Surefire Ways to Irritate A Canadian Living Abroad

• Consistently ask us if we are "Americano?" Never once ask in over a year if we are Canadian.  (I've been here nearly a year and not one person has guessed "Canadian"... I also get a lot of "French? Italian?" but mostly "Americano?") Not that it would be BAD to be any of these other nationalities but we exist, people!
• In the Houston airport, when we are in the line for "All Other Countries" vs. the line with the sign that says "American Citizens Only" come up to us right before we are about to finally go to the kiosk, and say "Ya'll is from Canada? Y'all belongs over here!" and point to the "American Citizes Only" area.
• Claim that you've visited all the sights and wonders of Canada, then later reveal that you've not traveled in Canada west of Montreal. Ok, maybe this one only irritates us Western Canadians, but I hear a lot from people that they only visit Quebec and Ontario, in the winter, then complain about how cold Canada is (the west is much more forgiving, folks, and that's not the only reason to visit....) Or here's another - go anywhere in Canada in December, January or February and claim that Canada is always cold. Be completely oblivious to the fact that in the summer it is often +30 degrees or even the fact that even Canada has summer, which brings me to my next point...
• Ask about igloos, lack of locks on the doors, our "fantastic" medical system (oh Michael Moore, Canadians are forever owe you for those last two), year-round winter (?), poutine (I've never had it, personally!), or Celine Dion.
• Refer to Canada as an additional state of the US.
• State that every time you hear the word "hockey" you picture Sarah Palin.  Our friend said this last night and we didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  It was pretty funny.
  

Comments

[Thelma]

Will that work for Canadians in Canada?!? ;-) Loved the post!

[GingerV]

The small minds of the uneducated can be quite irratating. My brother the doctor - said to me "the reason South America is so backwards is because their language is so backwards...." (discriptor follows the noun etc.)(hummm... did Latin came before Germantic?) I just looked at him like he was an idiot.... He has never traveled to New York let alone outside the USA. I was so tired of being ask if I voted for Bush. "GOD no" then if no one voted for him....? Well at least 50% voted for him... Now, what do I think of Obama being black...? I say... black.. is he black?? They don't see the humor.
By the way when did Canada get annexed? Please be laughing!

[Camila Kraus]

Hey, I totally get you in the "the don't recognize I am from another place" part! I am brazilian, but I am from the south part... which means, as you may have found out, that I am pretty tall and have red hair and people constantly ask me if I am british, irish, american, german... but no one ever thinks I might be brazilian! Very often people come in restaurants speaking in english with me, or even german... and I have to say "sou brasileira" - which they don't believe at first. And they all call me "gaucha" which is the name for people who come from Rio Grande do Sul, but I was born in Santa Catarina, and we have our own signature calling name... but do you think Santa Catarina exists for people in the southeast? So, if people in Rio don't even know the different peoples of their own country don't ask them to know you are from Canada! We just have to accept that I guess...

[heavy equipment shipping]

Thank you for sharing this post. I found it informative and interesting. I am moving abroad in the next few months and am looking for all of the advice I can get. I am nervous but excited at the same time.