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Saying you are from "America" when traveling abroad

Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:42 pm
Posted by tylerlsu2008
Zurich
Member since Jul 2015
1136 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:42 pm
Do you tell people you are from the U.S. or America when traveling?

A friend of mine mentioned how his roommate told people he was from America when asked where they were from. He thought this was kind of silly given they were in a South American country and under the premise of anyone from NA or SA is technically "American".

While I personally respond by saying i'm from the United States, in his defense, globally anything associated with the States is referred to as "American" (ie American flag, American food, American culture, the Americans), so I wouldn't say it was a complete faux pas.

Posted by genro
Member since Nov 2011
61788 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:43 pm to
Alabama
Posted by upgrayedd
Lifting at Tobin's house
Member since Mar 2013
134887 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:43 pm to
I hear people in South America go ballistic over saying America.
Posted by SanFranHipster
San Francisco
Member since May 2016
21 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:45 pm to
Sometimes people would say "hunh?" when I said U.S. if their English wasn't great. America seemed to work best in general in my experience. I noticed a lot of people acted like they never heard of New Orleans when I said that was where I was born, when they were asking about my accent. They all heard of California and usually got really happy about it. Some were wearing San Francisco shirts, so it was easy to say I was from there.
Posted by DrunkerThanThou
Unfortunately Mississippi
Member since Feb 2013
2846 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:47 pm to
"Bitch I'm from Louisiana"
Posted by OweO
Plaquemine, La
Member since Sep 2009
114038 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:48 pm to
If you are from a small town just tell them the town.. For some reason its a pet peeve of mine when someone is asked where they are from and they say "humpkinville, California".. Dude California is a big fricking state, give me a region then tell me the name of your shitty town later.
Posted by GeauxxxTigers23
TeamBunt General Manager
Member since Apr 2013
62514 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:48 pm to
I tell people I'm from the states.
Posted by Teddy Ruxpin
Member since Oct 2006
39602 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:48 pm to
I say I'm from "the States"

Which is really weird because I only say it abroad and never thought about it beforehand and just went with that. Seems to be the generally used lingo.
Posted by Mars duMorgue
Sunset Dist/SF
Member since Aug 2015
2816 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:49 pm to
I usually tell people I run a brothel in Manila. That stops the conversation right quick.
Posted by OMLandshark
Member since Apr 2009
109046 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:49 pm to
quote:

A friend of mine mentioned how his roommate told people he was from America when asked where they were from. He thought this was kind of silly given they were in a South American country and under the premise of anyone from NA or SA is technically "American".



Yeah, clearly everyone knows you're an American as soon as you open your trap though. I usually said I was from Mississippi and not America when asked. The British mostly did the same as well and were a bit more specific. It's really rhetorical to say you're from America, although there's an off-chance you're Canadian or grew up in Hong Kong.
Posted by RummelTiger
Texas
Member since Aug 2004
89941 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:49 pm to
Well, as soon as I speak, most know I'm from the U.S. That said, if there's a question, then I say the "U.S.".
Posted by Bmath
LA
Member since Aug 2010
18681 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:51 pm to
On an international flight a flight attendant was passing out declaration forms.

When he asked country of origin, I replied "America."

He answered back with "which one?"
Posted by SuwMwf
Member since Jul 2012
948 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:51 pm to
If I am in Mexico I say I am from Louisiana. If they look puzzled I tell them it's a state right next to Texas. Then they seem to know exactly where I am talking about.
Posted by Hawkeye95
Member since Dec 2013
20293 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 6:53 pm to
United States of America. You have to do it so people understand you, and you don't piss off people who live in north or south america.
Posted by Tbobby
Member since Dec 2006
4358 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 7:00 pm to
I hear a lot of Americans pin a Canadian Maple leaf on their belongings to avoid getting kidnapped and beheaded by Muslims.
Posted by TSLG
Member since Mar 2014
6724 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 7:12 pm to
I've only heard a Spanish person discuss this. He told me that he would not call me American out of respect for the people of South American
Posted by TSLG
Member since Mar 2014
6724 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 7:13 pm to
I've only heard a Spanish person discuss this. He told me that he would not call me American out of respect for the people of South America.

Most foreigners will ask if you are American.
Posted by soccerfüt
Location: A Series of Tubes
Member since May 2013
65859 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 7:15 pm to
I say to Europeans, Canadians or Aussies/NZers, etc. "the States" and to folks from the rest of the world I say "the US".

I never say America.

I often get spoken to in Northern European languages when I travel. When it's Scandinavian, I got nothing but they all speak some English.
Posted by LSUwag
Florida man
Member since Jan 2007
17319 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 7:22 pm to
I tell them I'm from Florida since it's better than everywhere else.
Posted by Wooly
Member since Feb 2012
13851 posts
Posted on 5/25/16 at 7:32 pm to
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