We may speak the same language, but Americans are totally amazed by having a British person in their mix. Every time they realize where you are from there is the same barrage of questions and comments: always. So here are a few of those questions us Brits deal with a lot more than you think!
1. “Wait you have a British accent?!?!”
This question is usually accompanied by a look of complete shock or one of amazement. For a second people are stunned, especially if your accent is more subtle and they didn’t notice it right away.
2. “I can do the best British accent!”
Nine times out of ten, they can’t and it’s painful to listen. Think of every actor in a film you’ve seen do a British accent. Now think of every actor in a film you’ve seen do a good British accent. The second number is going to be much, much smaller.
3. “Say something British.”
Maybe it’s a phrase from a BBC show, maybe it’s pointing at random objects and asking you to say them. The slight variations in speech are for some reason extremely fascinating and if you go along with it, you end up repeating the same phrase over and over and over again.
4. “Show me your American accent.”
It’s probably pretty terrible and oftentimes stereotypical. Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to shrieks of laughter is not your idea of a fun time.
5. “My friend (brother, cousin, random person, etc.) I met six years ago lives in Britain, do you know them?”
Our country is not one tiny village. While there are far more people in the United States, Britain still has a sizeable population and you do not get tea with the Queen every month. Sorry to burst the bubble.
To the Americans reading this, it doesn’t bother us that much, we promise. And to the Brits, sometimes it’s pretty fun to have people gush over your voice. Not all the time though.
Cheers,
Someone who’s been part of both worlds and loves them both.