“England and America are two countries separated by the same language.”
-George Bernard Shaw (1856-1932)

This is so funny, and so true! I had this experience when visiting Australia. I felt a little bit like Alice in Wonderland! I could understand every word that people spoke, and yet many times I had no idea what they were talking about! The Australians still use the more traditional English terms, and somehow in America we’ve found another way. Is it a boot or a trunk? A bonnet or a hood? A footpath or a sidewalk? A trolley or a cart? A serviette or a napkin? And there is the same kind of communication “gap” between American adults and teenagers a lot of times… Is it good, bad or sweet? Hot, hip or cool? I could go on and on, but as they say, “a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” What matters is that we talk with each other, the rest is “details!”
-Lissa Coffey