"If a smile like that is single, I'm throwing myself off this train."

Girls, we've all been there. You're alone, and somehow end up stuck in close proximity with a creeper of a guy who seems to be going out of his way to make you feel uncomfortable.

Today was my turn.

Now, I don't really like to be the center of attention. I'd rather just blend in and keep to myself. But apparently my crossed arms, averted gaze, and other please-just-leave-me-alone body language was a little misleading.


Two guys got on the train a couple stops down the line and sat down directly across from me, despite the fact the train was pretty much empty. One had a dog. It kind of lunged at me (in a friendly, non-threatening way), which essentially threw me into the spotlight. So they started talking about me (but not to me) -- things like "Oy, leave that lovely lady alone," etc. It got to the point where they were wondering out loud if I was married, and one of them actually said, "If a smile like that is single, I'm throwing myself off this train." 


And that's how he died.


Kidding. 

Anyway I tried to avoid actually speaking to them the whole time, because I figured that my American accent would just them more to talk about. The whole ordeal was super awkward. 

But something I've noticed is that creepy English men are often far more charming than creepy American men (even if it's just in their word choices), because they say things like, "Afternoon, my darling," or "There's something elegant about that one there," or "You are a gorgeous one, m'dear." 

And while it's true that that can also be super creepy, during the daylight it's not panic-inducing, and it's quite funny because it's so stereotypically British.

So even though I left that train thoroughly embarrassed, I also had to laugh.

Wednesday randoms.

Is it really Wednesday already? I have a hard time knowing what day it is when I'm not in class.

It's been sunny all week, so I've spent a lot of time outdoors, which I love. I especially love the days when I can convince someone to go play tennis with me. But the other day, we found something out...something that was not so pleasant. Apparently, most of the tennis courts here, despite being found in public parks, are not free. Even the ones we'd gone to like 5 times without ever paying. It costs like £6, and there's a time limit. Lame. But we did end up finding some nearby courts that are free. At least we're pretty sure they're free. So that's good.

This made me laugh out loud. Single ladies out there, take note.

This phrase has been floating around the Internet lately. Till I moved to London, I'd have definitely agreed. But now? Not so sure. Because have you ever heard a Liverpool accent? You don't want to sound like that.

Let's clarify...which British accent do you mean?

My building had a barbeque last night. Let it be known that, here, "barbeque" does not involve barbeque sauce. It's just grilling out. But it was a lot of fun.

This weekend is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It's to celebrate her 60 years as monarch. And accordingly, London is covered in red, white and blue (the Union Jack kind, not the Stars and Bars kind) right now. There's bunting (I had to learn what that meant from Sheila) everywhere, and all the shops are filled with patriotic gear. Not to mention this sweet portrait of the Queen made out of Legos.

And, best of all, two of my favorite people will be visiting me this weekend! Countdown to glorious reunion at 9am on Friday starts now. I can barely handle the excitement. Can't wait to see ya, Alexis and Phil! Forget hugs, I'm gonna tackle you with love.

Wednesday randoms.

Well, life's been pretty slow lately, but here are some randoms nonetheless:

We've started watching Pride and Prejudice. I say "started watching" instead of "watched," because it's the BBC version that's like forever long. But Collin Firth makes such a perfect Mr. Darcy that it doesn't bother me a bit.

I'm not sure if it's just my imagination, but I'm fairly certain that the Pizza Hut pizzas here are smaller than in the States.

I think I've finally found a church. I went to Hillsong in central London this weekend, and loved it. It reminded me so much of ACC in Waco, so it kind of felt like home.

I'm also hoping to help out with the children's ministry there -- I used to work with kids all the time, and I seriously miss it!

On the way back from church, a woman stopped me on the street to ask how I'd done my hair. It was really funny, because as I was explaining it to her (which is really hard to do using only words!), she circled around me, trying to figure it out. It looked like this (except not as perfectly executed):

(from loveMaegan)

Anyway, it's really not as hard as it looks, but no one ever believes me when I say that. But once she left, another lady asked me about it, and we ended up chatting a while till the bus came. So yay for conversation-starting hairstyles!

I'm going to Manchester with my flatmate this weekend. We'll be there almost a whole week, so I'm pretty excited. Also, there's a Manchester United game on Sunday, and she's warned me explained that her whole fam is just as crazy for ManU as she is...so it should be quite interesting!

Remember how I said I'm getting better at understanding British accents? Well after watching some stand up comedy here, I take it back! I had to concentrate really hard to make out what the guy was saying, and half the time even if I did understand, the joke was lost on me because I'd be unfamiliar with whatever cultural reference he made. Still, the little I did get was pretty hilarious. I love British humor...super sarcastic. My kind of people.

Well, that's it for me!
 

Geographical stereotypes part 2.

Okay, so remember how I said geographical stereotypes are huge here? Well the thing that I love most that is all the different accents (and the impressions everyone tries to do for me since I'm mostly clueless). Since you're not here to sit around and listen to people to accents in my kitchen, this is the next best thing.

Disclaimer: I'm not sure how accurate all these are, but it'll give you a good enough idea.

His urban London youth accent isn't that great, but maybe that's just because I know it best. (Probly cos we always takin the piss ou ov, innit tho love?) And while there are still times when I have absolutely no idea what someone's just said, I've gotten a lot better at understanding people in general. I hardly even notice my friends' accents anymore, actually.

Still can't do a good British accent myself, but that's okay, because I've yet to hear a good American impression.

 

Geographical stereotypes.

Something I've learned about the UK is that there are major geographical stereotypes here. It's crazy that, in such a small country, there can be such a well-known and distinct personality for every region. And the accents vary widely, as well. My flatmate is from up north, and since London is in the south, people comment on it all the time - "You're so northern!" 

I mean, we have that in the States too. 

I'm mostly "Mexico-ish", with a side of "Yes sir and yes ma'am" and a pinch of "Chicago and grass."

But what's weird is that even though the Americans in our building come from very different regions of the country -- California, Michigan, Virginia, New Mexico -- none of us have very identifiable accents (okay, so maybe one does), and we all have pretty similar personalities. In fact, people comment on our similar accents all the time. To which you might reply "Oh, they just think all Americans sound the same," and while that is probably extremely true (ask any Brit to do an American accent, and they'll usually say "cwa-fee"), we really don't notice much of a difference in our accents either. 

And yet, I swear that just about every single British accent in our whole building is noticeably different from the others. It's strange. I guess you'd expect that with the thousands of miles between, say New Mexico and Virginia, Lisa and I might at least sound a little different. Especially when you consider that the entire UK is just under 95,000 square miles, while the square mileage of New Mexico alone is almost 121,500.

How'd they get so many stereotypes in such a small space? Crazy.

 

Wednesday randoms.

Some musings:

I've noticed my web ads are starting to change. They still look the exact same, but instead of promising to help me "lose 20 lbs," I've now got the opportunity to "lose 4 stone."

Same product, better results. Thanks, UK.

No one here eats candy corn. And people legitimately asked me if it tastes like corn.

I don't notice accents as much as I used to. At least not the ones belonging to the people I spend most of my time with. It used to be that I'd kind of stop listening to what was being said because I'd be focusing on how it was being said. But not so much anymore.

I've started picking up phrases (especially "I can't be bothered"). I really want to be able to say "cheers" but I don't think I could pull it off. Maybe if I said "cheers, y'all," instead.

Today I bought tickets for a postgrad boat party. And so did half my hall. We're pretty much gonna own that event.

It's funny learning about American culture from British people. The other day I admitted to a friend that I'd never seen Sex In the City, and she said, "But you're American!" and promised to bring me the box set. The same sort of thing has happened with Jersey Shore.

Speaking of Jersey Shore, there are several versions of that here, including The Only Way Is Essex and Geordie Shore. Why anyone would want another show like that is beyond me.

And I was asked to explain Glenn Beck to my political communication class. That was fun.

Wednesday randoms.

A smattering of observations/experiences:

There are a million different kinds of British accents, ranging from very subtle to barely understandable.

Tesco, though described to me as the UK equivalent of a Walmart, is no such thing. Regarding produce, it's probably better. But it's like 0-3 for what I've needed. So, sorry to say it, but Walmart wins this round.

It's official: I have an accent. My mom and I were asked about ours twice today.

The drive-thrus at restaurants are backward. It makes sense, since they drive on the other side, but it's a really strange sight to see.

We got 2 pints of strawberries, 2 pints of grapes, a giant loaf of crusty white bread and a cheesy bread twist thing for less than £3! So good.

Poor photo quality, great value!

Shopping in the UK will make you feel fat. My dress size almost doubled. It's gotta be their sizing system, because even though I ate a LOT of pastries in France, I wasn't that unrestrained.

There are sooooo many coins! Unlike the US, which really just has 4 coins (yes, there's a 50 cent piece and a dollar, but come on -- no one uses them), the UK has coins for £2, £1, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p. Our envelope from the bank was tearing from the weight, so my mom had to buy a little coin purse.

Pretty much the whole country smokes. Okay, that's an exaggeration. I've yet to see any little kids smoking. But oh my goodness.

I got a phone today. It's a tiny little thing -- a throwback to my late junior high years -- very, very basic. It may be lacking Internet capabilities and an app store, but it's got a radio and an alarm! (Shout out to Alexis! Now we both have phones with sweet features.)

Ever wondered why I'm not a hand model? Well here's your answer.

Aaaaand all my clothes fit in my wardrobe! What a relief.

Happy Wednesday, guys! My day's just about over, but I hope yours is/was/continues to be absolutely lovely.