Names

One thing that still surprises me about being in England: namely 'names.'

What do I mean?

In America it is very normal to introduce yourself upon meeting a new person~in fact, I really enjoy learning someone's name, and then (hopefully) remembering it when conversing with them the next time we meet.

I have noticed that the Brit's are much less apt to tell you their name. This might have something to do with a more natural reserve that the English possess. I have particularly become acquainted with this at our girl's school (my "testing grounds" for many things British.)
After introducing myself all around with the mom's the first few weeks of school, I noticed a trend. Other people don't do this! In fact, some people would respond back to me with their name, others would not. I didn't know what to think at first~but then I noticed that this was how people in general interacted. As an American it was very strange for me!

It is very normal to go for months without knowing someone's name that you converse with on a daily basis. Now, you might ask, how is that possible? Aren't that person's friends coming up and saying, "Hello ______?" Well, no they don't! More often than not I see friends say to each other, "Hi-ya" which I take to mean, "Hello, you" or some other such thing.

When I asked one Brit about it, she said, "Oh yes, that is absolutely right, in fact I often find out a person's name at the end of a conversation. Like, "Hello, this is Pippa's mom" (how you introduce yourself often in organizing a playdate for your children) "can we get the girl's together?" "Oh, and by the way, my name is Helen." (as an afterthought)--this is after knowing someone for a long time! Even when you give your name, often someone won't give their name back.

This just happened tonight. Jim introduced himself to a mom who was dropping Claire off by saying, "Hello, I'm Jim" and she said, "Oh yes, I remember meeting you before." And that was that. Finally Jim said, "And what was your name again?" and then she told him.

Now, you Americans who are reading this might be wondering what this says about Brits. But I am also thinking tonight, "What does this say about us Americans?"

An interesting observation.