Faux pas are inevitable when you spend enough time immersed in a new culture...
My first day in grad school a faulty sink drenched me and when I got back to my meeting I said something about my pants being wet. Well, pants is the word for underwear so there were a few giggles at my expense. By the way, trousers is the word for pants and underwear can also be called knickers.
When I finished my dissertation I thought it might be nice to get it bound or printed on nice paper with some kind of cover. I remembered there was a bookmakers I always walked past and so I went in with a printed copy, stood on line, went up to the counter and asked what sort of book binding options they had. It was only when the man behind the counter stared at me blankly that I sort of took in my surroundings. Why does a bookmakers have 5 televisions showing horse races and lots of tiny pieces of paper and golf pencils strewn all around? And why is it so dark in here, how do they sew the bindings? It took me a minute, which is 59 seconds too long but, it took me a minute to realize that a bookmakers is a betting shop. I thought, "oh yeah like bookies!" and quickly left.
Another time we were having dinner with some family and my husband's lovely niece told me she was meeting her anti-natal group the next day. Are you wondering if thats a group for people who don't want to have kids - cause I was. Well, we're both wrong and I tricked you with my misspelling, it's an ante-natal group and in America we call those Pre-natal.
Going to stop here, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood and we're heading to the park.
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3 comments:
Love that bookmakers story-- that's a classic, as well as the massive amount of tea towels one needs in England.
totally! and the flannels they tell you to bring to the hospital...
I was some surprised to find out what a "fringe" is, I always thought it was a decorative edging.
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