You guys are hysterical! It is moments like this that give every single one of us a reality check.

When we lived in Norway, I placed our three year old in the British day care because it was only three days a week (not five like the International School). My older three kids were mortified that Jonathan would learn too much British English!

Ironically, when it came time to sell raffle tickets for the school's biggest fund raising event, I bought my son's entire book (instead of having to peddle them) and ended up winning "THE" prize of the day ... a shopping spree to Newcastle, Scotland.

Well, obviously what is considered "a shopping spree" in Scandinavia is definitely not considered a shopping spree in the USA!

The package simply included one round-trip ticket to Newcastle on a ferry, with NO spending money???!!

Having lived there as long as we did, I know that the North Sea can be pretty rough at times. In fact, when my parents came for a visit, they flew to London and then took a ferry over.

Let's just say ... well ... that the seas were a bit rough that day, and they were a bit green when we picked them up.

Okay, so picture this ... I was honestly worried that others would classify me as the ""American woman" who isn't gracious about winning and thinks the USA is s-o-o-o very much better than them ... definitely an image that I didn't want to portray.

What I did, instead, was have a drawing of any parent from my son's class that was interested in that ferry ride. I can't remember who actually won, but I can say that the day that she initially chose had to be rescheduled due to high seas. She did end up going a different day and was thrilled with the prize!

Another tidbit of info ... when we moved to Norway, we had a 13 year old local girl begin babysitting for our four children. Six years later, when we were transferred back to the U.S., our babysitter was now 19.

She came to the U.S. to visit us for the first time and ultimately decided to attend college in Florida. Her English, I think, was better than my own four children's!

But, when she first arrived, I said, "Elisabeth, tell me three things that I didn't prepare you for.

#1 - I wasn't lying ... everything in America IS bigger. She thought I was bragging and/or exaggerating.

#2 - She said that she has never lived in a place where you go OUTSIDE to warm up. (It was hotter than heck and we had the air conditioner blasting)!

#3 - She couldn't believe how friendly everyone was and was totally taken back when riding bikes with our daughter that everyone waved and said hello! (If you use the phrase ... "Hi, how are you?" that is actually a personal question and is used on people who you know well ... relatives, family, friends). It is not the flippant response we use just to be friendly.

Okay, one more thing ... The difference in the two languages can usually be overcome and you catch on pretty quickly.

One time, however, when I was dropping off my son at the British School, I was told to ???????????????? and couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what they were telling me to do. All that in PLAIN English, but "British" English. LOL

After several minutes, I realized that they wanted me to sign up on a roster to help run the concession stand. Roster was NOT the word that they used, it was a word that I had never heard before ...

All of you Brits and/or Scottish citizens, can you help me out here and let me know what word is used instead of "roster?"

This note ended up a lot longer than intended and I apologize. Concise doesn't come easily to me! LOL

Terri