But then we have almost no organised stuff at school. No proms. No cheerleading. No going to watch the school team play football. No pep squad. No school newspaper/TV show. We just have smoking behind the bike sheds &

School Spirit is an entirely alien concept in the UK. It's the difference in our approach to Buffy, I think; the idea of vampires isn't that much more far fetched than the idea of electing a couple to (as I understand it) wear tiaras and ritually copulate once a term.

the idea of electing a couple to (as I understand it) wear tiaras and ritually copulate once a term

Well, only the one member of the couple wears a tiara.

(and hey, you people started the Maypole dance!)

I was on my school hockey team, and until you mentioned it, Jim, I hadn't realised that no one came to watch us play, ever.

It's not like we expected it, or anything. I hadn't thought about it as a spectator sport, even though we were representing our school in the Trust.

We had a school magazine, printed once a year, and SHAM, the South Hampstead Alternative Magazine, printed by students once a year, and for which we got in trouble.

But, yeah -- no rah! no pep! no rallies. I still don't get those.

I always summed it up by comparing the US teen films everyone knows:Pretty In Pink, Ferris, Say Anything, Clueless with the british ones: Kes, Scum & Poor Cow.

I mocked my sister when she was stressing over getting ready for her students' graduation...from kindergarten. Up until my co-worker mentioned that his daughter's school (a public school but only accepts gifted students) has a graduation ceremony for each year. He was attending her 3rd-grade graduation. He assured me that it would make sense when I had kids, but it does not.

Anyway, so books, yeah. We had those in school too. A few. The ones that weren't burnt.

Question on HP books. I was discussing the books with with someone at work. He mentioned the British terms that are now (finally) appearing in the US versions. He thought "snogging" meant something more that just "kissing". I thought it meant kissing and did not imply sex.

the idea of vampires isn't that much more far fetched than the idea of electing a couple to (as I understand it) wear tiaras and ritually copulate once a term

YES. This. So much of BtVS must seem kind of normal to USAians, but every single minute of the show is strange and fantastical from where I'm sitting. Including IHoP.

I always summed it up by comparing the US teen films everyone knows:Pretty In Pink, Ferris, Say Anything, Clueless with the british ones: Kes, Scum & Poor Cow.

Tea. On. Monitor. Re: Kes - I'm sitting in Barnsley right now AIFGrim.

eta

Snogging means proper kissing - not a peck on the cheek. Kissing with tongues.

Shagging means fucking.

The terms 'bloody' and 'bugger' are nearly as hard as the term 'fuck' (not quite the same magnitude, but a damn sight closer to that than, 'damn it'), so you can imagine how taken aback we were when 11 year old Ron said "That's bloody brilliant" to his new teacher in the first movie. He'd have been STRAIGHT in detention if he said that to me.

He thought "snogging" meant something more that just "kissing". I thought it meant kissing and did not imply sex.

I thought "snogging" meant "making out" or "sucking face" i.e. a little more than just kissing.

But really, I have no idea.

how taken aback we were when 11 year old Ron said "That's bloody brilliant"

My DH did a head-jerk at this too. I know "bloody" is a pretty hardcore curse word, but I don't know it, if you take my meaning. Curse words really lose their oomph when culture-shifted.

"Snogging" is kind of an unpleasant word...sounds onomaetopoetic.