I'm well ghetto now though... innit bruv.

For those of you who are not from the London area and might not have understood my title at all it was roughly translated to: I am getting to be pretty street wise at the moment... Wouldn't you agree my friend?

I have been working in the east end of London for almost a year now and as such, due to my subconscious's tendency to mimic those around me I have caught myself speaking in a term that one might phrase as 'ghetto.' Of course, the problem arises as my face, body language and general way of presenting myself tends to give off the impression that I speak the way in which I am writing this message at the moment. 

The result that you get is a middle class looking girl acting like she is "well ghetto and tings." As such I'm finding people are giving me the look of... "that white girl is trying to be street, she ain't foolin no one fam." Although having said that they do tend to be pretty encouraging of my colloquial talk and allow me to engage in conversation without too much scoffing. We all know however that I am in reality far too much of a wannabe to ever be cool enough to fully pull it off. Probably the fact that I call the language 'colloquial' pretty much aids my point. 

There is a large part of me that wishes I had enough of my own accent that I didn't need to mimic those around me but as I have been moving around for pretty much the entire of my life I cannot help but try to adapt to my surroundings. Even if what I am doing is a highly poor attempt. 

It is the same wherever I go, lead me to the west country where Father's family resides and I will suddenly speak in a manner that suggests I've been a farmer my entire life. 

If I am back in Essex, talking to Oldest-Friend-Cafrin then you would think I was sporting a perfect example of any cast member from 'The only way is Essex.'

This is in my blood and not anything I can run away from. Whilst on the phone to Father today (who has been living in Scotland for a total of four months now) he informed me that he too had found himself succumbing to his local's way of speaking. He has begun to use the word "aye" instead of yes and "wee" instead of little. It is not something we can run away from... It's obviously in our genes. 

So that being said I have decided to embrace the chameleon inside of me. Especially as I work in an office with Line-Manager-Monica and she is a very strong Jamaican woman. The accent that I have adapted around her has amused me to no end. She hasn't yet commented on it but she must have noticed... I fear it's only going to get worse until all traces of any previous accent are gone and people start to ask me why I would choose to leave the Caribbean to come to such a cold country. 

I'm gonna go cotch and watch my shows and tings now though coz it's bare late and I ain't about to be late to work again tomorrow bruv, that shizzle gonna get me in bare strife, you get me? (To anyone who is personally offended by my poor attempt at "street talk" I apologise). 

Peace out my lovelies.