If you're friends with me on Facebook, you've probably noticed my status about introducing my Australian and New Zealand friends to "American" biscuits. What you may not know is just how difficult it is to try and explain to them what an "American" biscuit is. It's not that I've had the awesome luck of falling into a group of people who just don't eat (that's absurd!), but rather these countries simply do not have biscuits--or at least in the sense of the word "biscuit" Americans have. The closest you can get to an American biscuit here is an English muffin or a scone (pronounced, scon -- the "o" is pronounced in the back of the mouth, almost swallowed, as opposed to being pushed out of the mouth by the tongue). But as you may know, scones are much more dense and muck less flaky. A biscuit here, and in England (and maybe all of Europe for that matter, I'm not sure), is something sweet--like our cookies (however, "chocolate chip cookies" are pretty much the only biscuit here that's called a cookie. Figure that out..). "Biscuit" is kind of their all-purpose word for a small, mostly carbs treat (a "savory biscuit" is a cracker).
Now, this rambling on about biscuits, scones, and crackers has a purpose. Part of that is just an educational venting of frustration; but the driving point is how incredibly complex cultures are and how incredibly complex fitting in to a culture can be.
Some differences are more monumental than others. For example: finding out that baseball is outranked in popularity by cricket (possibly the second most boring sport, next to golf) was quite shocking; learning that Australia's minimum wage is about $15 for people over 18 and that their dollar is stronger than ours was a lesson in economics I wish someone would share with our government; realizing that, technically, the citizens have no choice over who their Prime Minister (similar to our President) will be was a lesson in the value of America's voting system; and discovering that Hershey's chocolate isn't sold here was a little depressing, but good for my waistline.
On the other hand, the little things that occur in daily life can make a difference as well: introducing a friend to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and getting a concerned/confused look because jelly here is actually Jell-o and peanut butter is trumped, in terms of popularity, by Vegemite. Or being told to watch out and not step into that
Car-key weed because we don't want it to get into the front yard, when "car-key" is actually "khaki" (here is a website with a similar, but not exact, pronunciation of how Auzies say "khaki":
http://www.forvo.com/search/khaki/). I thought we spoke the same language?! My brain is working overtime trying to translate and use context clues during a conversation in order to understand what's going on (and also to slow down the dialogue-- Auzies and Kiwis talk incredibly fast!); but I'm also making adjustments within my own speech patterns to make it easier for them to understand what I'm saying (for example, instead of saying, "Where's the bathroom?", I'll say, "Where's the toilet?" or instead of asking for a jacket, I'll ask for a jumper, etc.). More often than not, however, I end up just having to stop the conversation in order to get clarification on a word, and I've become very practiced in breaking down meanings into their simplest forms. I have a new-found, and profound, respect for those who travel to countries where English is not the official language!
**Good tip to remember for anyone traveling to another country: synonyms are your friends!**
Despite these minor frustrations, I wouldn't change any of the experiences I've had! I've had the awesome opportunity to meld into a culture and feel like I've been a part of it forever. I can freely share my own culture with the friends I've made here without worrying about being ridiculed. I've had the unique pleasure of fleshing through my own culture through the lens of another. I've found that's the best way to understand yourself, examine your goals, and strengthen your beliefs. I've been truly blessed by this trip, and it's only half-way done!
