Weird Things Americans Have Said To/Asked Me

[Malrothien 6]

Maybe in Florida, but around this area, people pay an arm and a leg to send their kids to college. It's insane. I was talking to my in-laws about the price of sending my husband to college and I was floored.

My cousin got a baseball scholarship to Graceland University in Iowa a couple of years ago and couldn't finish because he couldn't come up with the rest of the money - and he had scholarship money.

I have a friend who is going to grad school here in Philly and went to Cal Poly before and his student loans are so far over $90,000.00 - and he still has to go to grad school. He's telling me that he'll probably be close to $150,000.00 once he's finished. That's insane to me.

I started school in Seattle and my tuition for a full load was only $800. It REALLY depends on the school you're going to, if you're paying in-state resident fees or out-of-state fees, etc.

I just looked up Cal Poly's tuition rates for Fall 2009. For in-state tuition fees, it is $5800 (not bad at all). For out-of-state, it's $16,000, which again, isn't bad at all.

Just for comparison, I looked up the school I went to. For Fall 2009, in-state is $3165. Out-of-state is $8385.

Edited October 17, 2009 by Malrothien

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Maybe in Florida, but around this area, people pay an arm and a leg to send their kids to college. It's insane. I was talking to my in-laws about the price of sending my husband to college and I was floored.

My cousin got a baseball scholarship to Graceland University in Iowa a couple of years ago and couldn't finish because he couldn't come up with the rest of the money - and he had scholarship money.

I have a friend who is going to grad school here in Philly and went to Cal Poly before and his student loans are so far over $90,000.00 - and he still has to go to grad school. He's telling me that he'll probably be close to $150,000.00 once he's finished. That's insane to me.

I started school in Seattle and my tuition for a full load was only $800. It REALLY depends on the school you're going to, if you're paying in-state resident fees or out-of-state fees, etc.

I just looked up Cal Poly's tuition rates for Fall 2009. For in-state tuition fees, it is $5800 (not bad at all). For out-of-state, it's $16,000, which again, isn't bad at all.

Just for comparison, I looked up the school I went to. For Fall 2009, in-state is $3165. Out-of-state is $8385.

It certainly does. Many state schools are pretty reasonable for residents, non-residents usually pay throught the nose. Sprailenes is in Pennsylvania so maybe we're talking about Penn not PSU.

Edited October 17, 2009 by IR5FORMUMSIE

[Sprailenes 47]

Uh no I'm in South Jersey... it's Princeton here peoples!

Edited October 17, 2009 by Sprailenes

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Uh no I'm in South Jersey... it's Princeton here peoples!

I thought you were in New Jersey but for some reason I was under the impression that you had moved across the river. I knew one guy who was ahead of me by one year who went off to Princeton to study Physics. Albert Einstein, the Tokamak project and all that #######. He came back for the summer and I asked him how it was to be studying where Einstein taught with the famous Physics Department, his response was, "we learn the same stuff as UofT."

Edited October 17, 2009 by IR5FORMUMSIE

[Krikit 1,164]

Ugh. I just took a look at my husband's grad school tuition costs..... 20k for Fall 2009. No idea what it is for out-of-state or international students. No wonder he's still paying off his student loan.

[Knobby_Wheezer 0]

I grew up with the pronunciation "toook" = stocking cap to husband

There's a Timmy's in Rhode Island somewhere . . . we went. It's not the same.

grocery store = supermarket (doubt I'll ever call them that)

I still say Zed, thank you very much

Please don't make fun of people who live in Idaho or I'll punch your lights out

Not only can you not say buggy when speaking of a shopping cart . . . you should see the look when I refer to my bundle buggy.

Apparently, I do say aboot, but not very often?

I refer to "freeways" as "highways" and probably always will.

I talk about the way of getting there as the route (prononcez "root")

And, on that, they pronounce root like the oo in book.

On the topic of where Toronto is, there are 2 of them. Toronto ON and Toronto OH. So, it is possible that you may have to specify that you mean the one in Canada. Granted, probably no one in the US has heard of Toronto Ohio as it is very tiny.

You wanna see cowboys in the streets? Don't go to Texas---come to Pocatello Idaho. It's comical.

I say washroom at first and if that meets with blank stare I say Public Washroom. But, most of the time I just ask where the women's can is. Putting the sex in front of whatever comes after seems to clarify one's question.

I miss Crappy Tire. Ace Hardware comes sort of close . . . but, I'm sure that they won't take my Canadian Tire money.

And, yes, I, too, am the recipient of everybody's Canadian money. I accept. I think I have about $30.00 now not including the special loonies and toonies.

I had to explain elastics as well. I asked if my co-worker needed any elastics. What are they? You know, elastic bands to hold all the papers together. Ooooooohhhhhhh, you mean rubber bands. Yes, of course that is what I mean.

My parents came to Canada from Scotland and so I have other phrases, names and pronunciations that have very little to do with Canada---and cause just as much head shaking. Plus, my dad was in the 2nd world war and picked up some phrases from being out "in the desert with Rummel." We learned them and I still use them. My husband is learning what they mean . . . slowly.

Oh, yes. Southeast Idaho is a desert. Potatoes grow here as well as several varieties of wheat, grapes, tomatoes, carrots, plums, apples, onions, beans, peas, apricots, chard, lettuce, cabbage, squash, melons, gourds. So, Houston may not have cowboys or desert, but we have both. It's technically known as "high desert" because of the altitude (4400 above sea level).

I call underwear "gotchies." Husband calls them "unders."

Okay . . . I'm done for today.

Oh! Forgot a precious one! I say glove box when referring to the lidded compartment on the passenger's side of the car front seat (not that anybody in living memory has ever kept gloves in it). They call it a jockey box here.

Edited October 18, 2009 by Knobby_Wheezer

[MrsCat 6]

^

thanks for sharing those.

[DeadPoolX 9]

The "elastic = rubber band" issue came up a while ago for my wife and me. She calls them elastics. I had no idea what she was talking about. I know what elastic is, but the usage eluded me. When she explained it, I said: "Oh, like rubber bands?" Same thing, just different terminology.

Idaho has cowboys? I didn't know that. Learn something new every day.

Lots of places have the same name. There are 12 cities named Houston in the U.S. (not including the one in Texas) and one in Canada and the UK. Naturally, when someone says "Houston" they first think of Texas, just like someone would think of Toronto in Canada before the seven cities in the U.S. with the same name. When someone says "London" I bet the majority would think of England before Ontario or Texas (yes, there's a London AND a Paris in Texas, if you can believe it).

[Danu 19]

Lol. I did tell someone Wes knows that I live in Ontario and he was like, oh thats not too far...Because Ontario, CA isnt far from Santa Ana compaired to Ontario Canada. Apparently our province didnt even occur to him, you should have seen the look on his face when I told him.

[Sprailenes 47]

I came to a halloween party at work yesterday and was so impressed with how they transformed the clubhouse and everything. Then one of my coworkers said: "Oh you must not be used to this being from Canada.." and I thought they were joking and they weren't.

A - I have lived here for two years, I am used to it.

B - WE HAVE FREAKING HALLOWEEN IN CANADA!!!!

Edited October 27, 2009 by Sprailenes

[The_Dude 1,142]

I came to a halloween party at work yesterday and was so impressed with how they transformed the clubhouse and everything. Then one of my coworkers said: "Oh you must not be used to this being from Canada.." and I thought they were joking and they weren't.

A - I have lived here for two years, I am used to it.

B - WE HAVE FREAKING HALLOWEEN IN CANADA!!!!

What day is Canadian Halloween on ?

[Sprailenes 47]

Then someone wanted to know what we do on Halloween in Canada... uhh same stuff, the only difference is we buy our kids costumes in adult sizes so they can fit over their snow suits.

[The_Dude 1,142]

Then someone wanted to know what we do on Halloween in Canada... uhh same stuff, the only difference is we buy our kids costumes in adult sizes so they can fit over their snow suits.

Hmmmm now you've got me there. I'm not quite sure whether that is sarcasm or real. Normally, I'd ask my wife and she'll either laugh at me for believing it, or give me the look. It is far to early for me to call her and wake her up to ask this. Last time I did, It was to ask her what cross buns were at 7:00 in the morning.

[Sprailenes 47]

I lived in the snow belt, I am being serious.

[Flames9_RN 358]

hell ya, it gets cold at the end of Oct in SK, costume has to be big enough to go over the parka!!