Introducing Howard

Hi, vnicepeeps, and thank you. No welcome as kind as yours is ever considered late by me!  I do hope to be able to help and contribute.

A question by an ignorant Brit: you and Rhia appear to be Southerners; does it not grate a little for you to come under the "Yankee" umbrella (as in the name of this esteemed forum)?  I like to learn.

Best regards,
Howard

I am actually not from Atlanta ....I spent most of my life overseas and as such have no real US affiliation.  I have lived in the state of Virginia the longest when I was going to college, but still would not say I am Virginian.  When I was younger I hated when people asked me where I was from because I had no concrete answer.  I was born in Spokane, Washington but only stayed there for less than a year..so....I guess I am an American first and a global peep second.  

Add to all of this that my mom is Spanish and I married a Brit and well.....it's a mix!


and no I don't mind being called a Yankee unless it is done in a derogatory way...as in "Yankee go home" or "you are nothing but a rotten Yankee."

Bless you Howard,how very kind and thoughtful you are to have done your "homework"
Ta ,yes Iam very much looking foward to our "home-coming"!
 Iam with Vnice,about the Yankee bit.It really bothers me more that the first thing ppls say when I tell them that Iam from KY is something about chicken
 It really was funny though eating at KFC in London,hehehehe.
                           Take Care
                                 Rhia

 

Global peep is good to be, vnicepeeps.  You may have noticed from my baby bio (slight joke there!) above, I spent a lot of my early life abroad like you, accompanying my diplomat dad to his various posts overseas: Mexico, India (we lived in Agra, where the Taj Mahal is), Tanzania, Trinidad, Pakistan and finally Finland.  What is fascinating is how similar we all are, but how interesting the little differences are too!

A slight digression: having been born in Mexico I possess a Mexican passport and birth certificate (and wonderfully baroque they are too!), and am considered to be a Mexican citizen by that nation, though I use my UK passport to travel.  Though only 18 mths old when we left Mexico, and therefore not speaking much of any language, I was gobsmacked to be addressed in Spanish by a US immigration policeman while as a schoolboy changing planes in NY en route for Trinidad. He'd seen my p.o.b. on my passport while he was stamping it, but his surprise equalled mine when I  couldn't answer him in Spanish.  (I sometimes wonder if my Mexican army draft papers will ever catch up with me after all this time!  Perhaps at my extreme age they will promote me instantly to Colonel!)

A further digression, if it's not too tedious for you: I was always amazed by my parents' enthusiasm for Country & Western music - not a common taste for middle-of-the-road English folk of their generation! - until I found out that when we lived in Mexico they used to tune their radio in to the Texan C&W stations north of the border, just to catch a few words in English!  Homesickness can be like that ...

So Howard being a native Mexican you will have noticed already many of us on this forum crave good Mexican food (self included, became addicted on my visits to SoCal) - so how are your taco making skills?

Speed you "homewards" then, my lady Rhiannon, and that right soon: the oak and the ash, the holly, ivy and mistletoe await you in this memory-laden cloud-shrouded jewel of an island!!!

Ah, alas, Britwife, I was only one and a half when we left Mexico, so probably not long off having milk on draught, as it were ...  So not much of a hand at Mexican cuisine.  My mother did however pass on to me her guacamole recipe and I think I make one that might get me a pass across the Rio Grande.  

Joss, Julia and I still have what we call "Mexican Ham" - which we also inherited from my mother.  Basically it's a ham, potato, onion and sweet pepper casserole. Probably not Mexican, because Mother learnt it from a dear American friend of hers in Mexico City (her name was Ann Lee Lindsay, I remember it still - they remained friends throughout their long lives. RIP, both.)

ttfn!

Howard

I wonder also if they have come across those other endearing abbreviations that servicemen used to use at the end of their letters home, like "Swalk", "Norwich" and "Burma" ?!!

Ok, Howard, you've got me stumped.  Please do explain Norwich and Burma.  I am already familiar with  SWAK and SWALK.

Please do explain Norwich and Burma

Errrr....  (Oh well, you *did* ask!)

Burma = "Be Undressed and Ready My Angel"
Norwich =" 'nickers Off Ready When I Come Home"

(I suppose those sex-starved squaddies used these codes so that they could pass on their innermost feelings to their sweethearts without having to share them with the officers who censored their letters!)

But to you, Caitlinn, I shall end off rather less intimately with

bbfn!

Howard

 
 Hiya again Howard,

I had said to you in another post,maybe on another thread not so sure where it went....But anywhoo my husband told me what Burma meant hehehehehe.

 He is an former serviceman.He told me what former servicemen are called ,but I forget now what it was LOL

Oh, how funny!  Thanks a bunch for a big evening laugh!

He told me what former servicemen are called ,but I forget now what it was

Hiya Rhia!

I think the Web Mommies may get on to me for continuing this thread so long (after all, I was supposed only to be introducing myself to you all) but I couldn't resist replying to you that I don't know what ex-servicemen are called (perhaps we could enlist [no pun intended!] the help of your hubby on this one?)  

But I do know that British Army non-commision ranks refer to themselves as "squaddies"; Royal Navy sailors also refer to the army as squaddies, but also disparagingly as "pongoes" (the RN tends to look down on the other services, having been founded by Alfred the Great in 900 or thereabouts, and therefore the 'Senior Service').  They also used to use the term "lobsters" for the army, going back to the time when our blokes wore red coats.

Both the army and the RN refer to sailors as matelots, from the French.  

Squaddies (would your equivalent of this still be GIs??) often refer to their officer corps as "the Ruperts".  This is because this highfalutin' name is very common amongst the aristocratic young men who become officers without first going through the ranks, particularly those in the Guards Brigade and Cavalry regiments.

The Paratroop regiments refer to all others as "crap-hats" - because no one else is entitled to wear the famous red beret.  The Paras have a particular hatred of the Royal Marine Commandos, and vice-versa.  I don't think the Marines call the Paras anything in particular, probably because they feel it beneath them to consider them at all.

What "mob" (i.e., unit) was your hubby in?  Perhaps he could bear some of this out. I should say I was never in the services, and therefore have no particular bias, except that my father was in the RN during WWII.

Well, I hope this has increased your Brit-cred, and your knowledge of arcane inter-service rivalries!!!  I shall test you on it later, so get swotting!

Love,

Howard


PS, love "anyhoooo" - use it all the time myself!  Where's it from?

 
 Ta Howard for the heads up on the military rivalry between the branches.Believe me it is the very same here also
 Yes you have increased my "Brit-cred" hehehehehehe,ta

 My hubby will be on here later this evening ,and he can tell you what "mob" that he was in

Im not sure where anyhoo comes from either.Its one of those things you hear,that you just pick up,and cant get rid of

 

Hiya, cousin Americans and Fellow Brits! (yes, I know "hiya" amuses Americans!)..l.

Ok Howard, so glad to see you took my advice.  So good to have you here and not lurking about.  If I may Howard and not to cause any blushing for you...but....

last week I was checking out some of the members profiles (I like to keep up and read the bio's)  Anyway, I came across Howard's bio and I was just so touched by what he had put in it that I felt compelled to thank him.  Just to let him know he put a little smile on this sad face of mine.  He really touched my heartstrings.  I found his bio to be so real, genuine and full of compassion.

P.S. He wrote me back to my surprise right away.  I have not been feeling my usual self the last several weeks, pretty much isolated and I think he may have sensed it.  Anyway Howard took time out of his schedule to write a total stranger back.  He just wrote me this really wonderful note full of compassion, the understanding of being in a different country, being totally supportive, sympathetic, etc.  attached with his note were smiles and many of them.

So Howard -- THANK YOU TO YOU!!  You are a breath of fresh air for me and I'm sure will be to many others on this site.

not to cause any blushing for you

= a "blushy"!

Gosh, NYState, if you can't feel the heat of my blushes all that way up in the Isle of Dogs (about 60 miles due North as the crow flies - you are practically on the Meridian, just as we are), I'd be much surprised!  But so kind of you to write those wonderful things!

One thing I was going to suggest was the London American Church - the interdenominational church specially for you Yanks in Tottenham Court Road, just between Goodge St and Warren St tube stations.  I used to work close by there, and their notice-board was always full of a variety of activities, not just religious ones (I don't know if you are religious, your post about your wedding made me think you might be).  It used to strike me what a vibrant community/congregation they appeared to be, and not at all "preachy", if you know what I mean.

Their url is

http://www.americanchurchinlondon.org

and it seems probable that they may have some Thanksgiving festivities you could join, if you haven't made any specific plans yourself yet.  But in any case, they may be worth contacting, just for some American companionship.  I think it would take you about 45 mins to get there from where you live, via the Docklands Light Railway to Bank, then change on to the Underground Central Line to Tottenham Court Road, then about 5 mins walk.  (BTW - Tottenham Ct Rd is geat for Christmas shopping!)

I'm sorry to have been so long in replying.  It took me most of yesterday and today to overcome an excessive celebration of England's win over Oz in the rugby!!!

With very best regards, and again thank you for the lovely things you said,

Howard