Week 13 – Culture

Its strange how after 3 months here I have easily settled in to the routines and environment surrounding being a student at Ole Miss and I find myself calling it my home. I have even adopted an accent (albeit a terrible one!). One of the main culture differences I have found does not regard what I see but rather what I hear in the language and slang used at Ole Miss. There are many words I hear that have the same meaning at home but are either different or pronounced with a real Southern drawl. I find myself not only adopting the accent but also the slang and have been told on many occasions by Americans that I don’t have a strong ‘Northern Irish’ accent. When writing essays for some of my classes I have also identified some differences in the spelling of some words. For example colour and colour. Between myself and Sarah we came up with a short list of words that we have noticed mean the same but are entirely different due to our cultures.

Northern Ireland                       ​Ole Miss​

Boot		Trunk
Lorry		Truck
Trolley		Buggy
You All		Ya’ll
Rubbish​​​		Trash/Garbage
Tin		Can
Biscuit		Cookie
Police officer​​		Cop
Curb​​​		Kerb
Favour​​​		Favor
Favourite​​		Favorite
Behaviour​​		Behavior
Humour​​		Humor
Postbox​​​		Mailbox
Que​​​		Line
Trousers​​		Pants
Smack​​​		Spank
Bum​​​		Booty
Jumper​​​		Sweater
Holiday​​	Vacation
Bun ​​​	Cake

Along with the accent and slang I have also fallen in love with the fashion style over here as it is very country, with cowboy boots and hats galore. (I even bought my own cowgirl hat which I will proudly wear when I get home…let’s hope I don’t get too many funny looks!) That said it is interesting comparing what I would be wearing at home to what I wear to classes here which normally consists of Nike shorts (also known as ‘norts’) and large baggy t-shirts. Even though it still feels weird in comparison to Stran, it also feels incredibly relaxing being able to wear shorts to class. It is also important to keep in mind that as we now head into the spring/summer months the weather here has greatly improved with some days hitting temperatures in the high 70s which is much nicer than the cold, dull days we are used to at home! (Over here they use Fahrenheit rather than degrees Celsius)

I have found it interesting comparing the American beliefs about Northern Ireland with my own background knowledge. When I was in New Orleans (getting none other than a chocolate covered Oreo of course), the sales assistant recognised the difference in my accent and continued on to ask where I was from. After I answered saying I was from Northern Ireland he then proceeded to state that I ‘must be protestant then!’ At the time it was hilarious and everyone around burst into laughter. In hindsight I find that it was remarkable to hear that the first thing that Americans associate with Northern Ireland is the Troubles and the segregation amongst Catholics and Protestants. I have been asked many questions about such a time and I have found that my information is rather limited. In comparison every student from Ole Miss has had information surrounding the Civil War firmly planted in their education and I have made it a private mission to find out more on this topic as the weeks go on.