I'm International, Who knew?

To anyone who has ever said that humor doesn't translate - you are simply not funny. It's true! Today I was sitting at a table enjoying a lunch that was provided for international students and I had a whole table cracking up because my last name is McDonald. Generally I just introduce myself as Macy, but one of the students from Germany asked if that was my whole name and I (reluctantly) said "No, actually my name is Macy McDonald." At this table there were students from Germany, Austria, France, Spain, the U.S. and the U.K. and without exception they all laughed.
And that's when it hit me, I am an international student! I've become one of those people that I used to glance at from across the room and wonder, what are they laughing at? What kind of humor appeals to everyone from all over and how come they are all friends? Well now I know. The major brands are fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you feel about big business) universal. And international students (like me!) are all friends because even though we are from all different places, we are all in the same boat. We are all far away from home and in a place we don't really quite "get". Everything is just a little bit different, even for me and the native tongue is my first language. I can't even imagine how hard it must be for the students who don't understand everything that is being said.
Although to be honest, I don't understand everything that is being said either. I mean most Americans know that here chips are fries and lifts are elevators, but did you know that American style bacon is called "rashers"? If you just order "bacon" you end up with some weird really thick slice of ham. Also "fanny" is a word that you must avoid... It refers to a very different part of a woman's anatomy.
On top of that some of the accents are a little difficult to grasp, especially Scottish. Welsh is also much thicker than English and the older the person is, the more difficult it is to understand them. I've had more that one non-native English speaker come up to me and ask what somebody just said because, according to them, the American accent is easier to understand.
Obviously the American accent is easier for me as well, but I'm not sure why it is easier for them. I think maybe it has something to do with pop culture. Americans may not realize it, but our culture is everywhere; our music, movies, and products (like the afore mentioned McDonald's) infiltrates more than just our own country. It's worldwide. I have to say that I'm a little embarrased, a couple of people have asked me if American life is really like American Pie. I was mortified. I also set them straight very quickly, but politely. No wonder so many people want to move to the U.S. I mean if they think life is the way it is in the films, not just American Pie specifically. Although most of my favorite films are British and I came here so maybe I'm not in a position to mock their logic...