elizabeth's Basic American Facts:
-We have 50 states. That's right people... there are 50. There are also 50 stars on our flag (which coincide with the state count).
-Each state has its own capitol, which may or may not be its largest city. This is where all the state legislature is made (like education, state taxes and all that).
-The US covers 4 time zones. Eastern Standard time, Central Standard time, Mountain Standard time, and Pacific Standard time. Two states do not have daylight savings, Arizona (woot woot!!!!) and Hawaii.
-Final fact: The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, but it wasn't fully signed until August 2nd of that year. The Constitution that we use today for our government, however, was not ratified until September 17, 1787. We had one before that, the Articles of Confederation, but those didn't work out so well.

So there you go, some easy facts about our country... just fyi.

PS, I took a test where I had to name all the counties of England (all the shires), I only missed 19, and I really think that the east riding county of York should just be east yorkshire... honestly.

Things You Get Free with an Accent

Note to all Americans living in the UK: Our accent gets us free stuff!! Fancy that. We actually get a break here for being American! Apparently us sounding like movie stars seems to impress someone. So I've decided to take note of the things I seem to be able to get away with here that English people can't seem to do, because we should always know how to be able to push the English around, right? you know... all those Revolutionary war grudges we hold, right? ;-)

So, a general rule should be acknowledged for all Americans going anywhere... free water is not a rule outside the US. In fact, drinking tap water or a restaurant serving free water is practically unheard of anywhere else. (This is the same for taking home your left overs after a meal as well). So, yesterday, when I drank all the water in my water bottle and wanted to fill it up in a non-existent drinking fountain I found myself stuck. But here's where my 'I sound like a movie-star accent' finally came in handy. I strolled up to the counter, kindly asked if the guy would fill it up for me, he smiled and took my bottle happily. And to this exchange my English housemate commented, "That only happened because you're not English."

Well finally! We Americans are finally getting a break for something, and if I only get my water bottle filled up for free because I'm 'naive', I'll go for that. So, for the rest of the year, I've decided, if it's not too rude, to try and ask for things when I need them and see what happens. Maybe I'll get it, maybe I won't, but I suppose there's no reason not to try, right?

PS, everyone should shop at Primark when in England.... just FYI.

Our First Edition

So. Miss Victoria Whitfield and Miss Elizabeth Skepnek have decided to live together, and in doing so have decided that it was a good decision to create a blog for American's moving to England on culture differences, speaking terms, and various differences we find amusing.

have fun!