What are the most interesting remarks you’ve heard foreigners make about THEIR country?

22 comments

1. I imagine you can relate to this – the way some Japanese feel about Japan is… interesting.

   “Well, you see, in Japan we have *four* seasons…”

2. “I hate that I have to go back, it sucks compared to here.”

   Here I was thinking everyone in the world hated the US.

3. I had a German tell me that Germany has a unique and singular love for the woods. Going so far as to have walking trails in them and even designated conservation areas.

4. “No one in MyCountry considers themselves Italian-[country] or Irish-[country]. When they come to MyCountry they immediately strip away all of their prior heritage and become proud members of MyCountry who always identify themselves only as MyCountrymen.”

5. A Zimbabwean student I knew in college told me he’s surprised that people travel all the way to his country just for wild animals.

   I think it’s kind of understandable why he might feel this, I think most people at least partially take for granted the places they live (you should see the absolute kill joys I see posting over in r/savannah who genuinely don’t understand why tourists love our city so much) but still, come on dude, you have some of the world’s most beautiful wildlife.

6. When I was living in South Africa, I had acquaintances brag about how America “never figured out how to do racism right.”

   Total emotional torsion there.

   Like, do I … defend the US and say we … did racism … better, and for longer? Or do I agree and so tacitly acknowledge that their institutionalized racism was nastier in a good way?

7. That French people are healthy, as the guy was smoking a cigarette.

8. I talked to a Chinese study group friend once about his views of life in China and CCP policies.

   It was really interesting to hear him describe his cultural perspective on authoritarianism. Like, “It’s like the government is your parent, and your parent knows what’s best for you and the rest of family, even if you don’t like it or can’t see it sometimes…”

   It was a genuine, open conversation about our differences from a place of mutual respect and an interesting window into a cultural mindset I can’t personally understand.

9. It’s definitely weird but interesting to hear that in a lot of European countries, you can just walk through peoples farmlands. Not sure if it’s illegal or not, but I hear about it frequently.

10. I read the Australian subreddits from time to time and I was surprised to read that they don’t insulate their houses.

11. I knew a Swiss girl constantly shitting on Switzerland and learned that women didn’t have full voting rights until 1990, which sounds insane. Unfortunately, she got deported back.

    I have an Italian friend that says a lot of Italians still view fascism in a positive light.

    I know an Indian guy that says Bollywood films are better than Hollywood (LMAO)

12. One of my classmates in college was a Chinese exchange student. It was a journalism class so we were delving into current topics and at the time, the big topic was North Korean missile testing and China’s involvement. I was expecting my friend to defend China but like most of us here in America, he wasn’t too crazy with his government back home. Most regular people are just trying to get by and survive and countries’ governments don’t define their people

13. Always bad things. A Jamaican woman I worked with was going home for the first time in years and I said I’d never been but would like to go. She said don’t bother it’s a horrible place and everyone is a criminal.

    My grandparents in law were French and visited regularly for family but always said France was full of lazy entitled people.

    Things like that.

14. A German guy once really talked up how the tap water was drinkable.

15. My Swiss friend talked about his Swiss cigarettes that don’t give you cancer like American cigarettes.

16. I can’t consider it a remark but when I was in the AF I had some British military come by to my Apartment for a party. They dropped a beer in my kitchen, yelled “Hoover” and all jumped down and sucked the spilled beer up. It was impressive and something I’ll always remember about the Brits.

17. As someone from a family of Balkan immigrants, the number of times I’ve heard Croatians, Serbians, etc. casually endorse ethnic genocide would make your head spin. The best is people who casually endorse ethnic genocide against… *you*, in a conversation with you, as though it’s just this far away discussion and not discussing whether or not my family should have been executed for daring to be their ethnicity

18. Had people from collectivist cultures (India for example) say, “I don’t understand how American parents throw their kids out when they turn 18. They’re so cruel. We don’t that in here in India “. All the while, being oblivious to how easily many parents in collectivist cultures disown or even kill their children for “shaming the family”.

19. I was at a party, and an Indian dude cornered me to tell me all about how India is dangerous for women. I kept trying to break away. After all, it was a party and wanted to keep things light and not focus on problems I can’t really impact.

20. My best friend is from Afghanistan and still has family over there. He was getting reports on the ground about the US departure/taliban takeover that directly contradicted what our media was saying.

    Not surprising but interesting nonetheless.

21. Talked to a German who complained about how their free healthcare system basically allows medical care as entertainment. He pointed out how his geriatric mother and her friends will go to multiple appointments a week in order to get out of the house and do something even if there is nothing wrong with them.

22. A neighbor from Guatemala told me that Guatemalan cities are filthy and he never wants to go back.