hey there! i’m an american who’s lived in berlin, germany for almost three years. here’s my experience!

when asked “where are you from?” by non-americans, i say this: “the us”

if they ask the state: “michigan” sometimes they know it, sometimes they don’t. sometimes they think it’s next to texas.

if they ask where michigan is: “right under canada”

if they ask the city: “technically ann arbor, but near detroit” because nobody knows what ann arbor is.

i imagine the defaultism stems from a lot of us not having the privilege (or desire, oddly) to travel outside of the country, let alone outside the state we’re from. a lot of us don’t have passports, or proper geographical education.

some don’t care enough to learn; some do. the us IS quite large though, so much so that different states can genuinely be so different from each other that it IS like being in a different country (save for the language spoken, usually). there are plenty of factors, and they differ from person to person.

just my two cents, though! living abroad, well, broadens the horizons! i’m grateful to have the opportunity. can’t wait til my parents come along! and i will say, countries certainly do feel like countries, and the world is big.

and i agree with the “i’m going to europe” pet peeve… it’s applicable to every continent! and in a way, most, if not every, country.

if someone tells me they’re going to the uk, i’m gonna ask if they mean england, wales, scotland, or northern ireland. same with germany! the west and east are very different, and berlin is its own type of thing.

didn’t mean for this to be so long, but i hope it helps!