I spent some time working in America a few years ago...
I worked as a waiter in a 5 star hotel. I'm from South Africa so many questions were asked during my tenure there about my country and it's history. I would say everyone I worked with was fairly well educated, with the exception of the Mexican dish washing staff. When I say well educated I meant they could all read, drive a car and had bank accounts which in my book are the typical hallmarks of someone who has probably attended some sort of institution of learning.

Perhaps it's more a reflection of type of education they get in a America rather than actual stupidity, but all of my co-workers, of which there were 10, had not heard of apartheid. Some had never heard of South Africa. None of them were aware that a man called Nelson Mandela existed. They were also extremely shocked to learn that I was white and had come from Africa. They were all oblivious to the fact that white people also lived in Africa. Bless.

I recall a conversation I had with the sous chef when I first started work there. He's from Texas so he had that typical Southern drawl where the vowel sounds seems to take forever to leave his mouth and the accent made him sound at least 19% dumber than he probably was.

'So boy, were did you say you were from exactly?'
'South Africa'.
'Oh yeah.I ain't never heard of that'.

We then progressed to the other mundane topics that Americans always ask me when they find out I'm from Africa such as 'Do lions really walk in the streets?' and 'Do they have McDonald's in Africa?'Sometime later in the day after this riveting conversation the sous chef approached me again.

'So you said you were from South Africa? Is that in the South of Africa?'

I had stop myself laughing when he said that. He was beaming with pride at his own powers of deduction. And to his eternal credit he can now count himself marginally more knowledgeable about African geography than most of America.
(The Archduke of South London I'm in your Girlfriend eating her organs, Fri 4 Mar 2011, 10:09, 6 replies)

Well?
DO you have McDonald's in South Africa?
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Fri 4 Mar 2011, 13:56, closed)

We do.
It costs the same as eating at a fine dining place, except it can actually kill you.
(Tiktock Beating off flamers with a shitty stick, Fri 4 Mar 2011, 14:36, closed)

Wow...
A friends dad bought a franchise off an American firm. He was visited by a rep once and amongst the clangers were...
'So, this is Wales, is it in England?' (technically Wales is a principaility, but it's still the same as saying 'Oooh, America. Is that in Canada?')
After being introduced to the wonders of HP sauce:
'Wow...so what's this brown sauce called?'
After realising that Charlotte Church was from Wales:
'Oh yeah. I love her singing. Do you know her?' (he meant it as in actually knowing her. Like she was a next door neighbour or something)
And looking absolutely horrified when my friend asked his dad:
'Can I bum a fag off you?'
(Megamoss, Fri 4 Mar 2011, 16:37, closed)

Seth Erfica
Being an Australian living in the US, I am often asked where I am from. Generally, in the form of "you aint from aroun these here parts, are you?"

Most people think I am from England - but several ask if I am from South Africa - so at least some have heard of that country.
(Maclir, Fri 4 Mar 2011, 16:31, closed)

Oddly....
... I'm from England and most Americans seem to ask if I'm from Australia. Occasionally "Europe, Australia", which I find rather bemusing.
( Ugi , it's a game of give and cake, Mon 7 Mar 2011, 17:59, closed)

Lions in the streets?
In my wastrel youth I was stumbling in a green haze through a back street of Melbourne with a friend, chuckling at the foolishness of tourists who expect to see kangaroos hopping through the traffic, as this is Straya.
Fools, we agreed until I nearly fell over the corpse of a slightly rancid wallaby in the gutter. Fuck knows how it got there.
(nuffnuff, Sat 5 Mar 2011, 23:56, closed)