Sprite = Lemonade??

I was at my friend's house a few months ago and she offered me a glass of lemonade, something like this:

Her: "Would you like a glass of lemonade?"
Me: "That sounds great, I haven't had lemonade in ages."
Her: "Oh, it is actually diet, I hope that is okay."
Me: "Sure."

I thought it was a bit odd that someone was stocking diet lemonade, but whatever, I was kinda excited to have a drink that I hadn't seen in quite a while. Oh, that was until I started drinking it and my 'lemonade' had some carbonation and, sip, sip, something a little different in it . . . what's that taste, um, that's right it's diet Sprite.

A week later I was with a different friend, one of many who are extremely patient with all of my questions and badgering - what's that mean, what do you call this, how do you spell that? I told her about my lemonade/Sprite experience. She replied, "I know, I was in the US and asked for lemonade and they gave me lemon water. Sheesh!"

I totally laughed as some other events started to make sense. Like when I was at the food court not long after arriving in Oz. After ordering my sandwich I chose the diet Sprite. The woman looked at me quizzically - I was getting used this look as it happened a lot the first few months. So I tried just 'Sprite', no luck, then, 'the blue bottle on the second shelf', nope, so I pointed. I finally got the right drink but I had no idea what I was doing wrong. Now I get it!

So the lesson of the day: In Australia if you ask for lemonade you'll get Sprite and if you say the same in the US you'll get lemon water.