My American English

I am slowly acclimating to Chinese culture. But being in Hong Kong, where Britons colonized for so long, there is yet another culture to accommodate.

One of my Canadian friends has been in Hong Kong for over 2 years. Of course I make fun of her for saying “eh” at the end of sentences. But really, I get on her case for saying British things like “bloody hell.” No one says that in Canada, unless of course they are from the UK.

And I find myself speaking more British English. The word “quite” has replaced the word “really” as in “It’s quite hot today.”

The company I work for insists that I teach British English at school, and so now I emphasize the letter “T” in words like “water” “letter” and “pretty”. Maeli does it too because our helper speaks British English.

So my American English is sadly exiting my life, except for one crucial word. In the UK the word for eraser is rubber. I absolutely refuse to teach my students phrases like, “May I borrow your rubber?”

Needless to say, I’m quite excited for my holiday. Or, like I used to say, I’m really excited for Christmas vacation. I’m hoping to have American English infused into my life again.