Tweet
...because I'm British.
I've been visiting Ohio for the best part of 8 years now, as my fiance lives there, and I've had very mixed reactions from locals. Some think I'm adorable and pretty (I am a goth and I often favour Victorian/Romantic/Lolita styles), some have been frankly frightened of me. I've been offered a job on the spot (despite being dressed like a Mad Hatter complete with hat) and even been followed about as though I was shop-lifting (still wearing the same outfit- silly people, don't they know that shop-lifters like to blend in?) Hot Topic is the funniest- I don't think anything resembling a real Goth has set a New-Rocked foot in that branch in OH for years, so little emo and scene girls cluster near the till staring at me in what looks like bewilderment because the woman dressed like Mary Poppin gone evil is ENGLISH! The accent gets a lot of attention, however it also has its downsides. I am from the south of England, and my accent is not like a strong regional northern accent. But sometimes people just can't fathom what I'm saying.
Not always a problem. I know enough American slang to normally work around it, and Bear helps out.
Becomes a bit of a problem if people just decide to be rude about it.
What Not To Do:
Meeting a relative:
Bear's father: Cathy, this is Rabbit.
Me: Hello.
Cathy ignores me for the entire conversation and never says a word to me in future. I am told this is because she can't understand what I'm saying.
For this, Cathy will not be recieving a wedding invitation
Buying a videogame in Walmart:
Me: *approaches counter* Hi, can I get Pokemon Pearl for Nintendo DS?
Cashier: *blank stare*
Me: Er....can I get Pokemon Pearl?
Cashier: ...uhh...wha?
Me: Pokemon Pearl? Nintendo DS?
Cashier: *shakes his head and then gives my fiance a VERY lost look*
Bear: She wants Pokemon Pearl, man.
Cashier:...OH! *goes to get it*
Me: *refuses to speak for the rest of the transaction as I am not offered an apology*
I hope I didn't come off sucky there, but I thought he was very rude! He was just "huh, wha?" No "Excuse me". He didn't even apologise. Its probably obvious that I'm foreign, so he shouldn't be rude about it. I was quite tempted to clearly say some swear words and see if understood what they were
But that would have been sucky...
He should have behaved like this instead:
What to do
We went to Bob Evans for pancakes. Our poor waitress was a lovely young lady but really struggled with my order. She didn't even really understand me when I said "I'd like a glass of water please". BUT. She was so polite. She kept saying "I'm really sorry, I didn't get that." She kept trying. She didn't just gormlessly look at Bear for answers. She would try to understand, and Bear would step in if it looked like it was too difficult. She was smiling and polite and gave great service. So we gave her a nice big tip
I deal with foreign customers sometimes. Language is sometimes a barrier, but effort, politeness and a little bit hand signals help! I've served immigrants who speak next to no English and we've managed. Heck, I once served an entire French family who only had a handful of English words between them. With some giggles and miming, we got there in the end. I said "merci" and they said "thank you". Personally, I think there is no excuse for no effort.
I've been visiting Ohio for the best part of 8 years now, as my fiance lives there, and I've had very mixed reactions from locals. Some think I'm adorable and pretty (I am a goth and I often favour Victorian/Romantic/Lolita styles), some have been frankly frightened of me. I've been offered a job on the spot (despite being dressed like a Mad Hatter complete with hat) and even been followed about as though I was shop-lifting (still wearing the same outfit- silly people, don't they know that shop-lifters like to blend in?) Hot Topic is the funniest- I don't think anything resembling a real Goth has set a New-Rocked foot in that branch in OH for years, so little emo and scene girls cluster near the till staring at me in what looks like bewilderment because the woman dressed like Mary Poppin gone evil is ENGLISH! The accent gets a lot of attention, however it also has its downsides. I am from the south of England, and my accent is not like a strong regional northern accent. But sometimes people just can't fathom what I'm saying.
Not always a problem. I know enough American slang to normally work around it, and Bear helps out.
Becomes a bit of a problem if people just decide to be rude about it.
What Not To Do:
Meeting a relative:
Bear's father: Cathy, this is Rabbit.
Me: Hello.
Cathy ignores me for the entire conversation and never says a word to me in future. I am told this is because she can't understand what I'm saying.
For this, Cathy will not be recieving a wedding invitation
Buying a videogame in Walmart:
Me: *approaches counter* Hi, can I get Pokemon Pearl for Nintendo DS?
Cashier: *blank stare*
Me: Er....can I get Pokemon Pearl?
Cashier: ...uhh...wha?
Me: Pokemon Pearl? Nintendo DS?
Cashier: *shakes his head and then gives my fiance a VERY lost look*
Bear: She wants Pokemon Pearl, man.
Cashier:...OH! *goes to get it*
Me: *refuses to speak for the rest of the transaction as I am not offered an apology*
I hope I didn't come off sucky there, but I thought he was very rude! He was just "huh, wha?" No "Excuse me". He didn't even apologise. Its probably obvious that I'm foreign, so he shouldn't be rude about it. I was quite tempted to clearly say some swear words and see if understood what they were
But that would have been sucky...He should have behaved like this instead:
What to do
We went to Bob Evans for pancakes. Our poor waitress was a lovely young lady but really struggled with my order. She didn't even really understand me when I said "I'd like a glass of water please". BUT. She was so polite. She kept saying "I'm really sorry, I didn't get that." She kept trying. She didn't just gormlessly look at Bear for answers. She would try to understand, and Bear would step in if it looked like it was too difficult. She was smiling and polite and gave great service. So we gave her a nice big tip
I deal with foreign customers sometimes. Language is sometimes a barrier, but effort, politeness and a little bit hand signals help! I've served immigrants who speak next to no English and we've managed. Heck, I once served an entire French family who only had a handful of English words between them. With some giggles and miming, we got there in the end. I said "merci" and they said "thank you". Personally, I think there is no excuse for no effort.
i have a customer that says he's from "east" texas...he's from East Africa 
Comment