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Discussion:
What is the stupidest question you have been asked about your co
Posts 1 to 4 from a total of 150
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What is the stupidest question you have been asked about your country of origin while travelling?
[04-May-2000]
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posted by: Deavus
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Everyone who has travelled at least once will surely be able to tell a story of someone who asked them ridiculous questions about their country of origin.
From asking Norwegians what they do during the 24 hours of darkness in winter (turn the lights on you idiots!) to asking Australians whether they ride Kanagaroos to school (yeah sure, but getting in their little pouches is really hard), people everywhere seem to ask the most surprising questions.
Is this something that only afflicts people from small countries or does it happen to all travellers?
What is the stupidest question you've been asked about your country of origin while travelling?
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Re: What is the stupidest question you have been asked about your country of origin while travelling?
[17-May-2000]
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posted by: honeylamb
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I was sent these by a fellow Australophile. Read at your own risk:
Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? (USA)
Which direction should I drive - Perth to Darwin or Darwin to Perth - to avoid driving with the sun in my eyes? (Germany)
I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks?(Sweden) ( Sure, through a couple of deserts)
Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Australia? (Sweden)
It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places to contact for a stuffed porpoise. (Italy)
Are there any ATMs in Australia? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville and Hervey Bay? (UK)
Where can I learn underwater welding in Australia? (Portugal)
Do the camels in Australia have one hump or two? (UK)
Can I bring cutlery into Australia? (UK)
Do you have perfume in Australia? (France)
Do tents exist in Australia? (Germany)
Can I wear high heels in Australia? (UK)
Can you tell me the regions in Tasmania where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
Are there killer bees in Australia? (Germany)
Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia? (USA)
Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year-round?
(Germany)
Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA) (There are 100 species of venomous snakes, but no rattlers!)
Which direction is North in Australia? (USA)
Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? (USA) (Americans have long had considerable trouble distinguishing between Austria and Australia)
I was in Australia in 1969 on R+R, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Kings Cross. (The red light district of Sydney) Can you help? (USA)
Will I be able to speak English most places I go? (USA)
As my Arkansas Grandmother might say, "My Lord."
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Re: What is the stupidest question you have been asked about your country of origin while travelling?
[16-Oct-2000]
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posted by: jpw15
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I met someone traveling on the Eurail from Rome to Florence who asked me my nationality (although everyone seems to correctly peg me as American from the get-go). I told him, to which he responded, "oh, I have a cousin in New York. His name is Peter, he´s about yeah tall, brown hair. Do you know him?!" "Peter? Yeah tall, brown hair", I thought, "Oh yeah, I know Peter. He wears blue jeans, right?" "Right! How weird, man, how weird." "Yeah, right... weird", I responded. I told him I´d keep my eyes open for his cousin and tell him hello.
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Re: What is the stupidest question you have been asked about your country of origin while travelling?
[28-Apr-2001]
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posted by: melike
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I am from Turkey and I sometimes meet people who seem to be really confused about my country. Here are some of the questions I've been asked:
* In the U.S. :
-- So since you are from Turkey, you must be eating a lot of turkeys. (no comment ;))
-- Is there electricity in Turkey?
-- Do you have a camel? (Actually we don't have camels in Turkey :))
-- Do you have t-shirts in Turkey?
-- Oh, you are from Turkey??? How come you speak English??????
-- Do you live in the desert? (There is no desert in Turkey. :))
-- Does your king have a lot of women in his harem? (we dont have a king and there is no harem anymore...)
* In Japan:
-- Turkey??? I've never heard of that state. Where exactly is it in the States?
-- From a French guy living in japan: You don't look like Turkish and that is a compliment. (that is the strangest compliment i have ever been paid.)
* This is not about Turkey, yet i think it is worth mentioning: Last month, while talking about countries in one of my adult classes, a japanese student insisted that France was located in Africa. :)
P.S. Among the countries I have visited, Canada was the only place where i wasn't directed a weird question about my country...
Have a nice day...;)
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