I had a friend call me from Australia yesterday, full of genuine concern for my safety after the disaster in Thailand.

Which particular disaster? I asked .....

The earthquake, buddy - I was so worried about you!

Now admittedly English isn't his native language but .....

I am always having my American friends and acquaintances think that I am in Taiwan

What I find so mind boggling is the abundant number of westerners, who know so little about Asia. And, that's despite the facts, that a huge amount of their purchased consumer products, are labeled "Made In China, Japan, Malaysia. Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, etc." I suppose the axiom "Ignorance is bliss", is truly a global phenomenon. Eh?

Edited February 8, 201610 yr by TuskegeeBen

I don't know if it's such a mixup.

Both Taiwan and Thailand seem to be part of Mainland China.

Sorry to say, but Thailand is famous for food, tourism, and whores, and does not offer much importance to the outside world beyond those three things.

True Story---my Thai wife and I moved to a house Santa Monica, California in 1994 and relocated to Thailand in 2007. To this day, our good next door neighbor thinks she was from Taiwan.

Told an American I was from the UK once. He had never heard of it and assumed I meant the Ukraine!

Told an American I was from the UK once. He had never heard of it and assumed I meant the Ukraine!

Donald Trump ?