People boring you to tears with...

[emkana]

Do other expats get this?

I'm German and live in the UK and whenever people first realize that I'm German they start telling me about the distant relative they have in some tiny remote village in deepest Bavaria or suchlike.

Tbh I don't give a damn and find it very boring. I mean, what am I supposed to say?

(I know, I know, people mean well)

It's worse if you're Canadian, emkana! trust me, I know. I only really get cross when some idiot asks me if I'm American & when I say no, Canadian, they reply, well same thing, isn't it? Or ask me why I don't speak French with a Canadian accent.

Its different in Wales, everyone IS related to everyone else

My Canadian experience is more people saying a) do you know Bob from Whitehorse? or b) I went to Canada once, we went to Vancouver, or Whistler. Both of which are about a billion miles away from the bits of Canada I know.

Oh, and their cousin emigrated to Canada, and why would anyone move to the UK, anyway?

People just trying to connect to you & that they have experience of your culture.

Milward, I know.

I am a bit of an evil bitch really.

And I promise I do always smile and say "Really? That's lovely." etc.

God I get this all the time.

....my auntie edith lives in mississauga ,do you know her?....

get a grip!

BTDT - but they don't seriously expect you to know their friend/relative, they are just making conversation. Pretend they are talking about the weather and nod.

I know you know :) Just thinking what else they could say - the weather! I nod & smile say what a small world in this case! For me with my ds4 I always get does he sleep - ahhhhhh!!!

i get that - people I met in the US telling me they had a friend in Perth and did I know them - hello I come from BRisbane - that is the other side of the country to Perth and it is the same size as continental US. I had to explain that was the same as asking someone from LA if they knew your friend in NYC.

I never get this but after 20 odd years I still get asked the same question when i meet anyone new....... which country is better England or Greece????

I seriously had someone ask me if I knew camillia and prince charles. Yes we have tea everytime I'm in London

the other one that used to annoy me when living in the UK - was being asked all the time why I left Aus to come and live in the UK?!?! like why would you leave god's own country to live in Essex Why - cause I can - even better I can always go home again !!

I have only been living in Aus for about 4 mths and most days get to hear about someones visit to the UK when they were young. Which towns they visited and who they met and get looked at strangely when I haven't also been there.

I also get asked atleast three times a day how I am settling in and have to rattle off the same response to each person. Feel like making a recording and playing it to everyone I meet.

To be honest though being new to the country I am just grateful people are showing an interest and making conversation with me.

Wow you should be gratefull someone is asking you how you are settling in! Aussies sound friendly, here in Germany hardly anyone asks if you are setling in or shows much intrest as to where you are from! Since we moved to Berlin one person (a school teacher of my ds) has asked if I am settling in and how do I like Berlin! She only maybe asked because she is from Bavaria so also far from home.

Everyone here is really friendly which is great. I guess at the moment I find it a hard question to answer because I don't really know how I feel about it. Have very mixed feelings from day to day and don't feel like I can be anything other than positive to people I hardly know.