Last time we were in Europe was before Bush had "made a name for himself." We had Belgians wanting to debate the Kennedy assasination-conspiracy theory. We're going back in a couple of months - glad I read this thread, so I know to narrow my answer down to Illinois (not Chicago either, but NO ONE knows that Springfield - close to my home - is our capitol).

Don't you sometimes wonder whether our governors even know that, edgecorp? They seem to spend most of their time in Chicago!

You can pretty much make that "governor" in the singular, but that's for another time and another forum, for sure ....

Great idea wally.

My typical conversation goes:
Them: Where are you from?
Me: Washington State
Them: Oh Yes, Washington D.C.
Me: No, Washington State. The West Coast.
Them: I don't know it.
Me: Do you know Seattle?
Them: Seattle?
Me: Bill Gates comes from Seattle.
Them: Oh yes! I know Bill Gates.
Me: Seattle is just two hours south of Vancouver, Canada.
Them: Vancouver! Canada! Oh, I love Canada.

I grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC, one neighborhood over from Woodside, which used to have a lot of Irish immigrants. When I backpacked through Ireland as a student and told people where I was from, it seemed like everyone I met had a cousin who lived in Jackson Heights. It was pretty funny.

Now, I am really looking forward to my upcoming trip to Greece, because I now live in Astoria, Queens, which has an *enormous* Greek population.

I've always said I'm from Detroit. It never fails. "Detroit, huh? Do you own a gun? ... do you have a gun on you right now?" then their gaze starts to shift to where I might be hiding said gun.

Then I say, "actually, a suburb of Detroit" and everyone stops fretting so much.

I always try to start a positive conversation about Detroit - the fine universities, hidden gems, great history - but most people just walk away by then.

I think that most people outside the US have a very difficult time orienting to US geography... My best experience was on the overnight train from Kharkov-Kiev. One of my "compartment-mates" was a young guy (YG) of Moroccan decent, traveling to the US to visit his brother near DC for 2 weeks and "see the country". Our conversation went a bit like this:

Me: So, what are you planning to see?
YG: Well I want to see NYC, for sure.
Me: It could be possible- how will you get there?
YG: Coach bus, is it far?
Me: I would assume 5 hours.
YG: Okay- can I stop other places on the way?
Me: Yes, there are a lot of nice areas in between…
YG: Good, I definitely want to see Niagara Falls, too.
Me: Well, that’s kind of the opposite side of New York…
YG: But Florida is on the way, right? I want to go to Disney World, too…

Coco, I will now say "raclette"!

If I say Ohio when I travel, I usually get a polite, blank stare, and a change of subject. I like it here, but let's face it, we aren't very notable.

..most Europeans don't know where Oregon is, either.....so, as much as I hate to, I say I'm from California..they all know Hollywood and the perceived lifestyle there. If someone has a distant relative somewhere in the West, they ask if I know them...The joys for foreign travel!

PatrickLondon,

last year my DH had to visit the ER here in Massachusetts and he was asked where he was from because of his English accent - and his answer was the UK! When the nurse passed him along she said to her workmate (in awe) He's from the Ukraine!

You think we speak the same language???

I find the speech differences here funny, I'm from Yorkshire so I pronounce my vowels 'flat' - 'paath' instead of 'parth' and 'baath' instead of 'barth' - however both of us say 'Woe_burn' instead of Woo_burn' and 'Wuss_ter' is an easy one for us.

Actually my MA friends find me easier to understand than my DH

Just having returned from Paris and Frankfurt for the first time ever, I got this question a lot in Paris (probably because I could speak French and actually could start a conversation). In FFM they were less interested in my life, but more interested in what I thought of Frankfurt.
For the last few years I have been living in Las Vegas. Oh man! Do the Parisians love this city??? They seem to think they know it better than any other city in the USA. Or maybe they wanted me think we had some common ground?
Anyway, once I divulged my city, the next question was: “What hotel do you live in?”
LOL! To be fair to the Parisians, I’ve gotten this question from many ppl who live in the USA too. I have to explain that it is more than just a strip of plastic hotels and neon, that ppl don’t gamble for a living, that we don’t buy all our food in a casino buffet.
Needless to say, I was much nicer about it to the French than I am to ppl who live in the USA.

katya,
"Niagra Falls from NYC as a day outing" shows up on the US board from a VERY large percentage of people planning a first visit to the USA.

I think all these tales just go to show how big the world is and how everybody knows the most about there own little part of it!!

I come from New Zealand. I can now confirm that
a) it is a long way from Australia (3.5 hours by plane)
b) we have no strange animals (that is Oz again)
c) we do not keep penguins as pets
d) nor do we live in grass huts
e) it is not that hot (Oz again)
f) or flat (again Oz)

But then I also respect that the people asking these questions live as far away from my country as I do from theirs!!

Gardyloo - we Aussies know where Seattle is.. we had Frasier too!

I think people are trying to grab on to something in common with you, despite their ignorance. I’m sure it’s well intended.

I’d even say they’re trying to show some respect by showing that they know something about your home, even it’s a bit dated. (“Chicago? Oh, yes, Al Capone…”)

I’ve had my share of meeting people who, when considering visiting New York City, wanted to “stop by” Las Vegas for a day or two. Oops. And I’ve been guilty of the same.

Wilees said it perfectly. The world is big and we each know our little part. The “It’s a small world” idea really refers to the relative ease of communication and travel, as compared to the past.

Folks: it's called small talk. If I told you I was from Toensberg, what would you say? If I told you I was from Delta, what would you say?

When being in the US and telling I'm from Norway, I've been asked if I'm scared to walk the streets because of the polarbearthreat. I've been asked if I like my capital Stockholm, if we have radios, if we need refridgerators because of the cold wheather. I could go on and on and on. And the worst perceptions about my home country comes from Americans with Norwegian heritage - believe it or not.

BTW, Delta is in the US, know it? It's near Fawn Grove....

Hey edgecorp, I know Springfield is our capital and I wish our gov wasn't spending so much time in Chicago-you can have him! (Sorry!) And I know where Madison County is--home of the sure fire multi-million dollar jury verdicts! And yes, Caph, you are right, people think anything south of I-80 is southern Illinois. Scary b/c we can "hear" I-80 from our backyard!Ok, enough Illinois trivia for today.

Many years ago, I made my first trip to China as a guest of the Chinese government.

They provided me with a car, a driver and a translator.

The translator ventured to ask me where I was from. I told him that I lived in St. Louis and explained that this was in the Midwest.

At the mention of the word "Midwest" a beatific look appeared on his face and he said that his "dream" was to go to there and be a farmer.

Now, being myself Chinese, I knew this was terribly odd since we aspire to be "intellectuals" (anyone who doesn't work with his hands) and tend to disdain peasants.

After some discussion it turned out that one of his prized possessions was a copy of Playboy magazine which included one of their pictorials entitled "Girls of the Midwest." After years of indoctrination about the "decadent" Americans it had been easy for him to believe that the pictures there represented reality.

I was forced to explain to him that Playboy is NOT a news magazine.

When I say St. Louis - Sometimes people ask if that is where the Ark is!!
It is also home to Bush... Busch Beer!!!
some think I live in the middle of a corn field since it smack dab in the middle of the country!!