The Mother Tongue

While I was at work today a customer overheard me talking to another customer. When we finished our conversation he came over to me and said "How'z it gawn?".

I can't explain the relief it feels to be able to talk normally to someone without having to slow down, or spell my name out as L E U R E because they think an 'A' is an 'E' and vice versa.

We had a guid auld blether about the mother country and all the snow (hee hee) they've been having back home.

He told me that one day, when he was in a shop, there seemed to be someone following him and his wife all over the place. They were very intimidated and felt like shop lifters. Eventually the couple stopped, turned round to the stalker and asked what the hell was going on. The answer they got was "I'm from Whitburn and I just wanted to hear your accent!" The couple have been in Australia for 26 years and he still sounds like he's just off the boat.

I must admit, it is like meeting a long lost friend when you hear another Scottish accent. Thing is, they might not even be the type of people you would have as friends back home. But it still feels good.

I think it will take me a long time to get used to heads turning whenever I speak. Even if they do tell me constantly that they love my accent!