Do we speak the same language?

It's funny how we are all speaking English and yet we can't understand each other. I met with a lady from the rental agency today and she took me around to show me properties in the area. The two of us were cracking up. She kept asking me what I call things.

Ella: "What do you call that?"
Me: "The parking lot?"
Ella: "Really?" with a giggle.
(They call it a bay here.)

A living room they call a reception, while reading the flyers I thought that meant the lobby area, like a hotel. They tell you to alight the train. Simply means exit. Even the floors at the theater are different, like the ground floor is called the Stalls. Everything is also shortened. So if I want a 1 bedroom apartment to rent I would say, "Have a 1 bed let?" I swear I need an interpreter just to understand English. Hopefully I'll soon learn the lingo, too bad I can't gracefully adopt the cool accent as well. I wouldn't want to risk sounding like Madonna.
: )