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I was meeting a friend in England last month and was wondering if I would easily recognize him (of course I did and shouldn't have worried about it!) and I caught myself thinking, Well, Simon will obviously be the one speaking English. Of course, everyone who was hanging out in front of Bristol Cathedral was speaking English.
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I accidentally left my jacket on my seat on my last flight before getting to Dayton, Ohio. I remembered when I was only a few rows away from my seat, so I could easily ask the people behind me to help me out. But my first thought was How do I say that I left my jacket on my seat in Bulgarian? Is it Moi yake e tam. Moja li tova, molya? maybe? After a few seconds of panic and looking totally confused the question popped out in English and I was amazed that it made sense. Then remembered that English was our shared heart language.
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I was at Wal*Mart, where a lot of reverse culture shock hits expats, attempting to find an item in a sea of different brands, sizes, shapes and colors. The display was the size of Texas, and I am so used to 2 or 3 options that it was overwhelming. As I attempted to decide what to do, a lady walked by, looked me in the eyes and said, "Oh, I love your earrings!" I was able to say a polite thank you, but was shocked. Not only was I having trouble making a choice in the face of overwhelming options but strangers were speaking to me! I suddenly understood what my Bulgarian friends say of the times they've visited America--"The people there are so friendly! They smile and say hello even if they don't know you!"