Today at work I met a man who had been to England. He spotted my accent right away and told me he had lived in England for 3 years during his military service. This led to a discussion about how he thought ever person should travel at some time in their life to have a tolerance and better understanding of different cultures. I agreed with him. When he left he said “cheers”. A little taken aback I replied the typical American response “bye”. I think he was trying to think of the word “cherrio (not the cereal but a common British goodbye expression). I laughed about it and shared a little laugh with my coworkers while appreciating the fact that this visitor, this gentleman I had never met made an effort. If only more people would try to learn about other cultures and be as accepting. I will never forget being told by a neighbor more than 10 years ago to “get back to where I came from” because I had asked if she could keep her puppies away from my driveway when I arrive home in the evenings because they were running around my car and I couldn’t get in my garage without worrying about hurting one of them. She said her dogs could go where they wanted to. I also wish I could wear an Indian sari once in a while since I think they are beautiful. Can you imagine what the reaction would be if I went to work tomorrow wearing one? But WHO makes the rules about what we are expected to wear?
Deborah. J 