Just Another Benedict Arnold

So I've been entertaining traitorous thoughts in many forms.

The most shocking is that, unlike France where I would (quite pathetically) stalk Americans just to hear English spoken in an American accent, I have begun finding American accents really difficult to hear. Of course there are exceptions. My American friends at Sussex are alright. But if I am sitting on the bus, walking around Brighton or generally going about my life in the UK, and I hear an American accent, my ears start to shrivel because the accent sounds so harsh. Like blunt knives attacking my eardrums. I might have to invest in ear plugs for my first few weeks back in the U.S.

I previously posted things I am going to miss about the UK, but losing the diversity of accents is really going to hurt more than anything else. Here in the UK, the amateur linguistic part of my brain is constantly stimulated. It will be sad to go back to a place where everyone sounds about the same.

Scotland was even better for hearing a diversity of accents. One night in Edinburgh, when Daniel and I were deciding what to do, I told him that I just wanted to go someplace where I could sit and hear Scottish people speak. Luckily, we went to a pub that had Scottish music and we met these older Scottish guys (around 60) who told me about Robert Burns (Scottish poet they all pee their pants over), traditional Scottish music (they sometimes use spoons for percussion) and offering me their sons for marriage. I would have taken the offer. Can you imagine having Scottish babies?

So my second treacherous thought is that I think I might prefer Scotland to England. When I mentioned to the older Scottish guys that I have been studying in England and that I really like it, they responded with dead silence. I quickly picked up that my love of England was not an acceptable expression in a Scottish pub and a rushed to say that while I like England, I love Scotland, and that seemed to placate them. And though I was altering my feelings so as to not upset them, it is somewhat true. I think the Scottish are more similar to Americans (in a way I enjoy) in that they are really friendly and warm. And from the walking tour we did, it seems that the English really have been major bastards to the Scottish. For shame.

Last night, I was hanging out in Olivia's flat and I had been showing her flatmates the Lonely Island videos (they hadn't seen I'm on a Boat!!!), and I blurted out, "I miss America!" They looked at me rather bewildered. And I was bewildered too. Because while it is true, I do miss home, as soon as I said it, the other part of my brain said, "Don't be silly, it is much better in Brighton."

Basically, study abroad is making me have multiple personality disorder. Fabulous.