Around ~2008 I was in a Barcelona hostel and met a guy there. He started speaking and I interrupted him excitedly…“Oh you’re American!!”.
He looked down…the weight of pain curdled the air around us. You could sense deep sorrow welling beneath the surface of this man. He paused for what felt like an eternity to compose himself,
He looked up with a piercing, but harrowing, stare and said “No, I’m Canadian…”
I’ll never forget that moment. That sheer depth of emotion is something I haven’t experienced before or since.
Did I silently murder this poor Canadian soul? How do Canadians cope with the mistaken identity?
I don’t mind getting mistaken for American, it’s an easy enough mistake to make.
I have a loosely-related story which was not an easy mistake to make, though. I’m French-Canadian, and a few years back I was traveling in Vietnam with my partner at the time, speaking our accented French when talking to each other (we’re from New Brunswick). Anyway, we get to our hostel after arriving in a new city and hang out for a bit in the common area, planning the rest of our evening (in French of course). There was another couple there, who seemed to have overheard because they glanced towards us. When we glanced back, one of them excitedly said “We know where you guys are from!”
We were a bit surprised, since our accent is pretty obscure and rare; “Oh really?”
“Yeah you’re Russian!”
My ex and I both had a good laugh before explaining that we’re French-Canadian. Here’s the kicker though: they were from Toronto and both said they speak French…
I’ve also had the very unpleasant experience of Québecois or French people not believing me when I tell them in French that I’m a francophone and that French is my first language. So yeah, compared to that, you can call me American all day!
Woo New Brunswick! I feel you…as a proud Acadian NBer it’s tough out there.