Monday, April 6, 2009

Help Me Out Here

There's two things that every Midwesterner will tell you.


  1. We talk normal.

  2. We have no accent.

Here's what they might not tell you...we're secretly intrigued and jealous of everyone with an accent.


It doesn't matter where you're from in the US, you'll likely entertain us for hours just by talking...because I also think we're easily entertained (we have to be, trust me.)


Now, if you happen to have a foreign accent...well that's even better! We eat it up. For real.


Saturday I posted this video. It happens to be Jake and I talking, and so our future exchange student, got to hear our voices for the first time.


She wrote this:

"AWw. So cute :)I got to hear you speak as well. You speak amazingly well.
Now I'll never be able to talk to you on the phone. I speak nothing like
that...I must sound more like Fez on "that's 70 show"


Love Julie with the horrible accent"


CRACK ME UP! Have I mentioned I love her?!? Because she entertains me to NO end. I love that she says I speak "amazingly" well. It's a relief...after all, I have only spoken one language my entire 31 years of life ;) I'm also guessing that after reading months of my mediocre writing she may have been guessing I'd sound, well...more like an idiot than I did ;) It would have been a logical conclusion.


So, here's the deal. I need your help. I've been telling Julie how everyone is going to LOVE her accent...even if she sounds like Fez from That 70's show...especially if she sounds like Fez ;) But apparently, just like a real daughter, she does not believe me. Imagine that.


Help me out. Tell her how much we love accents. Tell her how disappointed we'd all be if she came and had NO ACCENT!


Tell her I'm right. Because really, real or pretend, moms are basically totally right on most everything most of the time. Am I right?!?


I think I'm right.


Julie, embrace that beautiful accent. Maybe you can try to teach me some Norwegian, and then I can butcher it with my Midwestern-non-accent and entertain you ;) And, don't you dare try to practice speaking English without and accent...I'll be severely disappointed if you step off the airplane sounding like and Iowan :)


Oh, all of you could also mention that she should definitely, most positively, call me on the phone. Soon.


OK, I'm done. For now. Did I mention Julie has a blog? And it's in English? Head on over and tell her hello, or howdy, or whatever it is you say from wherever it is you are.


Thanks so much!

22 comments:

  1. Julie, honestly we will ADORE you if for no other reason than the fact that you have an accent!

    But I am pretty sure you will be a wonderful addition for numerous other reasons as well!

    Call Sarah! She wants to talk to you so badly she is making us all crazy(er):-)

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  2. Yes, Julie, EMBRACE the accent!!

    And when people stare at you when you talk, it's not because they think you're weird... they are just CAPTIVATED. Am I right? I'm right.

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  3. I'm voting for a video of her talking. I am from the Midwest as well and I've always been told that I have a "TV person" voice. I guess, if I think about it, that's about right. We are audibly boring. (no offense, Sarah, but I can say it since I guess I'm just like you).

    So, most CERTAINLY you shouldn't get rid of the accent. As a matter of fact, thicken it up a little bit. Then take a video and let Sarah post it for us. So we all can have minutes of repeat fun.

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  4. Thursday a Polish lady was taking my blood. Her english was rough to say the least and I could of listened to her for hours!! We love accents, even us country bumpkins!

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  5. Sarah is right. We love accents and mothers are always right!!!!!lol

    My 2 teenage daughters are always trying to talk with a foreign accent. They just think that's the coolest thing. So see, you'll be cool just by talking here!

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  6. I'm another Midwesterner who adores accents. If I could do it without getting weird looks, I would adopt a new accent every day of the week, just to make life interesting.

    Also, here's something to think about for those of us who have "TV voices." I have cousins who live in Ireland. When they came to the U.S. a few years ago, the cousin my age barely spoke with a brogue, while his father's was so thick, it was hard to understand what he was saying. I asked Colin why that was and he said, "Oh, I'm talking with an American accent so you can understand me. I've been told it's pretty good."

    Cracked me up. I had never considered an "American" accent. But of course, accents being what they are, we have one too.

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  7. Julie, accents are AWESOME. And I should know -- I have the BEST one around, LOL! ;)

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  8. Accents are a spice of life, Julie! I talk like a boring Midwesterner. I wish my voice had a little more spice! Be proud of that lovely accent of yours!

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  9. accents show that you have been beyond the corn fields.. and allow us to dream of far off lands :)

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  10. You are sweet. I love, love, love accents and try my best to mimic them...but cannot do so very well.

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  11. I love any accents. I'm southern, I even love southern accents.

    Someone told me my accent was so cute and precious. Dang it I was going to sheek and sophisticated that day.

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  12. Sarah . . . even though we midwesterners don't have an accent persay, we always find it EXTREMELY easy to take on one! You will be talking just like Julie in no time!

    Julie - just be yourself!

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  13. This is not a word I thought I would ever use about Julie, but I was wrong! Julie is the best English (or do you say American?) speaker in our grade, so she's only SHY! (wow, I've said that Julie is shy) xD

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  14. Oh my gosh you are SO right! I live in Missouri (in case you hadn't figured that out by now) and we are the most boring accented people ever...and apparently we make up words like accented. ;)

    One time on a family vacation these two women who sounded really southern heard my mom and I talking in the bathroom and they said we had awful accents. I wanted to kick them in the teeth. Those southern belles were the ones with the accent! NOT me! hahaha

    Best of luck with Julie, and on your video, you sounded totally un-accent like me. :)

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  15. YES!

    We love and envy those things we will NEVER have. As an Illinoisian (no, at this moment I'm not really proud of that title), I have ALWAYS wished I had an accent. Sadly, it will never be!

    Julie, love the accent - appreciate the accent - embrace the accent! You have no idea what kind of attention you will get with in the Midwest ;}

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  16. Love this post. I just told my hubby that I now know the reason he makes fun of the way I talk (because he is secretly jealous). HEEHEE. He is a Midwesterner (from Iowa, just like you) and I am from the good ol' South. He just told me he married me because of the way I say "purple".

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  17. For Julie - I can't wait to hear your accent and hear about all of the fun you are going to have in Iowa. It will be like visiting somewhere else! Embrace it!

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  18. This is true, I've thought about moving somewhere else just so I could have an accent! hehe!

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  19. You are so right. I always thought I didn't have an accent until I moved away for college and everyone made fun of me for the way I said, "no and snow and joe and go..." You get the idea.

    Brianna
    from wisconsin

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  20. I have now bugged Julie with an admonition to call you. She seems delightful.

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  21. ohgoodness! I love the way you talk! I have a southern accent and I am always trying to correct it...heehee the whole 10 tin pen pin thing! more times than not i come off sounding like a complete idiot! ha!

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  22. My brother had a Norwegian girlfriend foreign-exchange student in high school - we would always make up sentences for her to say because it was so fun listening to her accent! :) I have a friend now that is from Ireland, and it's super fun trying to talk like her....I'm still learning. We can't wait to hear you, Julie!!! Maybe you should post a video of Julie talking - can she e-mail you something that you post for us? We will seriously eat it up. Good call.

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