When you're abroad

[john titor]

Have you ever had people expect you to act a certain way because of your nationality? For example you might not be very culturally whatever you national stereotype is or how the majority of people from your country behave. What outcomes have resulted from this based on your interactions with people in different countries?

 

[Canadave]

To be honest, I probably conform to what people expect of Canadians. I'm polite, sometimes excessively so (I say "sorry" when people run into me, yes), I say "eh" a lot and, when I'm in the US, get bills mixed up because they're all the same colour.

 

[john titor]

Interesting. I don't really have any of the characteristics which define my national identity, ie I'm fairly serious, like to be punctual and reliable etc rather than humorous and outgoing, which I guess will probably confuse people.

 

[cultcross]

I got mistaken for French a lot when I was in Rome, because I'm clearly not Italian, and I don't act American. So I think some people's process-of-elimination picked out 'French' as a likely candidate. Not many English tourists in Rome, I found.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

Have you ever had people expect you to act a certain way because of your nationality? For example you might not be very culturally whatever you national stereotype is or how the majority of people from your country behave. What outcomes have resulted from this based on your interactions with people in different countries?

When I first visited Brazil they expected me to be a certain way (not sure what way) but after getting to know people they just saw we are all pretty much the same.

Oh, and when I was in the UK a few weeks ago the pub crawlers thought I couldn't keep up with them. Taught them a lesson I tell ya!

 

[SmoothieX]

I've been to Canada but that's barely abroad. I've been to England and Wales and people were just interested in chatting it up with a foreigner than analyzing my behavior.

 

[Vulcan Princess]

When I went to Paris with my family and when I went to Jerusalem with my choir, I was always pegged as an American. When I went to Jerusalem for a study abroad program, everyone thought I was Israeli. (I don't speak a word of Hebrew. They always acted surprised when I asked them if they spoke English or French.)

I've always wondered what makes someone stand out as American in a foreign country. The USA is such a large and diverse country. I have very little in common with someone from Alabama or Vermont, for example. (When I went to North Carolina, I felt like I was in another country. I'm from California.)

 

[Maestro]

What makes Americans stand out? There's a belief out there that Americans are louder than fuck, rude, obnoxious, selfish, and shitty dressers.

And the problem is that many American "tourists" behave that way. My in-laws travel extensively, but always in tour packages, and it's clear that they're American tourists. They stay in American-esque touristy hotels, hang out with people who are rude, obnoxious, louder than fuck and shitty dressers (my wife's stepdad's cousin comes to mind ... no interest in EVER traveling with him).

OTOH, when my wife and I travel, we just blend in to the culture. The last time we were in England, people were amazed when we spoke to find out that we were actually Americans. We dressed to blend in, (yeah we screwed up with the money a lot), didn't draw tons of attention to ourselves, ate in local restaurants, and didn't demand to be treated like royalty. God, what an amazing vacation.

 

[Triskelion]

Funny, I see a lot of tourists and travelers, and the only obnoxiously loud and obtusely rude ones I've ever seen spoke European and Asian languages. But we all need a villain I suppose.

 

[Maestro]

It's been my impression that the English tolerate Americans in full tourist mode, so long as they queue up correctly (which we're capable of doing almost as well as the Brits). It's the Italians that the English can't stand, because rather than queuing up properly, they mill about.

 

[TheGodBen]

I used to go out with an English girl and whenever I went over to stay with her in her parents house during the summer they used to treat me a little odd because I'm Irish. The worst time had to be when we all went to the pub together; my girlfriend and I were chatting when I heard her dad shouting my name across the pub, so I look over and see him at the bar holding a pint of Guinness which he's pointing at while grinning like a lunatic. I'm supposed to be impressed by that fact that he ordered a pint of Guinness? I don't even drink the stuff.

They were nice enough people, but they didn't make it easy for me to feel comfortable about myself. Which, in retrospect, might have been the point.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Have you ever had people expect you to act a certain way because of your nationality? For example you might not be very culturally whatever you national stereotype is or how the majority of people from your country behave. What outcomes have resulted from this based on your interactions with people in different countries?

Good questions. I've only ever been to Mexico and they knew that i was not from there; that i was a tourist. They ... addressed me a bit differently. Almost condescending actually. Now did they expect me to act like a typical American tourist? I don't know.

 

[pajamahead]

People expect me to be an a$% since I am from the USA. I do not act that way, but many others I encounter abroad fulfill this expectation. Yay for verifying a stereotype.

 

[nevermore]

Someone once served me a Budweiser in Amsterdam. That was pretty offensive.

when I'm in the US, get bills mixed up because they're all the same colour.

They have different numbers on them.

What makes Americans stand out? There's a belief out there that Americans are louder than fuck, rude, obnoxious, selfish, and shitty dressers.

Yeah, but we tip well, so they tolerate us.

Also, everyone apparently hates the French...

 

[Emher]

Nobody believes I'm from Sweden "since I speak English so well". Uh yeah we have education here? Also everyone keeps thinking I'm Swiss.

 

[Holdfast]

I've always wondered what makes someone stand out as American in a foreign country.

For the modestly affluent subset that make it over to the UK and do the tourist thing rather than being here for business:

White gym-type socks, pulled as high up as possible.

With or without any of the following items: overly white trainers (sneakers), pressed beige cotton shorts/chinos (depending on the weather) or jeans with a really bad wash & a slightly too pristine baseball cap, plus a white T-shirt with some cartoon character or quasi-pithy phrase on it. Oh, and some denim monstrosity of a jacket on top if it's a bit cooler. Bigger hair is also a fairly good indicator on the women.

The younger Americans are a bit better (there are other, more subtle indicators for them, but they don't stick out like a sore thumb in the same way as the aforementioned 40-70 age group).

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

At first, I read the title wrong:

When you're a broad

I've always been a guy, so I wouldn't know how I'd feel being a broad.

Anyway, I have no idea what the stereotype about Dutch people is. Perhaps that we smoke pot all day, have sex with just anybody and we don't like to spend money.

I like to have sex, but the rest doesn't really apply to me. Though I did notice, when I was in Istanbul (Turkey), that Dutch, blonde women were seen as sluts. But that's got probably more to do with their culture then ours.

 

[john titor]

I used to go out with an English girl and whenever I went over to stay with her in her parents house during the summer they used to treat me a little odd because I'm Irish. The worst time had to be when we all went to the pub together; my girlfriend and I were chatting when I heard her dad shouting my name across the pub, so I look over and see him at the bar holding a pint of Guinness which he's pointing at while grinning like a lunatic. I'm supposed to be impressed by that fact that he ordered a pint of Guinness? I don't even drink the stuff.

They were nice enough people, but they didn't make it easy for me to feel comfortable about myself. Which, in retrospect, might have been the point.

Interesting story. Do they expect Irish people to be funny and crack jokes all the time ref "the...craic." And to drink excessively?

 

[Kirk's_Tights]

I have never been abroad but a lot of people think I am Italian for some reason.

I don't look anything like an Italian.

The weirdest comment I have ever gotten was 'your eyes are really dark for someone who isn't Italian'.

 

[TheGodBen]

Interesting story. Do they expect Irish people to be funny and crack jokes all the time ref "the...craic." And to drink excessively?

No, they more expect us to blow up their train stations.

It was my first time in England and I was at a train station saying goodbye to my girlfriend, I was going back to Ireland and we weren't going to see each other for months so we were fairly weepy. My train arrives, I board it, find a seat and leave my bag on the table. I had about two minutes until the train left so I went back to the door to spend that time with my gf. We say goodbye again and I go back to my seat to see a four people huddled by the window staring in at my bag. They weren't security or anything, they were just ordinary people with their heads pressed up against the window.

Because we all know that if you suspect someone has placed a bomb on a train the best thing to do is press your face right up next to it.