Have you ever been mistaken for another nationality?
 

If so, got any fun story to tell?

It's only happened to me a few times while travelling. usually people don't care where I'm from or just ask me in case they're curious. The most random one I can think of was on a trip me and my family made to Tunisia many many years ago. At the hotel store the guy asked us first if we were from Bulgaria. We said "no" and then he asked us if we were from Yugoslavia(yes, that country still existed at the time). It was rather funny and unexpected.

I also remember being 9 years old or so abroad(in Spain, I think?) and some British kid asking me out of the blue "Are you British?". I shook my head. Then he asked me if I was French, Irish, German or Dutch. I shook my head to every of his question. then he finally asked me "What are you,then?"... and I didn't answer him :lol:. That was a funny exchange. Kinda rude of me but I was a shy kid and I wasn't exactly proficient at English yet, as you can possibly imagine :P

Honestly, it seems to me that I'm a rather generic European looking guy and can blend well anywhere in Europe for the most part. Probably because my family has always made an effort in trying to avoid looking like tourists when we travelled, so that pickpockets wouldn't rob us... in fact it never happened to us while we travelled.

Not really the same thing, but I remember a few of my online friends listening to my voice for the first time and telling me I had a Russian/Slavic sounding accent.

Usually, in online communities people can't really tell where I'm from unless I fill in my location. Probably because my written English is quite good. So people tend to assume I'm American or British unless I say otherwise. That's why I always fill in my location nowadays in order to avoid misunderstandings.

What about you?

All the time. Everyone thinks I'm Japanese, or part Asian.

No offence, but I can see why people would think that. You do look a tad East Asian.

Just because I'm hispanic people automatically assume I'm Mexican.
And whenever I tell them I'm Salvadorian they go "what's that?".

I've also been mistaken for asian, on account of my slanted eyes. I was acquainted with an asian schoolmate long ago, and some classmates thought we were siblings.

It can be really annoying.

I don't think it's a big deal unless someone is hostile to you. But getting asked "Where is your country?" sounds pretty annoying, I can imagine.

I'm a white boy so no.

Nope. Been mistaken for Orlando Bloom a couple times, if that counts.

We're in the same boat. I'm Colombian, mostly. One of my biggest pet peeves: people spelling Colombia "Columbia." C'mon. It's not that hard, people.

That's not a nationality though. You said your ancestors are mostly Russian. Can people usually tell that by looking at you or not really?

Never saw people mispelling Colombia as "Columbia". Is that a common mistake made by English speakers or smth? I have seen however people writing Romania as "Rumania" before.

I used to get it a lot after I came back from being in the US, I had picked up a little of the accent but I also spent a lot of time with a girl from another country so picked up some of that too.
I think for about 2 years after I got home I was always being asked where I am from or if I am here on a work visa :)

I was asked if I was Greek 'or something' when I had spent some time in a sunny place and come home tanned.

I think my combination of looks makes it harder for people to relate me to physical appearance stereotypes. I am a 183cm-184cm(6'0 foot) tall guy with brown hair and eyes and pale skin, so I guess that makes me able to blend in rather well in most European countries. it gives me a rather generic appearance.

No, because I just look like your average white person. Brown hair, brown eyes, white, etc.

I have no distinguishing features of any race.

I thought White Americans liked to talk about where their ancestors came from in Europe. :P

It's all over the place, anytime anyone ever talks about the country. Even news articles, sometimes. I've even seen it in subtitles in films.

"Rumania" is actually valid. http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Rum..._Romanian.html

That's odd.

FWIW, in Portuguese it's "Colômbia".

Didn't know that about Romania. Interesting.

Best I got is being mistaken for a New Yorker.

White American... hard to mistake me for anything else. (Since my nationality would be the U.S., sans most genetic ties elsewhere.) And no one over here is going to care about asking about the ancestral background. They're going to assume European, probably mostly what is now the UK - the end. (The only bit that isn't white is the dash of Native thrown in for flavor, but very unlikely anyone is going to notice that.)

Why did that happen? Your accent? The way you dress? Something else?

Btw, ever heard about the Europeans spotting American tourists a mile away thing? Well... I can't say I can do that tbh. The easiest tourists for me to spot are Germans BY FAR. They have AWFUL fashion sense. Especially the older men. They sure love socks and sandals and white t shirt with camera around their neck look.

Dutch tourists are not so hard to spot either, since they seem to have lots of people who are tall enough to be pro basketball players, including women.

I could see that. Or Jersey.

I've a lot of family in Jersey.
None that I talk to, of course...but they're there.