Back to the Roots
I believe it’s time for me to return to the original purpose of this blog which is to inform you of some of my most recent English lessons. Over the past three months since I returned from a month home for Christmas, I have been more immersed than ever in British culture. This is mostly as a result of living with two native English speakers: Pattie and Tess. They have taught me invaluable lessons regarding English culture. Here are just a few:
- If you’re going to get your hair cut and you want bangs, you must tell your stylist “I would like a fringe, please.” Don’t make the mistake of just saying “fringe” without the article. It’s like saying “I would like apple, please.”
- You don’t “take a shower”; you “have a shower.”
- Peanut-butter on everything is not always considered delicious. Still trying to wrap my mind around that one.
- If the sun is shining, get outside as soon as possible and stay outside until it stops.
- Tea is appropriate to drink or offer on all occasions. Putting sugar in your tea, on the other hand, is not.
- “Summer” is a very relative term, and rounders, garden parties and Pimms better define it than the temperature.
- Crumpets are wonderful and spongy and totally not what I had envisioned them to be. (I think my idea of crumpets came from The Great Mouse Detective– an excellent animated movie that gave me the impression crumpets were like cheese crackers…)
Needless to say I am looking forward to even more English lessons. As soon as I think I have this place figured out, something hits me from behind and the endless layers of culture are once again revealed to me.
wonderful description of crumpets dre. makes me want one right now. and we HAVE to do high tea when i come NEXT WEEKEND bc it might be our last chance for a very long time.