Help me be a good foreigner!!

Joker · 01-11-2010, 10:21 PM

Okay I'm on my first ever business trip in El Salvador and I don't want to be the typical American tourist. Can any VGF'ers tell me some of the things that Americans do in your country that really tick you off or at the very least make them seem like complete idiots??

I've been to Puerto Rico before but since that country is just a city state of the US it was like I was never really away from the grip of old uncle sam. But here in Central America I know I stick out like a sore thumb. Sure I speak spanish and I'm colored like a coffee bean but I'm an American, I'm wearing a System of the Down Shirt and talking on my cell phone to my wife. I know I look like some kind of Imperial Pig. I know that there are certain things that americans do that can make us seem like uneducated pigs and I don't want to be one of those vactioners that I see in the room next to me. What if any idosyncrasy's might I carry that might make me seem like an Imperialistic pig??

Wait.....is this a meme or does this go some where else??

Metal Man · 01-11-2010, 10:34 PM

Don't ask me, I look like a run-down hobo wherever I go traveling, so people are unlikely to think the same of me.

(Generally I wear a hideously worn out jacket, talk on a 5 year old brick cell phone made for developing countries, and take pictures with an ancient film camera from 1981)

**Valigarmander** · 01-11-2010, 10:37 PM

Wear a shirt with a maple leaf on it.

Nobody'll suspect a thing of you.

***Booyakasha*** · 01-11-2010, 11:26 PM

Good Foreigner---'Urgent', 'Double Vision', and 'Jukebox Hero'.

Bad Foreigner---'I Wanna Know What Love Is'.

Hope that helps.

Joker · 01-12-2010, 12:04 AM

keep them coming because I don't thinik the sight of me typing on a lap top in the middle of the night is doing anything to make me blend in.

Metal Mario · 01-12-2010, 04:23 AM

Dress up like a Muslim. People will be so afraid of inadvertently offending you that they won't even say a single word to you. Even a place like El Salvador doesn't want to touch that **** with a ten-foot pole.

EDIT:

<---- WINKING SMILIE, PEOPLE! FLAMING NOT NECESSARY!!!

Fairlight Excalibur · 01-12-2010, 04:32 AM

^Whether true or not, that is definitely offensive. You may wish to remove (or reword) it before a flame war ensues.
----------------------------------------------------------- [/off-topic]

If you are experiencing communication difficulty, do not slow your speech to baby talk speeds and expect better results.

*Resumes watching Jackie Chan movies*

Metal Mario · 01-12-2010, 06:07 AM

If it's the truth, I don't see what makes it offensive. But okay, I'll add the winking smilie.

Fairlight Excalibur · 01-12-2010, 06:15 AM

I suppose that is better than nothing.

***Ace Mercury*** · 01-12-2010, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valigarmander

Wear a shirt with a maple leaf on it.

I hate it when Americans sew a Canadian flag patch to their backpack. I mean, you're probably cool and everything, but, still, irregardless.

Fairlight Excalibur · 01-12-2010, 07:09 AM

^I have to concede this point to Ace:

Canada, due to geography and corresponding weather patterns, will always be cooler than America.

Bomby · 01-12-2010, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ace Mercury

irregardless

**X-3** · 01-12-2010, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Metal Mario

EDIT:

<---- WINKING SMILIE, PEOPLE! FLAMING NOT NECESSARY!!!

Curses, winking smilies! They make my hands burn with the sin of a thousand suns when I begin typing a mean response!

Robotazy · 01-12-2010, 12:06 PM

Don't drink the water.

***CaptHayfever*** · 01-12-2010, 12:24 PM

Be polite & patient.
...Except when you're in the actual business negotiations, of course; then be a stinkin' bear-holding-a-shark. But with the people who you're not trying to out-business, though, be polite & patient.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Booyakasha

Good Foreigner---'Urgent', 'Double Vision', and 'Jukebox Hero'.

Bad Foreigner---'I Wanna Know What Love Is'.

Hope that helps.

I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Fairlight Excalibur · 01-14-2010, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bomby

Do not overexaggerate.

***Cosmonautical*** · 01-14-2010, 06:06 AM

I WANNA BE A GOOD FOREIGNER

I WANT YOU TO SHOWWWW MEEEEE

***Booyakasha*** · 01-14-2010, 09:30 PM

^Well, all right, but it's gonna take a little time.

**Deku Trii** · 01-14-2010, 10:55 PM

Since about 2006 I've thought Ace has been intentionally working "irregardless" into his posts as some sort of joke. Doing a quick search now, I see he's only done it a little over 50 times since I first noticed back then. For some reason I thought he'd done it more than that.

Fairlight Excalibur · 01-15-2010, 01:27 AM

Maybe it is a real word in Canada.

01-11-2010, 10:21 PM	#1
Joker Lord of Vampires / God of Vengeance Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: The Planet of Eternal Darkness Gender: Posts: 11,117 Thanks: 3,273 Thanked 580 Times in 364 Posts Blog Entries: 6	Help me be a good foreigner!! Okay I'm on my first ever business trip in El Salvador and I don't want to be the typical American tourist. Can any VGF'ers tell me some of the things that Americans do in your country that really tick you off or at the very least make them seem like complete idiots?? I've been to Puerto Rico before but since that country is just a city state of the US it was like I was never really away from the grip of old uncle sam. But here in Central America I know I stick out like a sore thumb. Sure I speak spanish and I'm colored like a coffee bean but I'm an American, I'm wearing a System of the Down Shirt and talking on my cell phone to my wife. I know I look like some kind of Imperial Pig. I know that there are certain things that americans do that can make us seem like uneducated pigs and I don't want to be one of those vactioners that I see in the room next to me. What if any idosyncrasy's might I carry that might make me seem like an Imperialistic pig?? Wait.....is this a meme or does this go some where else??

01-12-2010, 04:23 AM	#6
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	Dress up like a Muslim. People will be so afraid of inadvertently offending you that they won't even say a single word to you. Even a place like El Salvador doesn't want to touch that **** with a ten-foot pole. EDIT: <---- WINKING SMILIE, PEOPLE! FLAMING NOT NECESSARY!!! Last edited by Metal Mario; 01-12-2010 at 06:08 AM.

01-12-2010, 04:32 AM	#7
Fairlight Excalibur Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: LA Gender: Posts: 880 Thanks: 72 Thanked 111 Times in 82 Posts Blog Entries: 1	Ummmm... ^Whether true or not, that is definitely offensive. You may wish to remove (or reword) it before a flame war ensues. ----------------------------------------------------------- [/off-topic] If you are experiencing communication difficulty, do not slow your speech to baby talk speeds and expect better results. Resumes watching Jackie Chan movies Last edited by Fairlight Excalibur; 01-12-2010 at 06:37 AM.

01-12-2010, 07:09 AM	#11
Fairlight Excalibur Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: LA Gender: Posts: 880 Thanks: 72 Thanked 111 Times in 82 Posts Blog Entries: 1	Cooler ^I have to concede this point to Ace: Canada, due to geography and corresponding weather patterns, will always be cooler than America.

01-15-2010, 01:27 AM	#20
Fairlight Excalibur Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: LA Gender: Posts: 880 Thanks: 72 Thanked 111 Times in 82 Posts Blog Entries: 1	Location? Maybe it is a real word in Canada.

01-11-2010, 10:34 PM	#2
Metal Man Fairy-Slaying Maniac Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: 1592 Miles Away From Here Gender: Posts: 18,062 Thanks: 148 Thanked 683 Times in 482 Posts	Don't ask me, I look like a run-down hobo wherever I go traveling, so people are unlikely to think the same of me. (Generally I wear a hideously worn out jacket, talk on a 5 year old brick cell phone made for developing countries, and take pictures with an ancient film camera from 1981)

01-11-2010, 10:37 PM	#3
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Wear a shirt with a maple leaf on it. Nobody'll suspect a thing of you.

01-11-2010, 11:26 PM	#4
*Booyakasha* SuperMod of War Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wisconsinland Gender: Posts: 9,945 Thanks: 157 Thanked 1,481 Times in 763 Posts	Good Foreigner---'Urgent', 'Double Vision', and 'Jukebox Hero'. Bad Foreigner---'I Wanna Know What Love Is'. Hope that helps.

01-12-2010, 12:04 AM	#5
Joker Lord of Vampires / God of Vengeance Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: The Planet of Eternal Darkness Gender: Posts: 11,117 Thanks: 3,273 Thanked 580 Times in 364 Posts Blog Entries: 6	keep them coming because I don't thinik the sight of me typing on a lap top in the middle of the night is doing anything to make me blend in.

01-12-2010, 06:07 AM	#8
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	If it's the truth, I don't see what makes it offensive. But okay, I'll add the winking smilie.

01-12-2010, 06:15 AM	#9
Fairlight Excalibur Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: LA Gender: Posts: 880 Thanks: 72 Thanked 111 Times in 82 Posts Blog Entries: 1	I suppose that is better than nothing.

01-12-2010, 12:06 PM	#14
Robotazy PRESS ANY KEY TO PANIC! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: A Tiny Shed Gender: Posts: 16,483 Thanks: 529 Thanked 1,254 Times in 897 Posts Blog Entries: 46	Don't drink the water.

01-14-2010, 06:06 AM	#17
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	I WANNA BE A GOOD FOREIGNER I WANT YOU TO SHOWWWW MEEEEE

01-14-2010, 09:30 PM	#18
*Booyakasha* SuperMod of War Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wisconsinland Gender: Posts: 9,945 Thanks: 157 Thanked 1,481 Times in 763 Posts	^Well, all right, but it's gonna take a little time.

01-14-2010, 10:55 PM	#19
Deku Trii PP&R Mod Current Events Mod Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Texas Gender: Posts: 9,031 Thanks: 521 Thanked 1,099 Times in 583 Posts	Since about 2006 I've thought Ace has been intentionally working "irregardless" into his posts as some sort of joke. Doing a quick search now, I see he's only done it a little over 50 times since I first noticed back then. For some reason I thought he'd done it more than that.