British slang is cool. Cool beyond compare to anything the Americans can come up with. However, this isn't my problem. I will soon be able to spew terms like "ned" and "malki" and "knackered" like a pro; what I'm having trouble with is normal words that are just different than those in the US. Apartment equals "flat," fine. French fries are "chips." Ok, got it. I've said the following, to much embarrassment, more times than I can remember:
"I'd like some chips -- Crisps! Please."
"I'm going to put on some pants.... wait -- trousers!"
"I was SO pissed -- I mean, annoyed!"
This whole pants thing is screwing me up the most. The Brits use "pants" as short for "underpants," and sometimes "shorts" for "undershorts." Can't we just call it all "underwear," (or "undies" for short), and be done with it? Bah.
This past weekend I went up to Pitlochry in the Highlands with a group of people from the Edinburgh student radio station, Fresh Air. A hostel there was sponsoring us (yay advertising) so we got to stay for free for two nights, which is always good. We mostly just hung out a lot, ate, did a team building exercise (building contraptions to protect eggs from a drop), climbed the local mountain (Ben Vrackie), went to the pub, and pissed off the other people staying in the hostel by being loud. Good fun. The climb up the mountain was great; my favorite part was getting back down to the bottom and being able to go, "Y'know, that wasn't so bad... I'm really glad I did that!" over a drink and some pudding. The way up was steep, and the climb down was (guess what) also steep. Still, now that I'm not currently struggling up a rocky cliffside, I can say I enjoyed myself, or rather, I enjoyed the overall experience. The views were great, and, as always, pictures to follow later.... (my camera's out of battery, give me a break.) Ooh, and I also learned a really funny drinking game called "Bunnies."
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1 comment:
wow, it sounds like you're getting the hang of some words though. it really IS like a foreign language. i'm glad you're enjoying yourself over there, and it looks really beautiful! britt and i still don't have internet, so classes are extra stressful, but otherwise everything's pretty peachy out here. it's gotten cold and fall-ish, but i bet it's not comparable to the "mental" weather over there. Anyway, we miss you mucho, and you'll be hearing from me soon (somebody's birthday is coming up! woooo!)
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