Around ~2008 I was in a Barcelona hostel and met a guy there. He started speaking and I interrupted him excitedly…“Oh you’re American!!”.
He looked down…the weight of pain curdled the air around us. You could sense deep sorrow welling beneath the surface of this man. He paused for what felt like an eternity to compose himself,
He looked up with a piercing, but harrowing, stare and said “No, I’m Canadian…”
I’ll never forget that moment. That sheer depth of emotion is something I haven’t experienced before or since.
Did I silently murder this poor Canadian soul? How do Canadians cope with the mistaken identity?
I wouldn’t feel too bad for mistaking a Canadian for an American. Our accents sound so similar that I don’t think its a big deal, especially for non native, or non North American english speakers.
That’s what I tell every Canadian I know who’s travelling anyhow. Just kindly tell them you are Canadian if they ever refer to you as American. Or carry Canadian insignia if you are concerned about it.