For a few days this week it felt like the world had become a little closer, the gap that is the Atlantic Ocean closed up and we were all on the same page.
The Queen celebrated 60 years on the throne and it was one of the few times British and American newscasters were reporting the same thing.
Last year’s Royal wedding also made international news. And of course the recent death of RnB icon, Whitney Houston was one of the few times the Facebook status updates of my UK friends mirrored those of my US ones.
It would be nice if things felt like that all the time. I wish all my conversations could be that way, less strained, less mentally taxing, no topic off limits, where I can relax my accent and let it flow back to the East London one my old friends say is disappearing!
Sometimes I feel like I have to switch topics depending on who I’m talking to, or stop and think about whether I should use British or American slang.
For example; my mum wants to hear about the Kardashians about as much as my US mummy friends want to know why the Notting Hill carnival might be cancelled.
Of course, US popular culture is so saturated that American news becomes world news in a split second.
But even though I moved to an English-speaking country, with icons and symbols recognizable world-wide, sometimes it feels like I’m an alien invader.
I mean, who invented those quaint US customs that range from baking in a snow storm, to not wearing white after Labor Day, to eating crisps (or chips) with a hamburger?
Whereas in the UK, world news is shown daily on channels like the BBC, it takes a little effort to find it here. CNN is your best bet.
So, when breaking news about someone from Europe does hit the TV screens over here, it’s nice to be able to have the same conversation with everyone I know, at home and abroad.
The Queen celebrated 60 years on the throne and it was one of the few times British and American newscasters were reporting the same thing.
Last year’s Royal wedding also made international news. And of course the recent death of RnB icon, Whitney Houston was one of the few times the Facebook status updates of my UK friends mirrored those of my US ones.
It would be nice if things felt like that all the time. I wish all my conversations could be that way, less strained, less mentally taxing, no topic off limits, where I can relax my accent and let it flow back to the East London one my old friends say is disappearing!
Sometimes I feel like I have to switch topics depending on who I’m talking to, or stop and think about whether I should use British or American slang.
For example; my mum wants to hear about the Kardashians about as much as my US mummy friends want to know why the Notting Hill carnival might be cancelled.
Of course, US popular culture is so saturated that American news becomes world news in a split second.
But even though I moved to an English-speaking country, with icons and symbols recognizable world-wide, sometimes it feels like I’m an alien invader.
I mean, who invented those quaint US customs that range from baking in a snow storm, to not wearing white after Labor Day, to eating crisps (or chips) with a hamburger?
Whereas in the UK, world news is shown daily on channels like the BBC, it takes a little effort to find it here. CNN is your best bet.
So, when breaking news about someone from Europe does hit the TV screens over here, it’s nice to be able to have the same conversation with everyone I know, at home and abroad.
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