nationalities

When I was a kid, I used to think that all animals reflected their owner's nationality. For instance, I am Portuguese so I thought my dog was Portuguese and my cat and my parakeet were all Portuguese. I believed the butcher's dog was Greek; the Pizza Parlor guy's dog was Italian and my best friend's dog was Polish. My father used to curse the parakeet in Portuguese every time it got out of its cage and "pooped" on the curtain so that only confirmed to me that the bird was Portuguese. Just a dumb Portigee Kid.

Kathy S.

I used to think that lesbians were from another country or related to Germans somehow...I believe this until I was about 14 years old

Caelistis

In the early sixties, as a 3 year-old I was taken to England for a 2-week visit. I have no memory of the trip. I did however grow up with the knowledge that the English were tiny people that lived in flower pots. When I grew old enough to question the idea, I couldn't understand where such a deep seated impression was from. As an adult, I finally mentioned it to my mother and she laughed saying that while we were in England I used to watch a tv show called the "Flower Pot Men". Mystery solved, although I did visit again as an adult just to be sure.

Frances

My brother once referred to the neighbor as a lesbian (she was Lebanese...)

Anon

I used to ask my mum why Americans put on funny accents and why they just didn't speak normally like Australians.

Anon

I used to believe that immigrants to a new country would eventually grow to look like the typical inhabitants of the country that they make their new home. For example, I thought that Chinese immigrants to the United States would eventually grow to look like "typical Americans" and no longer "look Chinese" after a sufficient period of living in the United States. That sufficient period, I envisioned, would be a few years or so.

Diana

When my mom was little--six or seven--she had a friend of the same age. My family is Armenian, and my mom's friend is a Wonderbread American girl.

So, at dinner one night, my mom's friend asked her parents,

"Mom, Dad, if Vicky is OUR-menian, are we HER-menian?"

Forty five years later, she still loves that story.

cvdrumsta

I thought that asylum seekers were people who were mad and wanted to find an asylum.

Little Penguin

I am Canadian and when I was little I would sing "True Pastry Love" instead of 'True Patriot Love"

Jess

I used to believe that Cuban people were made out of cubes

Anon

My father told me that Frenchmen had three legs.

Anon

I remember my mom explaining languages to me while in a mall after hearing someone speak spanish. For some reason after that I always associated the Japanese with suits from the mall and thought you could tell someone was Japanese if they were wearing a suit.

Stephen

When I was little, I was told that I should finish my plate, because children were starving in China...
Whenever we ate chinese food, I was convinced I was eating a poor starving child's food!

Andreas Harris

I used to believe the reason my latina mother was so dark compared to me was because she drank coffee. Years later I learned it was because my father was white that I was so pale.
Probably why I like coffee so much now lol

Danielle

I saw a Public Service Announcement on TV saying that "All Aliens need to register at their local Immigration office by December 31st." I ran to my mom and said, "Mom, there are ALIENS on Earth! They just said so on TV!" I was a little frightened, but also a little excited. Wouldn't it be cool to have some little green person, or Mr. Spock, or Uncle Martin living on your block? Then mom explained that people from other countries living here were also called "aliens." Well, I guessed that would be cool, too...though not *quite* as exciting as having a spaceman for a neighbor.

Anon

when I was about 7 we used to go on holiday to North Wales, and one time we stopped at a remote house to ask for directions. When my stepdad got back in the car he said "I can't believe that man's a geordie - what's a geordie doing in the middle of Wales?" and for some reason, from that moment on I thought a geordie was some kind of subversive, international terrorist..... (for those not in the UK a geordie is someone who speaks with a Newcastle accent)

Ian

When I was growing up there were only four countries: The United States, Canada, China, and Russia. China and Russia were on the other side of Earth and right next to each other, like Canada and the US are. And the Cold War was named that because it was in Russia, and it was cold there.

Anon

When I was young, I believed that because my mother was born in New Mexico, that I was part Mexican.

Anon

I used to believe that everyone else on the earth was a robot, and they were only made because they needed to help me live my life, even the ones in another country, because what if I visited that country? I would always cry at night thinking, "Why do I have to be alone!?"

Anie

I used to believe that people from Holland were called "Hollish", like people from Poland are called "Polish"

Sally