Since our move to China, not only have we picked up some Mandarin. (Or in the case of little T are fluent) But we have also picked up some English words that are rarely used in American English.
When I took Tori to the doctor on Monday to ensure that she did indeed have chicken pox, she was bouncing around the room. The doctor took one look at her and said, "Are you sure she is sick. She is rather cheeky."
Well, of course she is. She's our Tori.
When Tori describes a smart thing that someone has done she usually describes it as clever.
Our kids put their trash (or even their rubbish) in a bin and wear a jumper when it is cold.
I even find myself writing colour. And then I stared in confusion at the computer when it tells me that the word is spelled wrong.
This translates in reverse when we go back to the US. Because the longer we live outside the US, when we return we are just slightly out of step with American culture. There are phrases that I don't quite get, TV shows that we don't usually watch, and something that is hard to define that makes us feel slightly different. This is what comes from living with a foot in two different worlds.
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