A Case of Mistaken (National) Identity

[Payday]

NM? Is that like North Michigan or something?

New Mexico, where the aliens landed.

[Annoying]

Been asked if I was local in England, I'm not. An american once confused me for an African-American...in the Netherlands, I wasn't amused. In Finland they ask where I'm from and take it in stride when I say I'm dutch.

Americans have a bad habit of calling all black people "African Americans".

[Puupi]

Been asked if I was local in England, I'm not. An american once confused me for an African-American...in the Netherlands, I wasn't amused. In Finland they ask where I'm from and take it in stride when I say I'm dutch.

So you are black I assume?

If I met you IRL, I would probably think you are from Ghana! Because Dutch people speak good English and Ghanaians(?) are generally the "only black people" that speak good English in Finland

PS. Didn't mean this in a racist way at all!

[GreatOak]

Probably 30% of the people I've met in Europe thought I was Canadian and whenever I'm in Canada nobody knows I'm American.

Maybe it's because I don't have a southern accent

[Frozenbeef]

Don't travel so not mistaken for a different nationality very often :P Though for some reason people think I'm from southern England / have a southern English accent..despite living in South Yorkshire (northern England) for my entire life >.<

[Deleted]

Yes Dutch.
Its not Dutch! Its Flemish! Doesn't anyone understand the difference?

[-aiko-]

People always think I'm Chinese.

I have Japanese descent and have lived in the US almost my whole life.

[Stelio Kontos]

I'm Greek myself.

Well, technically, my mother is Greek, my father is some weird mix of German/Irish/Scottish/Native American. All I know is that he has almost reddish-brown skin, straight black hair, but blue eyes. My paternal grandfather had red skin, straight black hair, and his mother's maiden name was "Savage" (common surname taken by assimilated Natives), but insisted he was white as white can be and hated all non-whites with a passion.

So my features tend to cause some confusion to people when they try to categorize me.

I've been mistaken for Italian, Spanish/Latino, Lebanese, Slavic, Persian, and had a Chinese professor ask me if I was Native American because of my cheekbones (guess he saw lots of Indians in movies with high cheekbones).

Between my mother and me, our accents have gotten even more confusion from people. I guess the Greek accent is rather hard to place. We've been told we sound: Spanish, Italian, German, Arab, Persian, Russian, and "Slavic".

Let's not even get into the time an American asked me "Greece? Where is that? Africa?"

[Deleted]

I'm more than once been mistaken for foreigner in Finland, mostly as someone from Middle-East or Southern Europe, because of my easily tanning skin and very dark hair and beard as well as dark brown eyes, even though all my family is from Finland for who knows how far past.

[Deleted]

Some people assumed I was Romanian, because apparently I sound like the Count from sesame street.

You are my hero!

Anyway as I live in Sweden since a year and am still learning the language, when I ask for a word people ask where I'm from, when I say the Netherlands they say "Oh, I thought you were from England"

[Trifande]

if I forget to shave for a week I always mistake myself for a terrorist in the morning

[Iphie]

So you are black I assume?

If I met you IRL, I would probably think you are from Ghana! Because Dutch people speak good English and Ghanaians(?) are generally the "only black people" that speak good English in Finland

PS. Didn't mean this in a racist way at all!

Don't worry Puupi, I don't usually scream racism. To me at least, the Finnish people have been nothing but nice, maybe it's because I love salmiakki and always trying to speak the language probably helps too, it's not the best but I've met people who spoke far worse and were here longer.

[Deleted]

Some people assumed I was Romanian, because apparently I sound like the Count from sesame street.

Oh Cryban, im going to read all your posts from now on in that voice!

[Deleted]

I got mistaken for British in the Netherlands, talking English on the phone, in my own country! I took that as a compliment

[Zoaric]

I got mistaken for British in the Netherlands, talking English on the phone, in my own country! I took that as a compliment

That's hurting my head trying to imagine those accents being switched.

[Deleted]

Oh Cryban, im going to read all your posts from now on in that voice!

One! Two! Three British Imperialists! AH AH AH!

[prwraith]

I have this problem where after like a single day in any given country or state. I pick up the accent // so it doesn't really matter where I'm from after a day nobody can ever tell.

[Ravenblade]

Only once it happened to me but it's been years ago on a different forum. An Ukrainian guy from Kharkov thought because of my name I am Russian so he PM'd me some long Russian message. At that time my Russian wasn't as rusty though so I replied in Russian too with a thanking remark for the challenge and that typing Russian on a German keyboard is very hard.

[Xargoth6634]

When I was younger I had a pretty good French accent and could pass for French. (I'm American) I've also pretended to be Canadian before when traveling when most of the world was mad at the US for something or other.

[Reeve]

Yes Dutch.
Its not Dutch! Its Flemish! Doesn't anyone understand the difference?

Sure! The Flemish are the people who live in phlegm, right?