Stand in the Q



If this is your first time to take a walk across the pond, you can read all about what it is HERE

  When I decided to move to the Middle East, I picked Bahrain because English is widely spoken there. In order to get a job even the locals have to be able to speak English so it seemed like the best choice. However, I didn't realize I would have just as much trouble understanding the "English" spoken there as I would the Arabic. You see Bahrain use to be ruled by the British Empire so they speak "British English" which is quite different from "American English".

My first day on the job my supervisor told me to take the nightly deposit to the bank and wait in the Q

Not wanting my boss to think I was a total idiot on the first day I didn't ask what the "Q" was, and proceeded to the bank hoping that the "Q" would be big enough for me to spot without having to ask anyone where it was. When I reached the bank on the first floor, I didn't see any "Q", but I did see a "line" of people waiting to deposit their night's deposits. Luckily one of them was the manager from the shop next door to me. So I asked her , "Is this the "line" for the bank?"

She replied, "Yes, this is the "que"."

That was when my brain went A-HA! They speak British English here and I wasn't looking for a Q

but for the "line" for the bank. Feeling pretty happy that I hadn't made a total idiot out of myself I finished the deposits and returned back to the shop. Things were going great. After a few hours my supervisor returned just to make sure I was settling in ok. I was. She asked me if I would like some "biscuits".

In my mind I went "biscuits?"



(google images)

but fortunately my mouth only said "No, thanks" because she then proceeded to reach into her purse and pull out  some "biscuits".

              

Otherwise known as "cookies" in USA. At that point I busted out laughing and was forced to admit that I was actually have much more trouble understanding the "English" than I was having understanding the Arabic. After that whenever anyone asked me if I was "multilingual", I would say "Yes, I speak both American and British English."