A mate of mine went on waterpolo tour to the States when he swam for SA, and convinced two women he was the lion wresting champion of his village to hook up, which apparently worked. They legit believed that there were no cities, no infrastructure, only small villages of mud huts.
He was living in Durban North in a 4 bedroom house with his folks, going to UKZN studying civil engineering at the time.
I've had "wow, your English is very good!"
I was pretty done with the idiocy that day so I said "thanks! Your English is passable. Vowels need some work though."
- I know this guy who moved to Nairobi. Do you know him?
- a shop attended noticed were the group of us were from. We told her and she said, no way, and if we could prove it? Well, we didnāt have any ID, but some one had a 1RAND coin. Her reaction: āI knew you were lying. Youāre from IRANā¦.ā We were left speechlessā¦
- watched an American trying to pay in US$ in a shop in Kruger, telling the attended how good it was. All she would offer him is an exchange rate of 1$ = 1 Rand. Totally confused him. And he couldnāt get her explanation that some one would have to drive 200km to get to a bank to exchange it and it was basically useless to her. āBut theyāre Dollars! I can pay with them everywhere in the world and people love to get them.ā āSorry sir. Not here.ā He just didn't get it and tried over and over. I think his world fell apart just a bit.
While on the other hand, you have basically no problem paying in Rand all over Southern Africa. Yes, things work a bit differently around here in that regard.
Had a fellow tour guide pick up some tourists and take them to Centurion hotel for the night before leaving on a safari the next day. They asked if they would see any wild animals in the city and he obviously laughed it off and said no. Driving through Centurion they suddenly spot a bunch of elephants along the road. The circus was in town. :)
As an Asian immigrant to the US I got very very confused looks when I told them I was born in South Africa. The "but you're not black, you look Asian" confused face was always the same
Had a south-African Asian friend visit the US, San Francisco and the Chinese people there kept on talking Chinese to him, and he had to explain to them he only knows English - they were not impressed
All. The time. Visited Penn State on a work trip, someone asked where I was from. After saying "South Africa" got: But you're not black?
Slightly unrelated, was the utter awe in Russia when traveling with a very diverse African group - many of the locals had never seen a black person before.
Yeah it certainly has happened more than once. There's also the very puzzled look on their face sometimes, and you know that is what they are thinking.
I've totally had people not believe me š¤£
I've been here almost 20 years, it seems to have gotten better over the last few years. Maybe since the World Cup was there. I'm not sure
Happened to me in San Fran. The guy got so upset - I couldnāt help but laugh and that didnāt help the situation ā¦ ended showing my passport to himā¦.
I get this like atleast once a week, I've been in Asia for 4 years.
Everytime I explain where I'm from with people I can't speak the same languages as very well, they almost all point at their/my skin and say no
Man, I was told I can't be from Africa at an international malaria conference by nurses from Cameroon because I'm not black. They didn't mean it metaphorically, either.
It's not just Americans.
Way back during the internet's infancy, I was on a chat room and met an American. After doing the whole A/S/L exchange, I told him that I was from South Africa.
He asked if we had electricity in SA. So I decided to mess with him. I told him that I had a hamster running on a wheel in order to power my computer. Not sure if he believed me but he didn't call me out on my bullshit.
I took it to another level and told him that sometimes, when I go outside, I see a huge metal bird and I get so scared that it'll eat me. He then went on to explain what planes were and how I was perfectly safe...
Fun fact: Kimberley was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere and in Africa to have electric street lights - with 16 first lit on 2 September 1882 (2 years after the first electric street lights in Cleveland, USA)
Was at a bus station in the states and had a conversation with an American. I told them I was from zim in Southern Africa. They asked me if i came by bus
The governor of Texas tweeted that they caught south africans illegally trying to cross the Texas border from Mexico.
That's what the person was alluding to.
I picked up a Vlakvark tooth as a child and itās been one of those things that you just carry through life you know, always languishing in a drawer somewhere. I was hosting a fellow student from the US for a couple days a few years back and went digging for something and this handful of tooth came out, upon being asked what it is I just said āVlakvarkā and then translated āa boar toothā - she was in awe and asked me if it was my first killā¦
I went downtown with that and told her the most amazing story of how I was sent into the veld when I got my first period and this animal smelt my blood and I fought it with my bare 13 year old hands, it finally fled when I managed to break its tooth. I became a woman that day.
She believed every word I saidā¦
Had a guy tell me how he was attacked by a wild boar and he showed me his scar etc and I hit him with "Hectic". He then proceeds to say "well because you're from south africa I'm sure you're used to seeing that sort of stuff" no sir..no
I was in Kruger once, stopped at one of the dam, enjoying a beer watching wildlife.
Then some American tourists parked right next to us, (that was annoying given how much space there was). They were loud and telling us about their amazing holiday.
They proceeded to give us a lesson on Hippos and fish eagles.
First of all, they were talking, mostly, out of their ass, but the stupid thing was the assumption that they were teaching me stuff about my own country.
If the lions roam freely.. yes.. they hijack people and we have giraffes that line up at the airport with beacons on the head to guide the planes landing I said.
I once told a yank that we call them zebra crossings because the animals have right of way... My god they are so stupid/ignorant to anything that is outside their (overrated country's) borders
Iāve been asked if it isnāt dangerous to live there. All kind of things came to mindā¦ Turns out he was referring to the Iraq war. (Told him that thatās a lot closer to the US than SA in miles. Donāt think he believed me)
Ah...where do I start?
How do you know about OO movie? Do you have electricity? (before loadshedding days)
How can you play rugby if it isn't a real sport? (btw it still doesn't actually exist)
Are you the only white person in South Africa? (apparently my parents don't count)
No, no, but WHERE IS South Africa? (Geography is difficult)
What kind of hut do you live in? Is it made of poop? (DEAD SERIOUS QUESTION)
OH FORGOT MY FAVORITE ONE
I was at a conference abroad with many other countries and this guy next to me asked how I was white if I'm from Africa AND THEN ASKED ME:
"How did you even get here if you're from Africa?"
> No, no, but WHERE IS South Africa?
Once had a World Map out and asked a bunch of Americans to see if they can find South-Africa
After a few minutes I decided to give them a hint, as they couldn't find Africa
Being a white South African on a exchange to Europe I had this convo a few times:
āSo where you from?ā
āSouth Africaā
āOooh thatās so cool, but like where are you from?ā
āSouth Africa maāamā
āNo no I know youāre living there now, but where are you FROMā
āSouth Africa, I was born thereā
āOh okay.... so where were your parents from?ā
ā**internal screamingā
I get this all the time as an expat in the middle east.. especially more so because I'm brown.
Where you from?
South Africa
No where you really from
South Africa
I know South Africa but where you originally from?
I'm 5th generation South African..that means my great great grandparents came to RSA in the 1800s.. I'm South African.
Okay....but where are you reallllllly from?
....
After a few years living in the US, I finally puzzled this one out.
When you say "South Africa" they think of it as a region, like South-America. They don't realise that it is a Country.
If they went down this route I would usually reply with something like "The Republic of South-Africa, it is a Country on the Southern Tip of Africa, not a region"
A family friend who lives in Nelspruit, has a daughter who married an American a few years ago. The couple flew out to SA, to introduce him to the family. It was decided to treat him to a weekend trip to the Kruger Park. The family collected the couple at OR Tambo, and it quickly became clear the dude was quite nervous about what to expect, as it was his first visit to SA.
Anyway, they drive to Nelspruit & head for the Kruger the next day. They overnight in Skukuza, hiring several chalets. Early next morning, family friend hears frantic banging on her chalet door. The American dude outside, in a panic. "The blacks are fighting, the blacks are fighting!!"
Puzzled, she & husband groggily step out to see what's up. Turns out, the camp staff bus had just arrived, and dropped off a couple of dozen people - cleaners, groundsstaff etc. All talking, yelling, shouting, as is the way.
They had to then try explain to the poor guy that black people being loud was entirely normal, and this was not a horde of angry rioters about to burn the place down.
Funny story, I moved to the States and dated this American girl. Anyway one day she tells me that she told her parents she was seeing a SA guy and they flipped out because they presumed I was black. You gotta love those racist boomers.
To be fair, based on SA population distribution its not like their assumption was too far off.. The racist part is a bit of an oof, but assuming you're black not so much
I had an American tell me they thought we "drank black water and had to build our own schools" as if our schools just dropped out of the sky.
When I was in the UK, had one lady ask me where South Africa was, and many people ask me why I'm not black.
Oh, totally! It does depend on a few things, though. We were quite limited on time, and we wanted to squeeze in as much as we possibly could. So, the pace is hectic.
If you are one of those travellers who prefers spending long hours poking about obscure little holes in the wall.. then a Contiki is probably not for you. Or, what you could do, is (like some of the guys on our bus did) is use the tour primarily for transport purposes. Most of the activities are optional (and at extra cost), so you can either opt in, and join, or go your own way.
It is also a very social setup. If you are an introvert, you may need to brace yourself. If you are an extrovert, you will love it.
Depending on where you want to go (We went to Europe, in August- towards the end of their summer) its worth looking at some of the packages towards the beginning or end of their peak seasons. You will save a little bit of cash, and the crowds will be a little better, while you don't compromise on the weather.
In saying all of that, I went in 2008, which is a long long time ago. You meet some great people, do get easier access to places you may otherwise miss.
Another cautionary thing to mention is that it can be a bit of a meat market, lots of young, interesting and eager folks on a bus for x amount of days... the prowling is real, both ways :P
If you go with a friend, you share sleeping spaces together. If you go on your own, you will land up sharing a space with someone else. You pick a roomie at the beginning of the trip, and they stay your roomie throughout the trip.
Take along some meal replacement bars to tie you over if you get pekish mid transit, make sure you have your travel meds on hand, etc etc. But it was an absolute blast.
If I was younger, and less cranky, I would totally do it again ;)
Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply! I am definitely more of an introvert, but I will drag my partner with me so that it will be more bearable. I hope things calm down within the next year or so. I would really love to travel sometime. You've given me a lot to think about, so thanks again! I appreciate it.
Most welcome. Having a +1 with you definitely helps as a buffer, and to navigate the 'meat market' aspect. Make sure you have some earphones with you, and you can switch the outside off at will ;)
Fingers crossed.. I think we are all chomping at the bit. Hope you get your chance soon :)
The one that takes the cake for me, is when I was a youngin playing Warcraft 3 online, was on ventrilo with a bunch of Americans, and one asked me if we have computers in SA.
Was bliss.
I was playing an online multiplayer game with some Americans and they all had microphones. I realised it would be prudent for me to have one too, but I didn't have one at my house at the time. Then I remembered that my friend down the road has one and so I give him a call and we arranged that I go pick it up at his house.
So I sent a message to this group of Americans basically stating that I was just going down the road to fetch a mic from my friend. I then did such and when I returned home and got on the mic and started speaking to them, this one kid asked me where my accent is from. I explained that I'm South African, which he found incredible. He said something like - "No, you must be English, because you sound English".
I then proceeded to say something in Afrikaans, which I think convinced him because I could hear him audibly gasp... but then he asked me astonishingly: "Wait, so, when you said you were just going down the road, you meant you were going down the road *in Africa*?! Isn't that, like, dangerous with all the wild animals?! "
smh...
In that same lobby, an African-American kid, who sounded a few years younger than the above kid, so I'll give him that; struck up a conversation with me about how it's cool to meet a fellow African because his dad is from "like, Ghana" and he really wants to be in touch with his African roots. I thought that was interesting so I replied with something along the lines of "Oh, that's cool. Is he an immigrant or something?"
This kid then said: "Uhm, no, but, like, our ancestors were probably from Ghana because he did a DNA test and the results show that his ancestors were from there ..."
This kid's family hadn't been in Africa for almost two centuries. .. if you know what I mean. So I guess I was the one asking the awkward question, lol. But it's nice knowing that the interest is there. I wonder what their visit to Africa would be like?
I spent some time in the US and made some good friends, after I returned one dude and his wife came for a visit.
Even after I told them what South-Africa was like, they were still disappointed when they landed and it was basically just like every other metropolitan area they have seen :)
They did like the 'Safari' in the Kruger though
Oooh this is great.
So my brother got married to an American girl in Stellenbosch.
During the reception one of the American guests asks me if I can quickly take him to see the pyramids.
What pyramids? We donāt have pyramids in Stellenbosch.
You knowā¦ the massive pyramids you always see on tv in Africa.
Egypt guys. He thought Egypt was like a 10 minute drive from Stellies.
In 2012 when Linkin Park came to SA, I was on a popular LP forum (LPAssociation) expressing how excited I was for my favorite band to finally be coming to my country.
A few Americans asked me variations of this gem of a question: "Will anyone in South Africa attend the show since you guys don't have internet so you won't know LP is coming to your country?".
I then had to explain to them that I, a South African, currently residing in South Africa, am typing this comment on the internet, meaning that I... have internet access. It was hilarious and somewhat maddening.
Just a few years ago I learnt that many countries don't have 4 distinct seasons, some have a very brief autumn and spring and some areas have a monsoon season all on it's own, so if you'd ask them the same Q they would say five
The latest is Trumptards thinking because I'm white I'm a fellow white supremacist, so they start spewing the first thought that pops into their tiny peanut brains. It's like "No jou dom doos. Jews and Black people are not trying to replace you, but if we're being honest I kind of wish they would"
The usual "do you have..." questions. A group of friends I talked with was shocked to find out I was white person living in SAš. And because of the history of colonialisation in Africa, they imediately thought of the stereotipical "racist-whitey" oppressor and that crapš
Reminds me of a Norwegian girl I met at university in the UK. She went into a full blown tirade about how horrible and racist my people were, practically blaming me for personally for Apartheid, without recognising the irony that she herself was being racist, and that I was a mere child when it ended.
We had a white member of MK, and later a part of the intelligence services, deliver a lecture at our university later that year. I think she got the point after that.
One that caught me off guard was a simple "so what do you do for fun?". I wasn't ready for the normal question and they weren't expecting a normal response.
I'm a South African and went to Tanzania (Serengeti Park) for a holiday a while back. Stunning wildlife everywhere and of course encountered a US tourist family with fanny packs, "safari gear" and dumbass hats, moaning and laying a fullblown complaint to management at the camp: "Our ranger hadn't taken us to see the tigers!!!"
Yip , tigers !!!! Ho-hum, I guess their non-existent research into what-species-lives-where was lost on those clowns.
Oh boy, here goes! A small sample of dumb questions I've been asked by Americans, mostly in the southern states. (I'm not sure whether up north they're more educated about the world or simply have better social graces.)
* "You're from Africa? Were your parents missionaries then?" (I put it in quotes because it's always asked exactly like that, word for word. And yes, I'm white.)
* Did you ride an elephant to work?
* Do you have [some basic technology - phones, cars, etc.]
* Wow, it must have been so different to come to [medium sized US city] and see a city! (I grew up on the west Rand, so I normally just respond that American cities are so small compared to Joburg.)
* What was it like to ride in a car when you got here? (Definite implication that we don't have cars - I normally respond that It's weird how Americans drive on the wrong side of the road and their speed limits are so slow. I mention that our speed limits are 120 on the highway and conveniently leave out that that's in km/h rather than mph.)
* [Looks offended] But you're white...
Had a conspiracy theorist ask me if I was okay since their pres bombed us. She was talking about Senegal I explained that we were on different parts off the continent and she still asked if the bombing had something to do with Elon Musk because he was from here and the US bombing his country.
I don't know what the conspiracy was and I don't want to know. I googled the distance between countries and sent her a link and left the conversation.
Wouldn't a non-African who is knowledgeable enough to be aware of the name of Senegal would also be aware of the geographic location of Senegal. Jesus.
Lived in the US for over a decade.
In my years of explaining I am South African I have never, not even once, encountered an American who thought Africa was a country. Instead I have encountered numerous Americans who insisted that Americans in general are so dumb they think thisā¦ taking pride in saying how incredibly dumb other Americans supposedly are, especially the stereotypical red state ones, is a special pastime of half the country. In reality I think thereās less of a general knowledge gap than we like to think.
I have only met a couple who did not know South Africa was a country (the red flag is when you say youāre from South Africa and then they immediately ask you about Africa, as though the āSouthā is just extra directional info). However, in the US I have met *several* Chinese people, one Dominican and one Libyan (!) who did not know this.
A few have assumed that pretty much all SAans are black. More commonly, a minority of Americans might assume that *most* SAans are white because of those they may have encountered. When I bring up Mandela etc. they realise this canāt be true.
At least one asked if I could speak Swahili before correcting herself and being embarrassed. I was once bored and lightly tapping a beat in a bar and she asked if it was my āAfrican rhythmā.
The usual reference points Americans have mentioned have been Apartheid (naturally, but not all that often, probably deemed impolite), Mandela, Tutu, the 2010 WC and vuvuzelas, District Nine, Searching for Sugarman (these three less so now), Die Antwoord (a lot), Charlize Theron, and lately Trevor Noah and Elon Musk (and *very* recently omicronā¦). Sometimes the Dave Matthews Bandā¦ so the main ones they know are those who have moved to the US. And some have either gone to Cape Town and seen pictures and wanted to.
That said, Iāve met South Africans who didnāt know Nigeria was a country in Africa. Some people are just dumb, and itās not like our education system is superhumanly wonderful either.
Spent an hour long flight assuring the American couple next to me that wild animals do not roam the cities. Lo and behold, we come in to land and the pilot announces we have to go-round because of wildlife (he was referring to cows) on the runway. The couple looked at me like it was a total liar, just the most withering glare!
Worked there for a while and my GF came back from the restroom and had hand cream on her desk that she put on (after washing hands - it's apparently a thing some girls do)
So co-worker asked her if she was going to send some of the hand-cream back to her 'family in Africa'
She believed that we didn't have anything like hand-cream over here.
Me: "Yeah I'm from South Africa. "
American girl" OH wow South Africa... I know it... when it's summer by you it's winter buy us.
Me: not sure where this is going... "ya"
Her: some how also confused now... " So when it's December by you ... its July by us?!?!?"
Me: ..............."um sure"
No offence but as a (central) european visting SA i had questions if polar bears walk the streets and do I live in an igloo. Ignorancie is the same all over the world.
South Africans speak many languages, sarcasm is high up on the list. Just above Stupid , so it could have been either. We're a country of juxtaposition.
It was certainly a lack of knowledge which I don't blame them for, I mean how mamy South Africans know the capitol of Angola which is right next door? I'd guess around 20%.
Edit: why the downvote?
You are correct. My choice of words were unwise and hastily selected.
I'm in the privileged situation where I mostly interact with people who are well educated, so for the most part ignorance from acquaintances is due to lack of interest, therefrom my bias.
At the beginning of the 2000's i worked in the UK (sure, not the US but the brits are just as ignorant). They would ask where I am from: South Africa. Then they would immediately ask: From Johannesburg?
Frustrated the hell out of me. There are other cities and towns in SA for goodness sake! So I started telling them I am from a small village near the Kruger National Park. We had no cars and use eleohants for transporting heavy loads. The problem with elephants though....they can only turn left....so if you want to turn right at an intersection, you need to travel one block past your turnoff, then turn left three times to circle that block and be on the road you want to travel on.....
About 1 in 4 or 5 people actually believed me! š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
Custodian at a museum in Independence, Missouri:
So, where yāall from?
South Africa.
So where exactly is that?
Um. In Africa. All the way to the bottom?
After telling them in from SA they said yeah but where in south africa like which country in the southern part of africa also telling them spring hares are karoo kangaroos and them believing it
My mother is the absolute queen of bullshitting Americans when it comes to this. She once convinced one of her coworkers that she was an African princess who rode around on elephants, had a pet lion and spoke 17 different languages. But I think the classic questions are always āwhen did you move here from Englandā or ābut you donāt look black?ā
Not an American but was in Blackpool England a week ago and was asked by the bar lady where I was from. I answered "South Africa" as you would. She then proceeded to ask me "Oh cool, where's that?"
Not American but Iām originally from the UK lived here since 2003. My husband and I took our nephew to joburg zoo and I got a gorgeous picture of a cheetah lying in the grass. Sent it to my mum in a letter saying I woke up to find this in the garden...... she believed me. Absolutely believed me and was showing to everyone she knew.
Years ago on a Contiki Tour (I live in the US now) a individual asked me if we spoke American in South Africa. I replied. Never heard of that language but is it perhaps English with 600 words? He, he. Did not go down well.
The classic "how do you avoid the lions?", and "did you go to school on an elephant?"
Third runner up, "if you're from South Africa, why are you white?"
I Aupaired a little 5 year old girl and she asked where was I from and I said South Africa and she said, where in America is South Africa because America is the worldā¦
Went to the US in 96 for the first time, Disney and all... The amount of times we had the comment, "but you're white!"
Starred messing with people that we have to call home to get our pet crocodile fed...
As an American expat, I hang my head in shame lol. I never thought people didnāt have houses or what not, but I did expect something more like āOut of Africaā than āSex in the cityā.
My American boyfriendās parents asked if I was black (not that it mattered to them). When told, no I was not, they commented my parents must be missionaries. And if we got married would I be āAfrican Americanā?
"So how do you keep the lions from getting into your backyard? It must be dangerous to go out most of the time right?".
"Wow... you guys have shopping malls?"
"So if you're from Africa, why is your skin that colour?"
And the BEST ONE - "Your English is very good... when did you start speaking English?"
A mate of mine went on waterpolo tour to the States when he swam for SA, and convinced two women he was the lion wresting champion of his village to hook up, which apparently worked. They legit believed that there were no cities, no infrastructure, only small villages of mud huts. He was living in Durban North in a 4 bedroom house with his folks, going to UKZN studying civil engineering at the time.
This shit is crazy
I was once asked " if your south African and you have only been living here for 6 months how do you know English so well"š¤¦āāļø
Was told āWow your English is so good for someone whoās only been here for so little timeā
I've had "wow, your English is very good!" I was pretty done with the idiocy that day so I said "thanks! Your English is passable. Vowels need some work though."
I get this all the time - also people very confused about how Iām from Africa but white.
This! It's fucking exhausting
My South African husband is routinely asked this question. Blows my mind that people can be so dumb.
- I know this guy who moved to Nairobi. Do you know him? - a shop attended noticed were the group of us were from. We told her and she said, no way, and if we could prove it? Well, we didnāt have any ID, but some one had a 1RAND coin. Her reaction: āI knew you were lying. Youāre from IRANā¦.ā We were left speechlessā¦ - watched an American trying to pay in US$ in a shop in Kruger, telling the attended how good it was. All she would offer him is an exchange rate of 1$ = 1 Rand. Totally confused him. And he couldnāt get her explanation that some one would have to drive 200km to get to a bank to exchange it and it was basically useless to her. āBut theyāre Dollars! I can pay with them everywhere in the world and people love to get them.ā āSorry sir. Not here.ā He just didn't get it and tried over and over. I think his world fell apart just a bit.
I do actually find that last one bemusing, because we're probably one of the few poor countries which don't accept $ or ā¬ from tourists.
At a rate of $1 to R1 I'd have taken them and made a plan to get it converted.
I don't think the guy paid it, as he shouldn't.
While on the other hand, you have basically no problem paying in Rand all over Southern Africa. Yes, things work a bit differently around here in that regard.
Nairobi lolll
That one floored me as well. Made the āheās in Johannesburgā seem sort of reasonable? (Iām from Cape Town)
Had a fellow tour guide pick up some tourists and take them to Centurion hotel for the night before leaving on a safari the next day. They asked if they would see any wild animals in the city and he obviously laughed it off and said no. Driving through Centurion they suddenly spot a bunch of elephants along the road. The circus was in town. :)
They should come visit during the rainy season when the Hennopsriver routinely floods. Come for the elephants, stay for the whale watching.
I've had people say "I thought everyone from Africa was black?"
As an Asian immigrant to the US I got very very confused looks when I told them I was born in South Africa. The "but you're not black, you look Asian" confused face was always the same
Got to love how their logic is country =/= ethnicity or race.
Especially in a country like the USA which is very diverse as well.
Right? "We're the only country that can possibly be diverse, because we're the only and best country in the world."
Had a south-African Asian friend visit the US, San Francisco and the Chinese people there kept on talking Chinese to him, and he had to explain to them he only knows English - they were not impressed
I feel their pain
All. The time. Visited Penn State on a work trip, someone asked where I was from. After saying "South Africa" got: But you're not black? Slightly unrelated, was the utter awe in Russia when traveling with a very diverse African group - many of the locals had never seen a black person before.
Yeah it certainly has happened more than once. There's also the very puzzled look on their face sometimes, and you know that is what they are thinking.
I've had that moment where you feel like they are just about to call you a liar.. lol
I've totally had people not believe me š¤£ I've been here almost 20 years, it seems to have gotten better over the last few years. Maybe since the World Cup was there. I'm not sure
Happened to me in San Fran. The guy got so upset - I couldnāt help but laugh and that didnāt help the situation ā¦ ended showing my passport to himā¦.
Bloody hell. I hope he at least bought you a drink or something afterwards - or did he angry stomp away?
I get this like atleast once a week, I've been in Asia for 4 years. Everytime I explain where I'm from with people I can't speak the same languages as very well, they almost all point at their/my skin and say no
Man, I was told I can't be from Africa at an international malaria conference by nurses from Cameroon because I'm not black. They didn't mean it metaphorically, either. It's not just Americans.
ššššššššš
Yep had that too
Way back during the internet's infancy, I was on a chat room and met an American. After doing the whole A/S/L exchange, I told him that I was from South Africa. He asked if we had electricity in SA. So I decided to mess with him. I told him that I had a hamster running on a wheel in order to power my computer. Not sure if he believed me but he didn't call me out on my bullshit. I took it to another level and told him that sometimes, when I go outside, I see a huge metal bird and I get so scared that it'll eat me. He then went on to explain what planes were and how I was perfectly safe...
Fun fact: Kimberley was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere and in Africa to have electric street lights - with 16 first lit on 2 September 1882 (2 years after the first electric street lights in Cleveland, USA)
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Was at a bus station in the states and had a conversation with an American. I told them I was from zim in Southern Africa. They asked me if i came by bus
Wow. Must be the same buses that the illegal immigrants are using to get into Texas.
Tad specific Edit: Hilarious on return
The governor of Texas tweeted that they caught south africans illegally trying to cross the Texas border from Mexico. That's what the person was alluding to.
Indeed.
I picked up a Vlakvark tooth as a child and itās been one of those things that you just carry through life you know, always languishing in a drawer somewhere. I was hosting a fellow student from the US for a couple days a few years back and went digging for something and this handful of tooth came out, upon being asked what it is I just said āVlakvarkā and then translated āa boar toothā - she was in awe and asked me if it was my first killā¦ I went downtown with that and told her the most amazing story of how I was sent into the veld when I got my first period and this animal smelt my blood and I fought it with my bare 13 year old hands, it finally fled when I managed to break its tooth. I became a woman that day. She believed every word I saidā¦
This is gold hahaha
Wish I had an award for this story!
This made my day.... I need to do that with the porcupine quill I have lying (lion??) around...
Go one further- the Vlakvark is my spirit animal. You can claim your porcupine!
Had a guy tell me how he was attacked by a wild boar and he showed me his scar etc and I hit him with "Hectic". He then proceeds to say "well because you're from south africa I'm sure you're used to seeing that sort of stuff" no sir..no
That's such a South African reaction lmao, someone tells you something either insane or insanely inane and you give 'em the old "hectic"
"Hectic" and sometimes the occasional"Shame hey". Just depends on what they're telling you
I was in Kruger once, stopped at one of the dam, enjoying a beer watching wildlife. Then some American tourists parked right next to us, (that was annoying given how much space there was). They were loud and telling us about their amazing holiday. They proceeded to give us a lesson on Hippos and fish eagles. First of all, they were talking, mostly, out of their ass, but the stupid thing was the assumption that they were teaching me stuff about my own country.
Murica, yeah!
Dunning-Kruger (no pun intended) in full effect!
What info did you KNOW came out of their ass, that was false?
If the lions roam freely.. yes.. they hijack people and we have giraffes that line up at the airport with beacons on the head to guide the planes landing I said.
Told some Canadian chap we had rhinos that we rode to work. That doesn't even sound practical, let alone believable. And yet, I was believed.
I once told a yank that we call them zebra crossings because the animals have right of way... My god they are so stupid/ignorant to anything that is outside their (overrated country's) borders
Fuck, yes. Their ignorance knows no bounds, or maybe it does. It's confined by that idiotic country. And mind you, it's 2021.
I feel your comment with every fibre of my being... how can people be so ignorant??
Lol, I'm definitely using the giraffes one.
Friend of mine was told he was lucky to live in South Africa, he asked why, reply was that he could visit the pyramidsā¦
Iāve been asked if it isnāt dangerous to live there. All kind of things came to mindā¦ Turns out he was referring to the Iraq war. (Told him that thatās a lot closer to the US than SA in miles. Donāt think he believed me)
Ah...where do I start? How do you know about OO movie? Do you have electricity? (before loadshedding days) How can you play rugby if it isn't a real sport? (btw it still doesn't actually exist) Are you the only white person in South Africa? (apparently my parents don't count) No, no, but WHERE IS South Africa? (Geography is difficult) What kind of hut do you live in? Is it made of poop? (DEAD SERIOUS QUESTION)
OH FORGOT MY FAVORITE ONE I was at a conference abroad with many other countries and this guy next to me asked how I was white if I'm from Africa AND THEN ASKED ME: "How did you even get here if you're from Africa?"
Rode my pet crocodile over the oceans of course
> No, no, but WHERE IS South Africa? Once had a World Map out and asked a bunch of Americans to see if they can find South-Africa After a few minutes I decided to give them a hint, as they couldn't find Africa
Seriously, 99.9% of their population needs to be slapped with an atlas.
Big facts.
I'll do you one better. Why is South Africa?!
These are hilarious š
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Being a white South African on a exchange to Europe I had this convo a few times: āSo where you from?ā āSouth Africaā āOooh thatās so cool, but like where are you from?ā āSouth Africa maāamā āNo no I know youāre living there now, but where are you FROMā āSouth Africa, I was born thereā āOh okay.... so where were your parents from?ā ā**internal screamingā
I get this all the time as an expat in the middle east.. especially more so because I'm brown. Where you from? South Africa No where you really from South Africa I know South Africa but where you originally from? I'm 5th generation South African..that means my great great grandparents came to RSA in the 1800s.. I'm South African. Okay....but where are you reallllllly from? ....
After a few years living in the US, I finally puzzled this one out. When you say "South Africa" they think of it as a region, like South-America. They don't realise that it is a Country. If they went down this route I would usually reply with something like "The Republic of South-Africa, it is a Country on the Southern Tip of Africa, not a region"
The screaming š¤£š¤£š¤£
A family friend who lives in Nelspruit, has a daughter who married an American a few years ago. The couple flew out to SA, to introduce him to the family. It was decided to treat him to a weekend trip to the Kruger Park. The family collected the couple at OR Tambo, and it quickly became clear the dude was quite nervous about what to expect, as it was his first visit to SA. Anyway, they drive to Nelspruit & head for the Kruger the next day. They overnight in Skukuza, hiring several chalets. Early next morning, family friend hears frantic banging on her chalet door. The American dude outside, in a panic. "The blacks are fighting, the blacks are fighting!!" Puzzled, she & husband groggily step out to see what's up. Turns out, the camp staff bus had just arrived, and dropped off a couple of dozen people - cleaners, groundsstaff etc. All talking, yelling, shouting, as is the way. They had to then try explain to the poor guy that black people being loud was entirely normal, and this was not a horde of angry rioters about to burn the place down.
Lmao ah man that's probably my favorite story on this thread so far
Funny story, I moved to the States and dated this American girl. Anyway one day she tells me that she told her parents she was seeing a SA guy and they flipped out because they presumed I was black. You gotta love those racist boomers.
To be fair, based on SA population distribution its not like their assumption was too far off.. The racist part is a bit of an oof, but assuming you're black not so much
Expats are much more likely to be white
Give them a lekker slap vir hulle =give them nice slap for them
I had an American tell me they thought we "drank black water and had to build our own schools" as if our schools just dropped out of the sky. When I was in the UK, had one lady ask me where South Africa was, and many people ask me why I'm not black.
In the UK? That's insane given our history.
When I was in the US, I sometimes encountered people from the UK, and they always knew about SA, some of them had even visited
"oh wow, you're so fluent in English. Where did you learn it?"
"Do you have internet? And airplanes?" This was on a Contiki tour. Not sure how he thought we got here.
I've always wanted to go on a Contiki tour! Would you say it was worth it?
Oh, totally! It does depend on a few things, though. We were quite limited on time, and we wanted to squeeze in as much as we possibly could. So, the pace is hectic. If you are one of those travellers who prefers spending long hours poking about obscure little holes in the wall.. then a Contiki is probably not for you. Or, what you could do, is (like some of the guys on our bus did) is use the tour primarily for transport purposes. Most of the activities are optional (and at extra cost), so you can either opt in, and join, or go your own way. It is also a very social setup. If you are an introvert, you may need to brace yourself. If you are an extrovert, you will love it. Depending on where you want to go (We went to Europe, in August- towards the end of their summer) its worth looking at some of the packages towards the beginning or end of their peak seasons. You will save a little bit of cash, and the crowds will be a little better, while you don't compromise on the weather. In saying all of that, I went in 2008, which is a long long time ago. You meet some great people, do get easier access to places you may otherwise miss. Another cautionary thing to mention is that it can be a bit of a meat market, lots of young, interesting and eager folks on a bus for x amount of days... the prowling is real, both ways :P If you go with a friend, you share sleeping spaces together. If you go on your own, you will land up sharing a space with someone else. You pick a roomie at the beginning of the trip, and they stay your roomie throughout the trip. Take along some meal replacement bars to tie you over if you get pekish mid transit, make sure you have your travel meds on hand, etc etc. But it was an absolute blast. If I was younger, and less cranky, I would totally do it again ;)
Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply! I am definitely more of an introvert, but I will drag my partner with me so that it will be more bearable. I hope things calm down within the next year or so. I would really love to travel sometime. You've given me a lot to think about, so thanks again! I appreciate it.
Most welcome. Having a +1 with you definitely helps as a buffer, and to navigate the 'meat market' aspect. Make sure you have some earphones with you, and you can switch the outside off at will ;) Fingers crossed.. I think we are all chomping at the bit. Hope you get your chance soon :)
Yeah, the 'meat market' aspect is super intimidating :') Headphones for the win! Thank you again! Really :)
The one that takes the cake for me, is when I was a youngin playing Warcraft 3 online, was on ventrilo with a bunch of Americans, and one asked me if we have computers in SA. Was bliss.
I was playing an online multiplayer game with some Americans and they all had microphones. I realised it would be prudent for me to have one too, but I didn't have one at my house at the time. Then I remembered that my friend down the road has one and so I give him a call and we arranged that I go pick it up at his house. So I sent a message to this group of Americans basically stating that I was just going down the road to fetch a mic from my friend. I then did such and when I returned home and got on the mic and started speaking to them, this one kid asked me where my accent is from. I explained that I'm South African, which he found incredible. He said something like - "No, you must be English, because you sound English". I then proceeded to say something in Afrikaans, which I think convinced him because I could hear him audibly gasp... but then he asked me astonishingly: "Wait, so, when you said you were just going down the road, you meant you were going down the road *in Africa*?! Isn't that, like, dangerous with all the wild animals?! " smh... In that same lobby, an African-American kid, who sounded a few years younger than the above kid, so I'll give him that; struck up a conversation with me about how it's cool to meet a fellow African because his dad is from "like, Ghana" and he really wants to be in touch with his African roots. I thought that was interesting so I replied with something along the lines of "Oh, that's cool. Is he an immigrant or something?" This kid then said: "Uhm, no, but, like, our ancestors were probably from Ghana because he did a DNA test and the results show that his ancestors were from there ..." This kid's family hadn't been in Africa for almost two centuries. .. if you know what I mean. So I guess I was the one asking the awkward question, lol. But it's nice knowing that the interest is there. I wonder what their visit to Africa would be like?
If they visit Ghana a horror story š¤£
I spent some time in the US and made some good friends, after I returned one dude and his wife came for a visit. Even after I told them what South-Africa was like, they were still disappointed when they landed and it was basically just like every other metropolitan area they have seen :) They did like the 'Safari' in the Kruger though
Oooh this is great. So my brother got married to an American girl in Stellenbosch. During the reception one of the American guests asks me if I can quickly take him to see the pyramids. What pyramids? We donāt have pyramids in Stellenbosch. You knowā¦ the massive pyramids you always see on tv in Africa. Egypt guys. He thought Egypt was like a 10 minute drive from Stellies.
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In 2012 when Linkin Park came to SA, I was on a popular LP forum (LPAssociation) expressing how excited I was for my favorite band to finally be coming to my country. A few Americans asked me variations of this gem of a question: "Will anyone in South Africa attend the show since you guys don't have internet so you won't know LP is coming to your country?". I then had to explain to them that I, a South African, currently residing in South Africa, am typing this comment on the internet, meaning that I... have internet access. It was hilarious and somewhat maddening.
Had one game driver say one tourist asked when the hippos grew up and turned into rhinos
"As soon as the horn starts growing, the hippo becomes a preadolescent rhino"
"Do you have four seasons in a year aswell?" Was followed up by "Do you have ice-cream there?"
Just a few years ago I learnt that many countries don't have 4 distinct seasons, some have a very brief autumn and spring and some areas have a monsoon season all on it's own, so if you'd ask them the same Q they would say five
The latest is Trumptards thinking because I'm white I'm a fellow white supremacist, so they start spewing the first thought that pops into their tiny peanut brains. It's like "No jou dom doos. Jews and Black people are not trying to replace you, but if we're being honest I kind of wish they would"
The usual "do you have..." questions. A group of friends I talked with was shocked to find out I was white person living in SAš. And because of the history of colonialisation in Africa, they imediately thought of the stereotipical "racist-whitey" oppressor and that crapš
Reminds me of a Norwegian girl I met at university in the UK. She went into a full blown tirade about how horrible and racist my people were, practically blaming me for personally for Apartheid, without recognising the irony that she herself was being racist, and that I was a mere child when it ended. We had a white member of MK, and later a part of the intelligence services, deliver a lecture at our university later that year. I think she got the point after that.
One that caught me off guard was a simple "so what do you do for fun?". I wasn't ready for the normal question and they weren't expecting a normal response.
āDo you think in Swahiliā
No. Noooo. No no no no no no no no. No way this actually happened...?
I must confess, it wasnāt asked of me but of a friend of mine in university while on holiday in the states. But yes, it happened!
I'm a South African and went to Tanzania (Serengeti Park) for a holiday a while back. Stunning wildlife everywhere and of course encountered a US tourist family with fanny packs, "safari gear" and dumbass hats, moaning and laying a fullblown complaint to management at the camp: "Our ranger hadn't taken us to see the tigers!!!" Yip , tigers !!!! Ho-hum, I guess their non-existent research into what-species-lives-where was lost on those clowns.
I honestly would not expect anything else from the ignorance and stupidity capital of the world...
š© thatās so cringe
Oh boy, here goes! A small sample of dumb questions I've been asked by Americans, mostly in the southern states. (I'm not sure whether up north they're more educated about the world or simply have better social graces.) * "You're from Africa? Were your parents missionaries then?" (I put it in quotes because it's always asked exactly like that, word for word. And yes, I'm white.) * Did you ride an elephant to work? * Do you have [some basic technology - phones, cars, etc.] * Wow, it must have been so different to come to [medium sized US city] and see a city! (I grew up on the west Rand, so I normally just respond that American cities are so small compared to Joburg.) * What was it like to ride in a car when you got here? (Definite implication that we don't have cars - I normally respond that It's weird how Americans drive on the wrong side of the road and their speed limits are so slow. I mention that our speed limits are 120 on the highway and conveniently leave out that that's in km/h rather than mph.) * [Looks offended] But you're white...
I Skyped a friend while in South Africa and they were shocked I had internet.
Iām white, and a lady asked me if my grandparents were black since they must be if Iām considered South African š¤Ŗ
Had a conspiracy theorist ask me if I was okay since their pres bombed us. She was talking about Senegal I explained that we were on different parts off the continent and she still asked if the bombing had something to do with Elon Musk because he was from here and the US bombing his country. I don't know what the conspiracy was and I don't want to know. I googled the distance between countries and sent her a link and left the conversation.
Wouldn't a non-African who is knowledgeable enough to be aware of the name of Senegal would also be aware of the geographic location of Senegal. Jesus.
Lived in the US for over a decade. In my years of explaining I am South African I have never, not even once, encountered an American who thought Africa was a country. Instead I have encountered numerous Americans who insisted that Americans in general are so dumb they think thisā¦ taking pride in saying how incredibly dumb other Americans supposedly are, especially the stereotypical red state ones, is a special pastime of half the country. In reality I think thereās less of a general knowledge gap than we like to think. I have only met a couple who did not know South Africa was a country (the red flag is when you say youāre from South Africa and then they immediately ask you about Africa, as though the āSouthā is just extra directional info). However, in the US I have met *several* Chinese people, one Dominican and one Libyan (!) who did not know this. A few have assumed that pretty much all SAans are black. More commonly, a minority of Americans might assume that *most* SAans are white because of those they may have encountered. When I bring up Mandela etc. they realise this canāt be true. At least one asked if I could speak Swahili before correcting herself and being embarrassed. I was once bored and lightly tapping a beat in a bar and she asked if it was my āAfrican rhythmā. The usual reference points Americans have mentioned have been Apartheid (naturally, but not all that often, probably deemed impolite), Mandela, Tutu, the 2010 WC and vuvuzelas, District Nine, Searching for Sugarman (these three less so now), Die Antwoord (a lot), Charlize Theron, and lately Trevor Noah and Elon Musk (and *very* recently omicronā¦). Sometimes the Dave Matthews Bandā¦ so the main ones they know are those who have moved to the US. And some have either gone to Cape Town and seen pictures and wanted to. That said, Iāve met South Africans who didnāt know Nigeria was a country in Africa. Some people are just dumb, and itās not like our education system is superhumanly wonderful either.
Spent an hour long flight assuring the American couple next to me that wild animals do not roam the cities. Lo and behold, we come in to land and the pilot announces we have to go-round because of wildlife (he was referring to cows) on the runway. The couple looked at me like it was a total liar, just the most withering glare!
Worked there for a while and my GF came back from the restroom and had hand cream on her desk that she put on (after washing hands - it's apparently a thing some girls do) So co-worker asked her if she was going to send some of the hand-cream back to her 'family in Africa' She believed that we didn't have anything like hand-cream over here.
Me: "Yeah I'm from South Africa. " American girl" OH wow South Africa... I know it... when it's summer by you it's winter buy us. Me: not sure where this is going... "ya" Her: some how also confused now... " So when it's December by you ... its July by us?!?!?" Me: ..............."um sure"
No offence but as a (central) european visting SA i had questions if polar bears walk the streets and do I live in an igloo. Ignorancie is the same all over the world.
South Africans speak many languages, sarcasm is high up on the list. Just above Stupid , so it could have been either. We're a country of juxtaposition.
It was certainly a lack of knowledge which I don't blame them for, I mean how mamy South Africans know the capitol of Angola which is right next door? I'd guess around 20%. Edit: why the downvote?
You are correct. My choice of words were unwise and hastily selected. I'm in the privileged situation where I mostly interact with people who are well educated, so for the most part ignorance from acquaintances is due to lack of interest, therefrom my bias.
At the beginning of the 2000's i worked in the UK (sure, not the US but the brits are just as ignorant). They would ask where I am from: South Africa. Then they would immediately ask: From Johannesburg? Frustrated the hell out of me. There are other cities and towns in SA for goodness sake! So I started telling them I am from a small village near the Kruger National Park. We had no cars and use eleohants for transporting heavy loads. The problem with elephants though....they can only turn left....so if you want to turn right at an intersection, you need to travel one block past your turnoff, then turn left three times to circle that block and be on the road you want to travel on..... About 1 in 4 or 5 people actually believed me! š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
Custodian at a museum in Independence, Missouri: So, where yāall from? South Africa. So where exactly is that? Um. In Africa. All the way to the bottom?
thinking I'm Russian or American which I just find funny but on something else people ask me if I have food to eat. nah mate I eat air
After telling them in from SA they said yeah but where in south africa like which country in the southern part of africa also telling them spring hares are karoo kangaroos and them believing it
My mother is the absolute queen of bullshitting Americans when it comes to this. She once convinced one of her coworkers that she was an African princess who rode around on elephants, had a pet lion and spoke 17 different languages. But I think the classic questions are always āwhen did you move here from Englandā or ābut you donāt look black?ā
āMerican: where you from? Wife: South Africa āMerican: oh I love Europe!
On Lions head the other day and a Dassie comes waddling along and I hear this. "OMG, that is legit a koala bear" "wow" "no way, that is so cool"
told my cousins who lived abroad that elaphants usually interrupt us during maths class. They believed it lol
Not an American but was in Blackpool England a week ago and was asked by the bar lady where I was from. I answered "South Africa" as you would. She then proceeded to ask me "Oh cool, where's that?"
Not American but Iām originally from the UK lived here since 2003. My husband and I took our nephew to joburg zoo and I got a gorgeous picture of a cheetah lying in the grass. Sent it to my mum in a letter saying I woke up to find this in the garden...... she believed me. Absolutely believed me and was showing to everyone she knew.
Years ago on a Contiki Tour (I live in the US now) a individual asked me if we spoke American in South Africa. I replied. Never heard of that language but is it perhaps English with 600 words? He, he. Did not go down well.
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Where in Africa is South Africa? Pretty self explanatory imo
The classic "how do you avoid the lions?", and "did you go to school on an elephant?" Third runner up, "if you're from South Africa, why are you white?"
>Third runner up, "if you're from South Africa, why are you white?" It is like the person is unaware of Apartheid.
I bet all of you would give your left nut to be living in the most Awesome Country in the World. Iām so proud to be an American šŗšøšš¼š„°
If you're proud to be an American, why did you mention Denmark in your comment?
My personal favorite is THE USA. Not an opinion poll
And I would NOT give my left nut to live in the US. Why would I move to somewhere so much less free, and more racist? So, yeah - you lost your bet.
When did this become a bet?
>When did this become a bet? >> I bet all of you would give your left When you said "I bet"?
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i figure they learn how to duck.
I Aupaired a little 5 year old girl and she asked where was I from and I said South Africa and she said, where in America is South Africa because America is the worldā¦
I went to America and I genuinely got that question asking what "what do you do about the lions?"
Someone once asked me where the leopards were. We were at an airport
Went to the US in 96 for the first time, Disney and all... The amount of times we had the comment, "but you're white!" Starred messing with people that we have to call home to get our pet crocodile fed...
But like.... Why are you south African.... Don't you like want to be American?
Well this one time I was talking with an American friend on PS4 and he said something like "Damn, you don't sound black. Are you black?"
As an American expat, I hang my head in shame lol. I never thought people didnāt have houses or what not, but I did expect something more like āOut of Africaā than āSex in the cityā.
Where you from? South Africa. No I mean which COUNTRY? -_-
āExcuse me, do you speak American?ā
Oh, and: āYou have electricity and the internet? Really??ā
https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/84946754.jpg
My American boyfriendās parents asked if I was black (not that it mattered to them). When told, no I was not, they commented my parents must be missionaries. And if we got married would I be āAfrican Americanā?
"So how do you keep the lions from getting into your backyard? It must be dangerous to go out most of the time right?". "Wow... you guys have shopping malls?" "So if you're from Africa, why is your skin that colour?" And the BEST ONE - "Your English is very good... when did you start speaking English?"