"Brit Abroad"

This is just a bit of silliness. Some of things that have left me a little lost in translation as a Brit Abroad...

Dairy Milk doesn't taste the same here. Devastating. 

"I study in Edinburgh." "Oh, so do you know my friend in Aberdeen?"

"I live in Halifax." "Oh, so do you know my friend in London?"
"I'm from England." "So you live in London then?"
These are all everyday questions.

I've just had to accept that in French Canada, my Starbucks cup will always say Catherine.

The Commonwealth is very prominent here, but it always takes me by surprise. An enormous eighties portrait of the Queen overlooked the ice hockey game we went to with Faye. The teams sang the Canadian national anthem to her.

My friend from class has a phone case saying: "If I had a British accent I'd never shut up."

For someone who took the train to school for years, I had to look twice at the title of this utterly serious article:

 http://www.mtlblog.com/2014/10/20-reasons-to-travel-by-train-before-the-age-of-25/

North America: Why are your bathroom stall doors so see-through-able/see-round-able/over-able/in-able?

I'm still learning the intricacies of jaywalking.

My ears have developed a rah-dar. If I hear a U.K. accent somewhere in the city, I can't help but listen in!

I have met children who haven't heard of Wales, Europeans who didn't know Scotland was a country and North Americans who have asked me if the British celebrate Thanksgiving. I wonder what equally silly questions I've asked, too? 

Also, Canadians really, really dig Maple Syrup:

(P.S. 99% of the time this is the best thing ever. Maple roasted almonds, oh my oh my.)

Oh, Canada.