Dear Diary,
I’ve lived in America for almost a month now, and I think I’m starting to get used to this new country. There have been a few misunderstandings though, and Americans use the English language a little differently than I am used to.
Last week, Scott was going to use the train to get home. He was running a little late, so he said that he was going to “book it”. I assumed that this meant he was going to get me a book. I had no idea as to why running late was related to getting me a book, but I didn’t think anything of it. Scott had a habit of saying things that didn’t make sense. When he came home, he didn’t have a book. I was already confused, and now I had no idea what was going on. I asked him where the book was, and he told me that here, “book it” means to hurry. I was a little embarrassed, but Scott said that it was funny.
The people here are much friendlier here than in England. When I was at the store, the cashier said hello, and I returned the greeting. Then, he asked me how I was. This confused me because I had never been asked how my day was from a stranger. In England, you don’t get into other people’s lives, only the casual greeting. I replied that I was fine, but was still confused. I am still getting used to it, but now I can return the question with a steady voice.
The money system is also very different than I am used to. The money is all the same color, which mixes me up a lot. I keep looking at my money and I start to get confused until I remember that I am in America. Also, I am used to having the tax included in the retailed price, but here tax is separate. The first time I saw a receipt, I had to ask Scott what the tax percentage meant.While it was hard to get used to, I like this system better because you can see how much tax is, and when the government is raising taxes.