# My co-worker doesn't believe I'm American **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 2, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635 "2010-12-02T05:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/41 "2010-12-02T16:25:02Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > This might merit it’s own thread (actually, I think it’s been done before on the boards) but IME that seems to be an American thing, to reply with the state name rather than the country name. My husband does this in response to “Where are you from?”, but I believe it’s because he’s gotten enough “no shit, Sherlock” responses from people when he says “the US”. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/42 "2010-12-02T16:48:27Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > The only reason Mississippi is a state is that Missouri loves company 😛 Yes, they meet all the time near St. Louis. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/43 "2010-12-02T16:53:39Z")
Maybe the co-worker wanted to know your nationality. Like I am an American but my people are from Yugoslavia. Which is even more confusing because it doesn’t exist anymore, so I’m back to my mum was from Croatia and my father was from Serbia. Which doesn’t work on some, becuase then they want to know my mum was from Dubrovnik, which means she’s from Dalmatia (which had a lot of Italians at one time). And my dad was from Serbia but was from Novi Sad, which isn’t part of Serbia proper…Well you can see how confusing it gets. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/44 "2010-12-02T17:10:26Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > But then she’d have to explain why she doesn’t speak Ecuadorian. I grew up there and since I can shed my accent at will have to explain all the time why I don’t speak Mississipian. And I swear there were times when I was younger that _I_ couldn’t believe there was state spelled that way. > [@BubbaDog](#): > > Yes, they meet all the time near St. Louis. Thank goodness, since that area by the clock in Grand Central Station was getting kind of crowded. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/45 "2010-12-02T17:14:11Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I do know, however, that when I’m asked the same question, I’ll rarely answer “Quebec” first, because I’ve actually had a couple of Americans ask me what state that was in! Similarly, I know a Texan that struggled with believing that Saskatchewan was a real place :smack: It reminds me of something my Grade 7 geography teacher once told us. He was filling up his car in Texas, and someone there noticed his Manitoba plates, and asked where Manitoba is. He said it was “north of North Dakota”. The Texan paused for a few moments and then said “there’s **nothing** north of North Dakota!” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/46 "2010-12-02T17:54:41Z")
I had a friend move from Alaska to Texas. She went to the DMV to get a new driver’s license and was told she had to take all kinds of tests, both written and driving. This was because “We don’t accept as documentation driver’s licenses from foreign countries.” ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/47 "2010-12-02T18:44:13Z")
I like when my brother was stationed in the US Virgin Islands and sent us a check the bank would always charge a rate exchange fee and then we had to argue, “It’s STILL American money.” Then he just went to the post office and sent a money order after a few times ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/48 "2010-12-02T18:59:27Z")
47 posts, and nobody has yet mentioned the classic [Delaware does not exist](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=35621&highlight=Delaware) thread. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/49 "2010-12-02T19:37:48Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I had a friend move from Alaska to Texas. She went to the DMV to get a new driver’s license and was told she had to take all kinds of tests, both written and driving. This was because “We don’t accept as documentation driver’s licenses from foreign countries.” They’re just a little miffed because if you made two states out of Alaska, Texas would be the third largest state. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/50 "2010-12-02T19:40:15Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > Maybe the co-worker wanted to know your nationality. Like I am an American but my people are from Yugoslavia. You mean ethnic ancestry, not nationality. Your nationality is American. > [@mnemosyne](#): > > I do know, however, that when I’m asked the same question, I’ll rarely answer “Quebec” first, because I’ve actually had a couple of Americans ask me what state that was in! Similarly, I know a Texan that struggled with believing that Saskatchewan was a real place :smack: I’ll usually say I’m from Canada when I’m outside the country, and that I’m from Quebec when I’m outside Quebec but inside Canada. When I’m inside Quebec I’ll say I live in Sherbrooke but come from Gatineau. > [@Ludovic](#): > > I come from the Land of Confusion. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/51 "2010-12-02T19:56:05Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Similarly, I know a Texan that struggled with believing that Saskatchewan was a real place :smack: Fair enough. Sometimes I struggle to believe Texas is a real place. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/52 "2010-12-02T20:30:26Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > I’ll usually say I’m from Canada when I’m outside the country, and that I’m from Quebec when I’m outside Quebec but inside Canada. When I’m inside Quebec I’ll say I live in Sherbrooke but come from Gatineau. I guess I do the same, except that I live in Montreal but come from Sherbrooke (Lennoxvegas!)! There’s a trend developing in this thread that seems to imply that the quality of geography education in Texas is somewhat poor. For the record, the person who asked me what state Quebec is in was from South Carolina, not Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/53 "2010-12-02T22:14:19Z")
I was sitting with someone at a the charming film [Escanaba in da Moonlight](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/escanaba_in_da_moonlight/) directed by MIchigan’s own Jeff Daniels and filmed in the [Upper Peninsula](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escanaba,_Michigan), dontchaknow. Not alot of movies are filmed here and are about Michigan and about the High Holy Days of Deer Hunting season. It was pretty popular here when it was released. And two ladies sit behind us. Talking rather loudly during the opening credits. When the title comes up, one says, " Where is Escanaba? _Japan_?" I had to refrain from a full scale sarcasm beatdown and say quietly, " It’s in the U.P." By the time the movie really started, it was apparent this woman ( who was from MIchigan.) was pretty farking clueless about her home state. She couldn’t understand da accents. So, now I wait with baited breath to use Escanaba is in Japan line when someone I know is going to Japan, which is, like, never. Or if they are going to Escanaba (again, like never.), I tell them they need a passport and say ‘hi’ to Godzilla. Le Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/54 "2010-12-02T23:05:01Z")
I just figure she’s running into [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=545129) again. And, yes, I still don’t get it. Listen to the ([http://mississippienne.livejournal.com/data/phonepost/563.mp3](http://mississippienne.livejournal.com/data/phonepost/563.mp3)) she provided. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/55 "2010-12-02T23:40:09Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Tell him you’re from Antarctica. He’s probably never met a Native Antarctican. He’d never pass for Antarctican. He probably doesn’t own a tux, after all. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/56 "2010-12-03T00:27:24Z")
A friend of mine and her husband immigrated to the US when their oldest was very, very small. While they have learned the language, it’s not what they use when it’s just family. They live in an area where a lot of people have immigrated from the same place that they did, and their kids hang out with and go to school with a lot of students who are either immigrants themselves or children of people who come from various countries. Her kids knew that I was born & raised in the US, but one asked me once “ **amarinth** , what language do you speak at home?” “English.” “No, but with your mom. What language do you talk to your mom in?” “um, English, we only speak English.” She spent the next 20 minutes trying to figure that one out. The idea of being entirely monolingual and not having a home language v. an away language completely weirded the kid out. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/57 "2010-12-03T00:42:59Z")
My family had at-home and away uniforms, so I can kind of sympathize with the kid. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/58 "2010-12-03T00:55:46Z")
I always get “Where are you from?” and I say “Here”. Literally here. See that hospital over there? The one you can see through the library’s front windows? I was born a block from here! Evidently I have insufficient Southern accent (unless I’m drunk, I guess) so they don’t believe me. To shut them up I have to say, “Oh, my mom’s from Pittsburgh”. Where they think I have a hilarious Southern accent. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/59 "2010-12-03T01:01:56Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Tell him you’re from Antarctica. He’s probably never met a Native Antarctican. That would explain the southern accent. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635/60 "2010-12-03T01:33:38Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > And two ladies sit behind us. Talking rather loudly during the opening credits. When the title comes up, one says, " Where is Escanaba? _Japan_?" My friend tells a funny story about traveling to Hawaii. At the time she lived in Kaukauna (pronounced kaw-KAW-na), Wisconsin. At some point after she arrived in Hawaii, she needed to show her ID to some official/agent/clerk/whatever, and that person exclaimed, “Ah, Kah-oo-kah-OO-nah! What island is that on?” I just love the image of the exotic island paradise that is Kaukauna, Wisconsin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-co-worker-doesnt-believe-im-american/562635.md?page=4)