Thursday, December 08, 2005
I'm becoming one of them! Nooooo!
'Them' being Canadians, that is. Becoming one of them isn't a bad thing in itself, but I do like being different to everyone else. It makes me feel...well...special.
Which is why I don't normally like hearing English accents when I'm in Canada, or bumping into English people, because then I feel diluted.
Yesterday was an exception though. We hung out with some friends of friends who've just come over from England for university (or 'school' as they call it here - no matter how old you are). The girl was from Essex so her English accent sounded even more English than mine (for some reason - I hope that doesn't mean I'm starting to sound Canadian).
The guy was hilarious - if somebody had asked me to draw a stereotypical English guy, I would have drawn him. He had one of those terrible shaggy 'haircuts', bad teeth, and a brown zip-up cardi. What is it with English twentysomething blokes and their brown zip-up cardies?? Is it supposed to be retro or cool or something? Sorry guys, but it doesn't work. You look like my grandad - and at least he wears cool hats.
Anyway, they were both fab people and it was great to be able to say what I wanted and be understood. I hadn't realised that I'd been subconsciously changing certain words just so I wouldn't have to repeat myself - things like 'trunk' (not boot), 'intersection' (not junction), 'shopping cart' (not shopping trolley) and 'gas' (not petrol). Within five minutes I was back to my English lingo again.
But the thing that made me think I was becoming Canadian was my reaction to something the guy said when I gave him a ride (not a lift!) home. He said his place was "Just over there, past the Tim Thorntons." Anyone even vaguely familiar with Canadian culture will know it's Tim Horton's (provider of coffee to 70% of the country - it's almost a monopoly).
I let out a peal of laughter and said: "That is so cute!" And I kept saying that until I realised Canadians had said that to me when I first arrived. Help!! The ironic thing is, I had absolutely no desire to keep my Englishness until I came to Canada. But now I'm 'the English one' and I never have to introduce myself twice, because I'm pretty much the only English one. I guess I'll just have to audition for 'My Fair Lady' next month, so I can not only keep my Englishness but also get a main part on the back of it.
Which is why I don't normally like hearing English accents when I'm in Canada, or bumping into English people, because then I feel diluted.
Yesterday was an exception though. We hung out with some friends of friends who've just come over from England for university (or 'school' as they call it here - no matter how old you are). The girl was from Essex so her English accent sounded even more English than mine (for some reason - I hope that doesn't mean I'm starting to sound Canadian).
The guy was hilarious - if somebody had asked me to draw a stereotypical English guy, I would have drawn him. He had one of those terrible shaggy 'haircuts', bad teeth, and a brown zip-up cardi. What is it with English twentysomething blokes and their brown zip-up cardies?? Is it supposed to be retro or cool or something? Sorry guys, but it doesn't work. You look like my grandad - and at least he wears cool hats.
Anyway, they were both fab people and it was great to be able to say what I wanted and be understood. I hadn't realised that I'd been subconsciously changing certain words just so I wouldn't have to repeat myself - things like 'trunk' (not boot), 'intersection' (not junction), 'shopping cart' (not shopping trolley) and 'gas' (not petrol). Within five minutes I was back to my English lingo again.
But the thing that made me think I was becoming Canadian was my reaction to something the guy said when I gave him a ride (not a lift!) home. He said his place was "Just over there, past the Tim Thorntons." Anyone even vaguely familiar with Canadian culture will know it's Tim Horton's (provider of coffee to 70% of the country - it's almost a monopoly).
I let out a peal of laughter and said: "That is so cute!" And I kept saying that until I realised Canadians had said that to me when I first arrived. Help!! The ironic thing is, I had absolutely no desire to keep my Englishness until I came to Canada. But now I'm 'the English one' and I never have to introduce myself twice, because I'm pretty much the only English one. I guess I'll just have to audition for 'My Fair Lady' next month, so I can not only keep my Englishness but also get a main part on the back of it.
Wouldn't that be loverly?
