It's really the small things that point out cultural differences to me here. Case in point...Linda, who lived in England for 1 1/2 years, had told me that instead of saying 'how are you?" as a greeting, people said, "y'alright?"--to which the answer is usually "yah, y'alright?" Well I ran into the neighbours yesterday, and sure enough, one said, "y'alright?"...to which I replied, "fine, how are you?" I could tell it startled him a bit, and it startled me too...oh well, I'll get used to it. I am also trying to figure out the right time to say "cheers"...it means both thanks and bye, so I guess as long a I put it at the end of an interaction, I'll be OK.
On a different topic completely, there sure is a lot of road kill! When Mary and I went to Frome last weekend, which was about a half hour drive, I counted five dead animals--a fox, a badger (I think--I don't really know what a badger looks like, except from reading The Wind in the Willows). I guess they get lulled into feeling safe, with all those rolling hills and trees...and then they venture out on the road, and SPLAT, someone zooming along to get to the next village finishes them off. I guess that's no different in Canada...just that in the countryside you might be more likely to hit a deer.
Thanks to all for your comments on the blog--it's great to know you're reading!
cheers
Karen
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