You know you're American when... | ExpatWoman.com
 

You know you're American when...

697
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 14:44

...you trip on the sidewalk outside your building (in Doha) and you actually contemplate suing...LAM!

596
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 March 2011 - 17:11
When you hear your self saying I am from the states to someone you have just met and in the stongest american accent ! So many do this .ha ha h a
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 27 March 2011 - 14:23
Whilst on holiday in New York an American guy asked me where Im from and I told him South Africa. Then he asked me where in Africa is South Africa??!
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 27 March 2011 - 11:37
I think the two major reasons my fellow Americans don't travel abroad often are time and money. Many people only get two weeks (10 working days) vacation per year and a few public holidays. In my experience, it is often difficult to take off more than a week at a time due to work demands/workplace culture, or because you don't want to blow a whole year's leave at once. If you can't take more than a week, a costly plane ticket abroad might not seem worth it. A lot of people I know dream about taking trips abroad when they retire. I don't think it is necessarily due to lack of interest. I agree with the two weeks vacation. But I think my fellow Americans love doing road trips - travelling to other states by car or those home on wheels. With the exception of Hawaii, there is just so much to see in the US. Quite a few own country homes that they spend weekends, holidays, and vacation at. Personally I don't think Americans are very adventurous when it comes to going outside of the US. I've met quite a few Greeks who say their home country has so much to offer, they have no need to travel outside it for holidays. Plus, it's very expensive for most Greeks to travel outside Greece and salaries are low, so who can blame them for staying in their own country - they can go skiing in winter, swimming in summer, have many, many islands to visit, and centuries of history all over the place :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 March 2011 - 07:39
Love the Americans! Everywhere we went they all knew we were Aussies from our accent and even gave us free drinks because we were Aussies! Yet when we spent time in Germany, we were constantly being asked (not only from the locals, but other nationalities) if we were British or American because of our accent. Go figure! We do love the Aussies.. Especially your umm male strippers.. :)))) My grandma said when she went to Austraila she was pinpointed immediately in a restaurant because she wanted ice in her drink. She said the waiter told her immediately you must be a damn American. My grandma asked him why and he told her because only Americans ruin drinks with ice.. :D
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 March 2011 - 07:36
yes yes, to be fair, regarding passports -- until recently, there were a lot of places we could go without a passport. Also, a lot of people don't realise that Florida is the size of England so before I ever traveled to Europe, I felt well traveled having lived and worked in 6 different states coast to coast and visited or driven through almost all of them. besides the continental US we could travel without a passport to: Hawaii - of course Alaska - of course Canada Mexico Aruba/netherland antilles Bahamas - all of the caribbean Puerto Rico Dominican Republic I'm thinking Haiti and all of South America as well Now, we need a passport to go to the Bahamas but I don't think any of the others...(don't quote me) We now need our Passport for Mexico AND Canada. The laws changed several years ago which is what created the mad rush for passports in the US. We also are required to have it for Aruba. And to be honest a lot of people I know in the US don't feel the need to travel outside of the US. As others have said they have 50 states to visit why leave the comfort of their own soil. And true reality is we only get 2 weeks of vacation UNLESS your working almost any government job.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 March 2011 - 07:18
anybody else miss Chipotle Mexican Grill? Awwww those HUUUUGE burritos... nom nom nom.. If it makes you feel better - Chiptole has become totally gross! I used to love it too but the past several times were so bad that I no longer eat there. I think the quality of their ingredients has declined alot - especially the meats.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 March 2011 - 02:33
anybody else miss Chipotle Mexican Grill? Awwww those HUUUUGE burritos... nom nom nom.. Baja Fresh Mexican Grill is in Dubai Mall but I prefer Chipotle! ahhhh Sam's club or even Costco... ohhhhhh if one of those would open here! ha ha ha about the American ignorance I've got a couple Arab ignorance stories.... I went to a Canadian friend's home in Al Ain and her sister-in-law's (SIL) sons came to stop by and visit for a few minutes and left. Then a few minutes later my friend's phone rings...its her SIL: SIL "so you have a Filipino friend visiting you?" my friend "no, She is American" SIL "huh? but...my sons say she is Filipino" My friend "no no, my friend is American" SIL "really? but but, they say she looks Filipino" my friend "well, no, she is American... like I am Canadian--she is American. She is half Japanese but she is American" SIL "ohhh she is half Japanese.... " --all still confused LOL Another time in a salon: local woman: "Are you Filipino?" Me: "No, I am American" local woman: "but your eyes..." Me, "I am half Japanese" local woman: "oh, its all the same!" -she was meaning my mixed ethnicity and Filipinos are the same... LOL when I travelled in Turkey people didn't believe I was American LOL I guess you have to have blond hair and blue eyes to be American?
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 22:18
Love the Americans! Everywhere we went they all knew we were Aussies from our accent and even gave us free drinks because we were Aussies! Yet when we spent time in Germany, we were constantly being asked (not only from the locals, but other nationalities) if we were British or American because of our accent. Go figure!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 21:56
I wasn't keen on America until I've actually went there. Seen a few states and I love it. Also BIL is American! I haven't had any funny chats, however my sister and my cousin where once asked at a baseball game if they speak "european" among themselves
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 20:54
We've been to the States a few times and are always astounded by the reaction we get from some people when we say that we're from Scotland. We were in "the sticks" so to speak in Maryland and a number of people wondered how long it took us to get there and "did Scotland really have planes" ????? They weren't joking! We had a lovely time and met some amazing people but their knowledge of the world outside the US was a shock to us. Really not having a go but there were the questions about having electricity, did we live in a castle and so on. We have also met Americans on holiday in Scotland who are completely different. In the same token, I know people here who have never set foot outside their own town or county who have little knowlege or strange percetions of the wider world. One woman was insistent that I had to wear an abaya and walk behind DH while I was in Doha. No amount of telling her the opposite was the case convinced her otherwise! :D Well, that's a wonderful reinforcement of the stereotype.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 20:40
We've been to the States a few times and are always astounded by the reaction we get from some people when we say that we're from Scotland. We were in "the sticks" so to speak in Maryland and a number of people wondered how long it took us to get there and "did Scotland really have planes" ????? They weren't joking! We had a lovely time and met some amazing people but their knowledge of the world outside the US was a shock to us. Really not having a go but there were the questions about having electricity, did we live in a castle and so on. We have also met Americans on holiday in Scotland who are completely different. In the same token, I know people here who have never set foot outside their own town or county who have little knowlege or strange percetions of the wider world. One woman was insistent that I had to wear an abaya and walk behind DH while I was in Doha. No amount of telling her the opposite was the case convinced her otherwise! :D Oh, you must have met the folk who support Sarah Palin!!!!!
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 20:37
We've been to the States a few times and are always astounded by the reaction we get from some people when we say that we're from Scotland. We were in "the sticks" so to speak in Maryland and a number of people wondered how long it took us to get there and "did Scotland really have planes" ????? They weren't joking! We had a lovely time and met some amazing people but their knowledge of the world outside the US was a shock to us. Really not having a go but there were the questions about having electricity, did we live in a castle and so on. We have also met Americans on holiday in Scotland who are completely different. In the same token, I know people here who have never set foot outside their own town or county who have little knowlege or strange percetions of the wider world. One woman was insistent that I had to wear an abaya and walk behind DH while I was in Doha. No amount of telling her the opposite was the case convinced her otherwise! :D
697
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 20:17
I think the two major reasons my fellow Americans don't travel abroad often are time and money. Many people only get two weeks (10 working days) vacation per year and a few public holidays. In my experience, it is often difficult to take off more than a week at a time due to work demands/workplace culture, or because you don't want to blow a whole year's leave at once. If you can't take more than a week, a costly plane ticket abroad might not seem worth it. A lot of people I know dream about taking trips abroad when they retire. I don't think it is necessarily due to lack of interest. I agree with the two weeks vacation. But I think my fellow Americans love doing road trips - travelling to other states by car or those home on wheels. With the exception of Hawaii, there is just so much to see in the US. Quite a few own country homes that they spend weekends, holidays, and vacation at. Personally I don't think Americans are very adventurous when it comes to going outside of the US. Money - I have to disagree, as one of the richest nations, I feel that maybe Americans choose to spend their money differently as a new SUV may be seem more important than a family vacation :) After living in the UK I think it is very evident that peoples priorities can be very different. I agree that Americans lack the adventure to travel and may shudder at the thought of not staying at a Hilton. :) The vacation time is horrible in the US and another bonus of being part of the EU :) My husband (British) grew up in a humble home where his father was in management yet never bought a fancy car but they went on a foreign holiday for 2 weeks each year not the type for show but to places around Europe and the North of Africa to experience different cultures, etc. I had never been on a 2 week holiday in my life and my parents had new cars every few years! Sad for me
697
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 20:09
yes yes, to be fair, regarding passports -- until recently, there were a lot of places we could go without a passport. Also, a lot of people don't realise that Florida is the size of England so before I ever traveled to Europe, I felt well traveled having lived and worked in 6 different states coast to coast and visited or driven through almost all of them. besides the continental US we could travel without a passport to: Hawaii - of course Alaska - of course Canada Mexico Aruba/netherland antilles Bahamas - all of the caribbean Puerto Rico Dominican Republic I'm thinking Haiti and all of South America as well Now, we need a passport to go to the Bahamas but I don't think any of the others...(don't quote me)
379
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 19:43
I think the two major reasons my fellow Americans don't travel abroad often are time and money. Many people only get two weeks (10 working days) vacation per year and a few public holidays. In my experience, it is often difficult to take off more than a week at a time due to work demands/workplace culture, or because you don't want to blow a whole year's leave at once. If you can't take more than a week, a costly plane ticket abroad might not seem worth it. A lot of people I know dream about taking trips abroad when they retire. I don't think it is necessarily due to lack of interest. I agree with the two weeks vacation. But I think my fellow Americans love doing road trips - travelling to other states by car or those home on wheels. With the exception of Hawaii, there is just so much to see in the US. Quite a few own country homes that they spend weekends, holidays, and vacation at. Personally I don't think Americans are very adventurous when it comes to going outside of the US.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 19:38
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Americans! I have visited several cities and states, but my favorite place is NYC! I love the positivity of Americans and I also love your warm and friendly attitude and your strong sense of justice. Never in my life, have I blended in so easily <3! ...But sometimes some of your citizens have amazed me :)... I'm a Scandinavian myself and have traveled in over 50 countries and lived in 6, but never in my life have I been asked so silly questions as in the USA. When I was a teenager, I visited Canada and USA quite often because of my hobby and I was always amazed by the questions that our American (teenager) friends asked us (considering the fact that I originate from a country, ranked as the best country in the world by Newsweek this year) : -Do you have TVs in your country? -Do you know what ketchup is? -Do you have fridges or do you keep your food outside? Once we were in Canada, just before Christmas and traveling in a bus through Montreal with an American team and I told one of the girls how lovely and impressive the decorations were and how much more decorated these houses were, compared to our houses back home (just trying to keep up a conversation). The girl answered me: "Yes, you know it is Christmas, a Christian holiday and that is the reason why the houses are decorated, they don't normally look like this." I honestly didn't know what to answer :D... edited by fairytale on 26/03/2011 Well you have to understand that if an American lives in Florida and gets on a plane to holiday in California, it's considered "international". LOL About 37% of Americans born in America have a passport. When you have 50 states with such diversity ranging from north, south, east, west in the US, most Americans don't feel the need to travel, hence no need for a passport. ETA: Thank you for your nice words. edited by Crystil on 26/03/2011 I think the two major reasons my fellow Americans don't travel abroad often are time and money. Many people only get two weeks (10 working days) vacation per year and a few public holidays. In my experience, it is often difficult to take off more than a week at a time due to work demands/workplace culture, or because you don't want to blow a whole year's leave at once. If you can't take more than a week, a costly plane ticket abroad might not seem worth it. A lot of people I know dream about taking trips abroad when they retire. I don't think it is necessarily due to lack of interest.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 18:03
@ Fairytale I know what you mean!! Don't even get me started on the things I have been asked about the Netherlands/ Amsterdam. 'No we don't all smoke w33d, work at the red light district, wear cloggs or get wet feet because we live below sea level' ;)
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 17:51
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Americans! I have visited several cities and states, but my favorite place is NYC! I love the positivity of Americans and I also love your warm and friendly attitude and your strong sense of justice. Never in my life, have I blended in so easily &lt;3! ...But sometimes some of your citizens have amazed me :)... I'm a Scandinavian myself and have traveled in over 50 countries and lived in 6, but never in my life have I been asked so silly questions as in the USA. When I was a teenager, I visited Canada and USA quite often because of my hobby and I was always amazed by the questions that our American (teenager) friends asked us (considering the fact that I originate from a country, ranked as the best country in the world by Newsweek this year) : -Do you have TVs in your country? -Do you know what ketchup is? -Do you have fridges or do you keep your food outside? Once we were in Canada, just before Christmas and traveling in a bus through Montreal with an American team and I told one of the girls how lovely and impressive the decorations were and how much more decorated these houses were, compared to our houses back home (just trying to keep up a conversation). The girl answered me: "Yes, you know it is Christmas, a Christian holiday and that is the reason why the houses are decorated, they don't normally look like this." I honestly didn't know what to answer :D... edited by fairytale on 26/03/2011 Well you have to understand that if an American lives in Florida and gets on a plane to holiday in California, it's considered "international". LOL About 37% of Americans born in America have a passport. When you have 50 states with such diversity ranging from north, south, east, west in the US, most Americans don't feel the need to travel, hence no need for a passport. ETA: Thank you for your nice words. <em>edited by Crystil on 26/03/2011</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 17:26
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Americans! I have visited several cities and states, but my favorite place is NYC! I love the positivity of Americans and I also love your warm and friendly attitude and your strong sense of justice. Never in my life, have I blended in so easily &lt;3! ...But sometimes some of your citizens have amazed me :)... I'm a Scandinavian myself and have traveled in over 50 countries and lived in 6, but never in my life have I been asked so silly questions as in the USA. When I was a teenager, I visited Canada and USA quite often because of my hobby and I was always amazed by the questions that our American (teenager) friends asked us (considering the fact that I originate from a country, ranked as the best country in the world by Newsweek this year) : -Do you have TVs in your country? -Do you know what ketchup is? -Do you have fridges or do you keep your food outside? Once we were in Canada, just before Christmas and traveling in a bus through Montreal with an American team and I told one of the girls how lovely and impressive the decorations were and how much more decorated these houses were, compared to our houses back home (just trying to keep up a conversation). The girl answered me: "Yes, you know it is Christmas, a Christian holiday and that is the reason why the houses are decorated, they don't normally look like this." I honestly didn't know what to answer :D... edited by fairytale on 26/03/2011 hahahah! I know what you mean! I am an America and I am amazed at what comes out of the mouth of americans at times :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 16:05
Ladies! Stereotypes are ugly. Sure there is some truth in them-but come on! Is this fair to say: Lets talk about other stereotypes shall we? Like if you are an Indian at a formal event, your purse will for sure be filled with the freebie butter, sugar, rolls, milk packets...If you are British, well then of course you will be drunk and unruly in skank wear. If your are Russian, you are of course their turning tricks. If you are Scottish then you must be fighting the Indian for whatever freebies are on the table. If you are American you are chewing on a stick of hay while cleaning your cowboy hat. And if you're Arab, well then you will just be eyeing up and down the said drunk brit hoping to get in her panties while your covered up wife is too busy looking after your spoiled children and beating her maid. Bwahahahahahah!!! :cool: You forgot to say the Brit would be orange from too much fake tan :) and if you're an expat, your probably on your mobile calling your expat friends telling them how cr@p the wedding is after you've done the mental math and costed the whole event out before posting on fb what a good time you had to all your friends back home:) edited by ccdoha on 26/03/2011 I FORGOT TO SAY unless the Brit had a 3rd degree SUNBURN as if to say - "Look at me, I can afford 2 weeks in Barbados!" LOL LOL :) that one is my favourite!!!! <em>edited by ccdoha on 26/03/2011</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 16:02
What I find to be quite the phenomenon, after living in the UK... In the US, we LOVE the Brits and we love to hear you talk and anything you say you sound so sophisticated and intelligent. We dream of one day visiting London and seeing the Queen, however usually don't make it across the pond and if we do, we stay on the tours and remain identifiable at all times by our Levis, Gap sweatshirts and white sneakers. The Brits however, complain all day long about Americans, make fun of us saying 'have a nice day', call us ignorant, classless and boring, yet you book flights to Orlando, Vegas and NY 6 months in advance, watch The Hills, own more Abercrombie & Fitch then a teenager and have more variations of fake blond/fake tan then all of California. My point is - in the USA, we have much love for Brits and we show it, even if we seem a bit ignorant for it. In the UK, Brits can be downright horrible about Americans but can't seem to get enough of us. xoxo BTW-I LOVE THE UK I agree! Its odd, a love hate thing!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 16:00
What I find to be quite the phenomenon, after living in the UK... In the US, we LOVE the Brits and we love to hear you talk and anything you say you sound so sophisticated and intelligent. We dream of one day visiting London and seeing the Queen, however usually don't make it across the pond and if we do, we stay on the tours and remain identifiable at all times by our Levis, Gap sweatshirts and white sneakers. The Brits however, complain all day long about Americans, make fun of us saying 'have a nice day', call us ignorant, classless and boring, yet you book flights to Orlando, Vegas and NY 6 months in advance, watch The Hills, own more Abercrombie & Fitch then a teenager and have more variations of fake blond/fake tan then all of California. My point is - in the USA, we have much love for Brits and we show it, even if we seem a bit ignorant for it. In the UK, Brits can be downright horrible about Americans but can't seem to get enough of us. xoxo BTW-I LOVE THE UK
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 15:59
hahahah, Bush was the worst thing to ever happen to America, if not the world. The Bush dynasty-criminals. As if he was every really elected! And what drives me nuts...the people that were hurt by him the most, poor-to middle class, blue collar americans struggling to get by, are rabid fans! They loved him! I never understood that! you obviously did not live in Miami when Jimmy Carter was president...
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 15:58
Is that Orange county (CA), Ocala or Oklahoma? OC Orange County! Where are you from?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 15:57
But seriously you can not win, Obama has travelled, lived elsewhere and now there is a huge movement to declare him "not American enough to be the Boss". Meanwhile the rest of the world thinks he is fab and what a great move to have someone with a brain cell and more cultural/world understanding than past presidents. Of course now they are trying to pull the "you could be Muslim line", i mean really how sad is that? I know, frankly its an embarrassment! What a pathetic straw to grab at-he could be muslim. You know what also drives me nuts, those Fox nazis would call anyone who questioned the bush adminstration as unpatriotic. They would say, this is our President, we should be respectful. Now, they ridicule Obama, some republicans have been caught at protests with signs that depict him as a monkey! How dare they. And they put that dumb **** hick sarah palin on a pedestal. You know what that moron said recently...Michelle Obama's cause is better nutrition for kids. She supported a bill that wanted insurance to cover breast pumps, because as she said, "breast milk, is best for baby, and it does lead to a less chance of childhood obesity and better immunity"...this is a proven scientific fact. That stupid **** Palin actually said "Well, of course they want you to breast feed your children, the price of food is just too high for anything else, thanks to Obama"...what a freakin moron. makes my blood boil. And they wanted this dummy to be vice pres???
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 15:54
Americans wear underpants made out of the star spangled banner and eat burgers...thats what I've been told anyway...
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 15:51
But seriously you can not win, Obama has travelled, lived elsewhere and now there is a huge movement to declare him "not American enough to be the Boss". Meanwhile the rest of the world thinks he is fab and what a great move to have someone with a brain cell and more cultural/world understanding than past presidents. Of course now they are trying to pull the "you could be Muslim line", i mean really how sad is that?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 15:48
Ladies! Stereotypes are ugly. Sure there is some truth in them-but come on! Is this fair to say: Lets talk about other stereotypes shall we? Like if you are an Indian at a formal event, your purse will for sure be filled with the freebie butter, sugar, rolls, milk packets...If you are British, well then of course you will be drunk and unruly in skank wear. If your are Russian, you are of course their turning tricks. If you are Scottish then you must be fighting the Indian for whatever freebies are on the table. If you are American you are chewing on a stick of hay while cleaning your cowboy hat. And if you're Arab, well then you will just be eyeing up and down the said drunk brit hoping to get in her panties while your covered up wife is too busy looking after your spoiled children and beating her maid. Bwahahahahahah!!! :cool: You forgot to say the Brit would be orange from too much fake tan :) and if you're an expat, your probably on your mobile calling your expat friends telling them how cr@p the wedding is after you've done the mental math and costed the whole event out before posting on fb what a good time you had to all your friends back home:) edited by ccdoha on 26/03/2011 bwahahah! yep forgot that! and the infamous bad english teeth-where basically the teeth look like they're trying to runaway from your head!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 15:47
NYCDoll, Stereotyping the Americans is a world sport, Bush i'm afraid highlighted the passport issue! Having worked in and out the US for over 10 years i was always amazed at how being the "Brit" was immediately pointed out and identified with amazement and how all the different states and people i met from them were so different from another, quite amazing. Can i tell you that after the 50th person has identified you as being English the temptation to respond "No **** Sherlock" is high. LOL hahahah, Bush was the worst thing to ever happen to America, if not the world. The Bush dynasty-criminals. As if he was every really elected! And what drives me nuts...the people that were hurt by him the most, poor-to middle class, blue collar americans struggling to get by, are rabid fans! They loved him! I never understood that!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2011 - 15:46
Ladies! Stereotypes are ugly. Sure there is some truth in them-but come on! Is this fair to say: Lets talk about other stereotypes shall we? Like if you are an Indian at a formal event, your purse will for sure be filled with the freebie butter, sugar, rolls, milk packets...If you are British, well then of course you will be drunk and unruly in skank wear. If your are Russian, you are of course their turning tricks. If you are Scottish then you must be fighting the Indian for whatever freebies are on the table. If you are American you are chewing on a stick of hay while cleaning your cowboy hat. And if you're Arab, well then you will just be eyeing up and down the said drunk brit hoping to get in her panties while your covered up wife is too busy looking after your spoiled children and beating her maid. Bwahahahahahah!!! :cool: You forgot to say the Brit would be orange from too much fake tan :) and if you're an expat, your probably on your mobile calling your expat friends telling them how cr@p the wedding is after you've done the mental math and costed the whole event out before posting on fb what a good time you had to all your friends back home:) <em>edited by ccdoha on 26/03/2011</em>
 
 

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