Week 3 of London: Are we speaking English?

Even though people speak English in the U.K., some locals have such thick accents that it may as well be a different language. One night after leaving a pub, a few of us ran into a Scotsman and an Irishman, and we told them about the reason for our visits and what we plan on doing next. During the middle of conversation, however, the Scotsman kept laughing, so I had to ask, what is so funny? “Your English is terrible,” he said, and I knew right away he was talking about our American accents. At first I told him that’s the way I talk and I do admire the sound of a British accent, but then he challenged us to speak proper English, and gave us a few phrases to say out loud. The Scotsman accent was so thick I could not fully understand what he was saying. After each phrase they would laugh again, to the point where I said try talking like an American and they refused. Because the conversation got a little too confrontational, we left, not knowing really what was completely said in that circle.