Alien Accent Awareness (And How To Overcome It)

By Daniel Mirakian

I had never felt like an outsider until going to London this year. Not even when I traveled to the UK five years ago did I feel particularly out of place–likely because I was with my parents and was relatively young. I’d never even thought of myself as having an accent until my trip to London from March 10 through March 19. This is when I experienced an unfamiliar feeling that I’m calling Alien Accent Awareness, or AAA. I tried to spend the majority of my time in London on my own exploring the big city and surrounding areas. While this was fun, it proved challenging at first because of how self-conscious I was of my American accent. It sounds funny (not the accent, the feeling), but I couldn’t even think about speaking without a nagging fear of judgment clouding my head. It didn’t help that several cashiers and waiters dropped a few conspicuous side-eyes my way when I spoke, not only in an American accent, but without a complete understanding of English tendencies. My AAA hit a high point in Oxford when I realized that I was not only an American but an American carrying an incredibly touristy Union Jack bag with an Oxford crewneck in it. This is when the apple fell on my head. I decided to stop being a wimp and brighten up. After all, the biggest reason it felt awkward to talk was because of my guess at what other people would think, not actually what other people were thinking. I noticed quickly that, as long as I was confident when I spoke, people respected me. As I made this connection by trial and error, my era of unnecessary self-awareness drew to an end and my golden era of confidence began. I went on to choose and eat at several cool restaurants, travel (accidentally hitchhiking at first) on the national rail, explore completely foreign towns, and admire London’s finest attractions mostly solo. I believe that making the decision to go lone wolf was a great decision because, when I ran into problems like not having purchased a ticket for the national rail before getting on the train, I had to adapt on the go. This is exactly what traveling abroad is all about–taking on risks and challenges that catalyze personal growth.

I acknowledge that I’ll probably never know what it truly feels like to be a foreign exchange student at KU because of the brevity of my time abroad, but I got a taste. My unprompted advice to anyone who doesn’t feel “at home” at KU or anywhere is this: Think about how you see other people. I doubt you see the behavior of the extrovert in your class as awkward or embarrassing. That’s because it isn’t, and as long as you’re respectful to those around you and reasonably humble, it will always be not only normal but good to make your thoughts known to others. Given that you think before you speak, people will respect you for your contributions to conversations and it’s a great way to strengthen your individuality.

Two Truths And A Lie:

1. I got scolded by a palace guard.

2. I hitchhiked on the national rail.

3. I explored tunnels used by Churchill in WW2.

See Page 97 for Answer Key

Everything’s Backwards in London

By Daniel Mirakian

Only in London

It has to be London

Behind a line of tiny Minis

An array of Shiny Ferraris

In London

Where he comes from

Where that guy goes

No one knows

Favorite tube line? Circle Line

How many books did you buy? Two.

It’s the London Tube

Then asks for your money

An unwanted tissue

A sad woman gives you

You’re in London

On the left!

Cars fast speed past–

In London

Everything’s backwards

What was your favorite museum? Oxford’s history museum.

Did you ride the new Elizabeth Line? No.