Cheers!

There are more language differences between the UK/Ireland and the US. Here, they say “mate” instead of “buddy” or “friend”, and like to say “proper” rather than “really”. The biggest language difference our group experienced was in London. There, pants are slang for underwear. One day, one girl wore shorts, and it ended up being a very chilly day. She mentioned out loud how she felt silly for not wearing pants today of all days, and we got a few confused glances as we walked down the sidewalk. It took a minute or two for us to fully comprehend what had just been communicated accidentally, and we all had a good laugh.

My favorite new word to say has become “cheers” in place of “thank you”. It sounds more casual, friendly, and less automatic. When someone says cheers to me I feel like they actually mean it, and they aren’t just grudgingly saying it out of social politeness. Now, when I want to thank someone I like to say cheers because I want to continue to spread that friendly word of gratitude.