One of the first questions out of new acquaintances mouths while in the southern hemisphere has been "Where are you from?" This seemingly simple question is usually answered with "America." Those who want to get to know me better or can not think of another small talk follow-up question will continue with where in America? Beaming with state pride I answer "Wisconsin" with that hard "o" vowel enunciation that only those who hail from Wisconsin can successfully achieve. My smile usually dims at this point as the person on the other side of the conversation usually nods or says "oh" full of incomprehension barely hidden in their facial features. With the addendum of two hours north of Chicago, the blank expression quickly clears up and we carry on with our conversation.
Our team currently contains representatives from the states of Wisconsin, California, Colorado, and Oregon, yet we are all classed as "Americans." The cultural variation within the United States of America is something that many people treasure under the auspices of state pride. This is not possible while abroad when most people are unaware of the locations and cultural identity of these states.
"Are you German? Are you Norwegian?" are questions that have also been demanded of me. Perhaps these people were not fond of asking the primary question of "Where are you from?" and decided to jump directly into conclusions. Although their profiling is partially accurate since I have some German and Norwegian ancestry, these assumptions also demonstrate that Americans do not look one particular way. As soon as I open my mouth, my accent clears away any doubt.
As a friendly person, I am regularly initiating conversation. Good or bad it makes things interesting. One specific conversation included a kid from Denmark ridiculing Americans for their stupidity and weight. He asked where I was from and I said Wisconsin (blank stare) near Chicago. Internally I began to boil and rage about his ignorance of the fair state of Wisconsin. Upon a deep breath I reflected upon my knowledge of Denmark. The only knowledge I have of his country is the capital city of Copenhagen and vague knowledge of their royalty. So how could I begin to take offense?
We will have to be conscious of this in our travels. As the old saying goes about assumptions…better to smile and give the other person the benefit of the doubt. It will only help!
