Every country has its own unique culture, traditions, and history that shape its identity. However, these aspects can sometimes be misunderstood or misrepresented, leading to some rather strange and amusing misconceptions. In the case of Pakistan, a country rich in cultural diversity and historical significance, there are several such misconceptions that can evoke both surprise and laughter. This essay will delve into some of the most peculiar and humorous misconceptions about Pakistan, African Turkey and so on. shedding light on the reality behind them and offering a fresh perspective on the country’s true essence. From the belief that everyone rides camels to the idea that it’s always hot, we’ll explore these misconceptions and more, providing an entertaining and enlightening journey through the fascinating world of misunderstood identity. So, let’s embark on this journey and debunk some myths with a smile!
Greece Myths
These experiences here are discussed about each country with respect to the thoughts shared by them exclusively. Lets start with the Greece first. I am a Greek and I have lived in Greece for 24 years before moving abroad. Having travel started to more than 25 countries and lived permanently in 3, you can only imagine the stereotypical questions I got in my life. Some of them are:
Is it True That All Greeks are Lazy?
This misconception is a well established stereotype but grew exponentially over the last years due to the Greek economic crisis. People tend to think of the Greek people as extremely lazy who do not work at all and somehow they get money out of nowhere. The truth is that Greek people have the highest working hours per week among all European countries; whether they are effective or not at their job is another topic. Of course, this does not apply to governmental employees who work 6–7 hours maximum per day and tend to be really bad and lazy at their job. So, public sector is lazy in Greece in contrast to the private sector.
Are all Greeks Corrupt?
No, but those who are corrupt tend to be very corrupt compared to others. The truth is that most of Greeks who work in governmental positions tend to be corrupt if their position allows them to be. Again, public sector tends to be corrupted whilst the private sector is not.
Do all Greeks Smoke?
Sadly, the majority yes. Greece is among the leading countries in tobacco consumption in Europe. The thing is that not only the majority of the people smoke, but also the no-smoking policies and laws are not applied. Bars, cafeterias etc. do not prohibit their clients from smoking inside those places, but on the contrary, they tend to make it easier for customers to smoke (provide ashtrays, inform customers of imminent smoking checks from officials in order to put out their cigarettes etc.).
Greeks are Very Noisy And Loud
The truth is that Greeks are indeed very noisy and loud. We are not very respectful to each other while having a discussion and we tend to interrupt the speaker but raising our voice on top of his voice. This, in turn causes a vicious circle where everyone tends to raise their voice so as to be heard and as a result, noise (and usually arguing) arises.
Greeks Party and Drink All the Time
Greeks grow up having a lot of religious and historical holidays which are celebrated with barbecue-party-like festivities (birthdays, name-days, Easter, Christmas, Saint’s days, historical days etc.). As a result, celebration and partying is well-rooted in our culture and souls. This, in combination with the everyday thriving night life and the non-enforced alcohol laws , provides the breeding ground for partying and drinking whenever we can. Also, Greece is home to amazing Greek-produced drinks such as Ouzo, Tsipouro, Greek Wine, Retsina etc.
Everyone Dances Like Zorba
The answer is no. This dance belongs to a greater category where all traditional dances are incorporated. Such dances are being taught in traditional dance schools or passed on from generation to generation and they are only danced in traditional celebrations and festivals or weddings; generally in occasions under the traditional theme. There are many traditional dances and each festival or celebration usually is local to the region where it’s being celebrated. As a result, traditional dances from this region will be performed at this specific celebration or festival.
All Greek’s are Hairy
Not true. Although definitely hairier than the Northern Europeans, all Greeks are not hairy. For example, I have little to no hair while my father is very hairy. I think that most people have this stereotype of a Greek with a mustache and lots of hairs on their body which is not true.
Slovakia
Most of the time when I say that I am from Slovenia, people tell me with the spark in their eyes: ‘’Ahaa, former Czecho-Slovakia! Bratislava yes??’’ And I always have to disappoint their confidence with a boring historical explanation.
There are as well times when people have no clue what is Slovenia and that it exists. It happened to me even in our dear neighbor Italy :). Or in India, but there I met some people who thought Europe is a country so they are forgiven ;).
At some rare occasions it also happens that people do know Slovenia and possibly they have even been in my country before.
You Probably Speak Russian?
We do not speak Russian and we are not even close to Russia in any way – except being Slavic nation but this is really as close as it gets. Neither politically or culturally Slovenia is close to Russia. We speak Slovenian language, and most of the people speak at least one or more foreign languages. Almost everybody knows English, but Russian is probably as common as it is in US or any other country that was not under Soviet Union.
Do You Still Have Communism?
Nope, since the independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 our political system is not communist. In the past however, Slovenia was part of Social-Communist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which also had different, much more relaxed kind of communism than Soviet Union. We were not part of Soviet Union (which partly explains the previous question) and Tito (Yugoslavian leader) also rejected to be ally with Russia. Rather he was leading a Non-Aligned Movement.
Cold Weather
Often people assume Slovenia must be a cold country. However, we have 4 seasons among which winters are cold (between -15℃ and 5℃) and summers are as hot as 36℃. Autumn and Spring are of course something in the middle. Being located in the middle of the Europe (another surprise!) and having continental, Alpene and Mediterranean climate explains that. The following photos are all from Slovenia:
Egypt Facts and Misconceptions
Full disclosure, I’m not originally from Egypt myself, but my husband is, and I did live there for a while. When I tell people that I lived and worked in Egypt, they come up with the absolute strangest questions.
These are actual questions that people have asked me and my husband
Does It Ever Rain in Egypt? Do You Have Trees or Grass?
Yes, Egypt is mostly an arid desert, but even deserts get some rain. However, most people who live in Egypt live along rivers or along the coast, where all the major cities are, and where the weather is cooler, more humid, and there is plenty of water (and rain!).
Cairo, the capital, is right at the mouth of the Nile River. It rains there fairly often, especially in the winter.
Expectation:
Reality:
Hell, sometimes it even snows!
Do People Drive Cars in Egypt or Do They Just Ride Camels?
As shown above, of course people drive cars! In fact, trying to find a parking spot in downtown Cairo or Alexandria is an almost impossible feat. While there are some rural farmers who ride camels and horses, there are also rural farmers in the USA who ride horses. This is a common practice for rural farmers in most places of the world.
Expectation:
Reality:
The majority of people who ride camels in Egypt are tourists:
Do People Live in Pyramids? (Yes, I am 100% Serious. Multiple People Have Actually Asked Me This!)
No, people do not live in pyramids. Asking your average British person, “Do you live in a castle?” would be more accurate, because at least some people used to live in castles (and a handful still do.) No one lives in pyramids. Not one single person. No one ever did.
Pyramids were tombs where kings and nobles were buried. They’re like funeral mounds, but much, much bigger and full of treasure. No one lives in a funeral mound. No one lives in pyramids.
Expectation: (What many people think it’s like inside a pyramid)
Reality: (What it’s actually like inside a pyramid)
Mexico Realities And Misconceptions
I live in the border country, inside the United States but within two miles of the international boundary with Mexico. Most people think of this . . .
Close to the border Costco—every day the parking lot is full of cars with Mexican plates driven by Mexican people to the United States to spend their money here. They also fill their cars with gas here, paying all the federal and California taxes. It’s more expensive in Mexico.
The Bullring-on-the-Sea, located in Mexico a few yards from the international boundary. If the sport were baseball, out of the ballpark home run balls would be illegal immigrants. (Before you flame me, I am not a bullfighting supporter)
Africa Myths
I have lived in Africa for a while…. and check out these misconception…. If you have ever been deceived by these misconceptions, blame the media.
Africa is a Country
Africa is not a country, but a continent. In fact it is the second largest, and second most populated, continent besides Asia. Africa has about 1 billion people and 61 different countries within it. So to end this misconception& – Africa is definitely not a country!
Africa is a Desert
While there are a few deserts in Africa (like the Sahara Desert in the North and the Namib Desert in the Southwest of Africa), large parts of Africa, especially central Africa, are tropical rainforests. On high mountains, like Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, are subarctic conditions. Furthermore, large areas in Africa have savannah plains, which are similar to prairies. So Africa is definitely not just a desert.
Africans Live in Huts
Many people believe that all African people live in mud and dung huts. This is complete nonsense. There are buildings and towns and cities in every country in Africa. If you were to google the capital of any country you would be surprised by what you see. That is also not to say that no people in Africa live in huts, as there are a lot of tribes that still choose to live in their traditional villages in huts, but the bulk of each country have become westernized and civilized. Even in Africa you find those landscape spoiling skyscrapers and concrete covered metropolises. [Pictured: Windhoek, capital of Namibia.]
Weird Food
This misconception does hold a small amount of truth to it, but nothing like what most people think. First of all, not all food in Africa is strange. It is not difficult to find a KFC or McDonald’s in many countries in Africa. There are restaurants where you can order a nice and juicy filet steak, seafood, pizza, pasta, burgers and basically whatever else you can think of. One of the most popular family meals in southern Africa is a “braai,” which is just an ordinary classic barbecue. In the more rural villages and tribes the people hunt for their food and so eat mostly game meat and, on occasion, they will eat certain types of worms, like the Mopani worm. It is impossible to find these foods in the towns and cities, so if you were ever to come and visit Africa, I doubt that you would even come across any of these.
Animals Galore
I have been asked on so many occasions if I have a pet lion, or if there are antelope outside my house. Well let me ask you – do you have a pet bear??? Of course not, there are just as many wild animals walking through my city at the moment as there are in New York. Wild animals are kept out of towns and cities by the lack of food, habitat and fences. The animals outside the cities and towns are completely wild and even the select few people that have hand-reared a lion will tell you that a wild animal will always be wild. So no, there are no wild animals walking down the street… The only wild animals that are everywhere in my town are the meerkats.
Serbia Misconceptions
Serbia is cold – one of the most common things I hear from foreigners. Yes, our winters were cold (once) but you should also add the fact that we didn’t have proper snow for 2 years so our winter is like autumn 2.0. Our summers are hot (temperature can go to 38 degrees) and our spring is warm so generally, Serbia isn’t really cold as some might expect.
Your typical summer scenario
Serbia is Siberia – I stopped counting how many times I heard this. Apparently, they have such similar names that people often confuse them (which could be a reason why many think that Serbia is cold but who knows). This is Siberia:
This is Serbia
Singapore Fun Facts
6 Fun facts about Singapore; according to some US citizens, Europeans, and other tourists. (which are all totally true.)
Singapore is a City/Province in China
See that arrow pointing towards that little dot on the map? That’s Singapore. Yup, definitely part of China, as you can see. We’re just 3585 km away from the Mainland.
How do We Say Hello in Singaporean?
English is totally not our national language. Many tourists believe all the signs in Singapore are written in English just for their convenience. Singapore citizens speak Singaporean, just like how Jews speak Jewish, Indians speak Indian, and Australians speak Australian.
You Will Get the Death Penalty for Chewing and Spitting Gum in Singapore
Apparently, Singapore’s no litter policy is so strict that tourists believe they’d at least spend a night behind bars and would have to call their lawyer if they were caught littering or chewing gum. Our Narcotics Bureau will crack down on gum smugglers, apparently.
Beijing or Tokyo is the Capital of Singapore
Yes, we are totally part of China or Japan, as stated in Fun Fact #1.
Singapore is Communist
Thanks to our Supreme Leader Lee Hsien Loong, his “democracy” has helped us achieve this —
We communists share our wealth generously
And as the government has taught us, religions are bad and all cults and places of worship are to be disbanded. Our only leader is the PAP (People’s action Party)
No worshiping of false idols here in Singapore.
Singapore is a Country Full of Multi-Millionaires
Yes, we communists all have the luxury of living in giant Mansions, as you can see here —
As clearly demonstrated in the movie; Crazy Rich Asians. (Okay, if you want a more serious take on the answer)
Non-sarcastic segment (addressing the misconceptions directly)
Turkey Myths
As I live in Poland as a Turkish guy and travelled a lot before that, it happened to me quite often.
Turkey is an Arabic Country, right?
Turkey is a Turkic country that majority of people speaks Turkish which is not related to Arabic except for many loanwords.
You Can Have Multiple Wives in Turkey, Right?
Yeah, I have harem in my house, but I am travelling to find new girls for my harem. And this is my house by the way. Seriously, just by watching some TV shows about Ottoman sultans who were very rich, people have this idea. But no. It is illegal to marry more than one person at a time.
Oh You Ride Camels!
In fact, I’ve only seen camels in a trip to Morocco and it was a tourist thing. I’ve never seen camel in Turkey. But in old Hollywood movies and some old cartoons Turkey was depicted like that and it is pretty orientalist. I must say that only one old American person said it to me
You are Turkish But You Drink
This is another postulate that all Turkish people are Muslims even though my mother and father are atheists and they raised me this way. Also, it doesn’t mean that all Turkish people who are drinking are atheists as many of my friends are not practicing Muslims and they drink. Even a lot more than me. (Oh this was an exaggeration considering that beer in Poland is crazy cheap and I like to go out for beers) The same goes for pork. I eat it but my Muslim friends never. Both are sins but one of them is OK for them, obviously.
All Concept of Kebab!
Well, it is part of our culture so there is this misconception too. You think this is kebab. In fact this is not kebab. This is döner. Kebab is the way of cooking it. Also I eat more döner here than I eat in Turkey because we have better foods.
Lastly, I would say that jokes about the turkey bird and the country name is pretty old-fashioned, isn’t it Americans? Why do you keep doing that? I laughed at that joke when I was in third grade, I think.
Saudi Arabia Misconceptions And Myths
Saudi Arabia is a Closed, Ultra-Conservative Country
This is one of the widely spread misconceptions about Saudi Arabia. 70% of the Saudi population is under the age of 30, and they are very open-minded and love, really love, to have fun, go to parties and enjoy life!
All Saudis are Rich Because They Have Oil
This is not true at all. While we have an excellent welfare system, a person’s education and hard work determine the quality of the life he or she will lead.
Saudi Arabia is a Desert and It is Extremely Hot
While Saudi Arabia is predominately a desert, the weather actually differs from one region into another. In August, some regions enjoy an average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, and other regions can get as hot as 45! What is more surprising is that it actually snows in Saudi Arabia!
Because Saudi Arabia is in the Middle East, it is Not Developed
In fact, Saudi Arabia is one of the most developed countries not only in the Middle East but also globally! Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure, road networks, electronic government services, education and healthcare system are some of the most developed in the world!
Pakistan
Just like all the other countries we have discussed above in detail, there are some major misconceptions and myths about Pakistan as a country and Pakistani as a nation. The very first thing that comes to the mind of any foreigner about Pakistan is that “ They hate their neighbors very hard, as they love their country much at the same time they want to leave their country every time.
Here we will discuss some of the misconceptions about Pakistan one by one.
Pakistan is a Terrorist’s Country
Everywhere you go and ask about Pakistan the first impression you will get from them is the label of “ being a terrorist country “. Especially every non-Muslim and Western country resident has assumed Pakistan with this dangerous label.
In reality, when we check the all facts by the data and experience, Nowadays Pakistan is a safe country just like all of the other countries. The Label of being a terrorist is not evenly justified by any fact or evidence just propaganda falsely spread through the media and journalism. There was a spike in the cases of terrorism in some of the border areas in the past for a limited time. That has now completely changed the reality. There are a lot of areas where the ratio of crimes and attacks is even lower than the tier-one countries. A lot of the foreigners who visit the country have accepted this fact with an open heart after the real-time experience.
Pakistani Women’s are the Oppressed
When it comes to the myths about Pakistan as a nation. The very first source is the Western or liberal ones who do so about Pakistan without the honesty of knowledge and intellect. In the world, it is the common view that in a country like Pakistan, there is no life or opportunity for females. Pakistani society is depriving women of their rights. But in reality, when you come and see real life in Pakistan with time, There is a much better situation in women’s empowerment. You will see a lot of people respecting women in every possible way. One will observe women having a leading role in the workplace.
You will observe the rules and legislation done in the favor of Pakistani women. Yes, most of the rules and laws are abide by the Islamic teachings. There may be cases where society needs to consider their way and improve they are facing the issues just due to low literacy rate issues.
School Doesn’t Exist
Another ridiculous yet serious nature misconception about Pakistan is there is no concept of education in Pakistan. Or country like Pakistan is deprived of the fundamental right and facility, which is the right to get an education. And have the schools built to access this right more easily and friendly.
In reality, According to a statistics report, there are 313,418 public and private schools (including 2,088 other public categories) across all levels in the school education system in Pakistan.
Pakistani Don’t Speak English
Most people think that Pakistanis speak a language like Arabic or Urdu. Just because these languages are close to Islam or their national language. And Pakistan as a whole nation hates the English language. But in reality, There are a lot of Pakistanis who love to learn the English language and speak it in their workplaces.
Pakistani students are constantly learning the English language as a second language to leverage the all international opportunity that requires the English language.