Accented English

[blpurdom]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., John Walton <john at w...> wrote:
> Person: Are you from Ireland?
> 
> Me: No, I'm a New Yorker but my accent is from England.
> 
> Person: England...is that in Ireland?
> 
> Me: No, England is part of Britain.
> 
> Person: Is *that* in Ireland?
> 
> Me: No, but it's nearby. Kinda like New York and Pennsylvania.
> 
> Person: Oh. So they're like different states?
> 
> Me: Yep, except actually different countries. Like America and 
> Canada, but smaller.
> 
> Person: Wow, I had no idea.
> 
> Heh. Of course, I experience the same thing in Europe: "Is Oregon 
> near NY? I have an internet friend in Oregon!"

At least they knew that NY and Oregon are both in the US.  There are 
people in the US who do not know that New Mexico is a US state.  
Evidently there are some who think it is another country which broke 
away from Mexico.  I have heard people wonder what language is 
spoken in New Mexico.  Honestly.  

On a bright note, I was pleased that when my son and several other 
kids in his Sunday school were presented with a map of the world 
during the children's sermon yesterday and asked to find Mozambique, 
they immediately started scouring Africa, quickly finding it across 
the channel from Madagascar.  I was recently having a conversation 
with an adult who was confusing this country with Martinique, 
insisting he was going down to the Caribbean for a vacation in 
Mozambique...

--Barb