"Official Statement" or "before it becomes a trend"

It is said that when thing happens 2 times it's a coincidence - 3 times makes it a trend.

In the last couple of weeks, in different contexts, 2 different people asked me the same question - and I really want to stop it before it becomes that dreaded trend.
As I had finished saying something in English, once on a phone call, other as a joke, they asked me:

"Hey, where did you learn to speak like that? did you date a brit? you must have, haven't you??"

Why,oh Why speaking with a nice accent and remembering a bunch of weird vocabulary nobody ever uses be only possible with dating a "native"?!? DO I LOOK THAT LIMITED?!

What really astonished me was the "insisting" on the fact that I *must have had* SURELY dated a brit. The fact is I sort of "dated" a brit (he has a different opinion though, if someone ever asks him) but I spoke like this BEFORE!! The sole 2 things I ever learned from him in English was the true meanings of "shark" (when called to a person) and of "crash and burn" (and oh boy did I learn that well...)

So I felt the need to put down in words (not "how wonderful life is" like in the song) that all my fluency in english comes from my parents hard worked investment in my education, a lot of effort from my part, some well spent summer holidays studying abroad, and a lot of music and reading - all well before I met any brits I might date.


But that's not all:

- Just in case anyone thinks I just wanted to impress any german hybrids, I did learn german while I was still in college - Keine Liebe da.
- I also speak Spanish - y no me lié con ningún Español
- I still know some of my high-school French - mais je n'ai pas trouvé que l'amour de Cyrano de Bergerac...
- I speak a bit of Italian - Perchè ho amici in Italia a chi voglio parlare in su lengua
And of course,
- Portuguese - Porque "ser poeta é ser mais alto, é ser maior do que os homens, morder como quem beija" :-)

I also tried languages machines could understand: PHP, HTML, Java Scrip, SQL... that I learned by myself with a little help from some dear friends (none of them foreign) whom I haven't dated either.

Before anyone asks, I'm not a linguist and I don't really "need" all this to do my work. And I didn't "date" anyone to get my job.

Despite all that, I feel I really have a lot to learn still.
But I won't get any "schooling" or "string pulling" on my behalf from someone I might date. :-P

So ladies, get real! Get your own diamonds, learn things for yourselves, row your own boats!

No more trends.