1. “Oh you’re from London? My friend is from Liverpool! Maybe you know him: John Smith? Brown hair? Kinda tall?”
Just because your friend lives in the same country I am from, it doesn’t mean I automatically know him. To put it into perspective, London to Liverpool is a four-hour drive without traffic. That’s the same amount of time it takes to get to Vegas from Los Angeles - and you even cross state lines!
2. “Whereabouts in London? Oh yeah, totally heard of Shepherd’s Bush…near Buckingham Palace, right?”
When they ask you exactly where you’re from, and then pretend they know where that is. Having only been to New York City once, I would never ask a New Yorker where in New York they lived, and whether they can see the Statue of Liberty from their bedroom window - although admittedly, that would be very cool.
3. “Oh, your favorite TV show is American? How come? Aren’t you from England?”
First of all, I’d be surprised if aliens hadn’t spent the last 20 years watching Friends, and secondly, I am from England- not from under a rock. We get TV there too, people!
4.“Do we have accents to you?”
Let me ask you one thing: if you moved to China for a couple of years, would Chinese magically start sounding not-Chinese? Way to go, making me feel like a minority!
5. “So wait, if you’re from England, why are you here?”
I’m sitting in class and trying to focus on the education my parents are paying for, not standing in immigration in the airport. As a foreign student, having this question fired at you is frustrating. I’m not here just biding my time. I’m here to learn- just like you.
6. “You have an accent!”
I’m not even going to grace this with an explanation.
7. “You can’t have an opinion on American politics because you’re not from here.”
As a Political Science major, this was one of the most ridiculous statements I have heard since moving to America - and it was spoken by an Arts major. As a foreigner, one may have even more perspective on their host country’s political system. It is easier to view it from the outside, with some objectivity and outside experience.
8. “Go back to where you came from!”
This one mainly applies to Caucasian foreign students. If you were to yell that at a student of color, you wouldn’t get the same, relaxed reaction. It’s still rude, even if I am white.