What's it about?

Growing up in Montreal, I thought I spoke English normally (like the typical American on TV). It took me moving to Israel and joining the Israeli army to realize I actually spoke differently - I spoke like a Canadian. My best friend in the unit, Tammy, was an American from Dallas, Texas, who (ironically enough) really did speak normally (like the typical American on TV - not like the typical Texan). Tammy was, more often than not, genuinely baffled when I uttered the word "about".

Me: "blah blah blah... about... blah blah blah"

Tammy (genuinely baffled): "A boat?... A boat?.... Oh, A-BOWT!"

(And then she would laugh.)

And I, slightly offended, couldn't understand why she didn't understand me.

... until a few years later.

Listening to Canadian radio on one of my Montreal trips, my ears finally heard what Tammy had. And they didn't like it. I decided that I preferred the American pronunciation of "ou" words (out, about, house, mouse, etc.). And I began to enunciate more carefully. (How to speak like an American: open your MOWTH wide when pronouncing the "out" part of "about".)

When I'm tired or lazy, I slip back into Canadian. But for the most part, people mistake me for an American.

I'm a proud Canadian, but that I'm cool with.