I moved a lot growing up (I went to ~10 schools before finishing high school). Picking up local expressions is totally a thing that happens without you even realizing it. The other part of that is that I often would say things after a move and get confused expressions because I didn’t know that something was just a local expression from a previous home and wasn’t widely known. When I was younger, I used to pick up the local accent as well if there was one. However, I have found that I don’t pick up the accents as much these days as an adult.
Having lived for a while in Phoenix, Arizona, I can also confirm that malls serve as a gathering place in very hot climates. At least, pre-internet, my friends and I at the time would usually end up hanging at the mall or the community pool. It was way too hot outside to do anything else really.
Having visited relatives in Edmonton, Canada, I can appreciate the central place that malls in snowbound cities take in modern cultural life there.
Absorbing local slang into my vocabulary is something that I’ve experienced too.
The warming patches though. That strikes me as a bit weird.
I moved a lot growing up (I went to ~10 schools before finishing high school). Picking up local expressions is totally a thing that happens without you even realizing it. The other part of that is that I often would say things after a move and get confused expressions because I didn’t know that something was just a local expression from a previous home and wasn’t widely known. When I was younger, I used to pick up the local accent as well if there was one. However, I have found that I don’t pick up the accents as much these days as an adult.
Having lived for a while in Phoenix, Arizona, I can also confirm that malls serve as a gathering place in very hot climates. At least, pre-internet, my friends and I at the time would usually end up hanging at the mall or the community pool. It was way too hot outside to do anything else really.