Filled in my address for an NH hotel in Luxembourg last week, yep Swaziland on the bill despite showing my Swiss ID at check in etc. I won't try speaking French next time.

And i speak Swiss fluently.

in defence of all the dummies, it may be mentioned that Swiss and Swedish people in many places around the globe did and do co-operate very often. I in a museum at St Helier saw a film documentary and could see a Swiss-Swedish ship arriving at St Helier at war-end 1945, with a load of Swiss and Swedish doctors on board. That the CH-SE folks spoke English to each other was of minor relevance, that they however co-operated excellently was what made the day. The Channel-Islanders who saw those days of course are long gone, but the close linkup of the two countries is enshrined in history. In about 1980 an old ChannelIslander lady told me that it did not matter to her whether I was from Sweden or Switzerland or Swaziland but that she would always remember this Swiss-Swedish action.

I kept having trouble looking up weather forecasts on wunderground.com when I first moved here because I was using CH when I abbreviated.

Turns out wunderground thought the country code for Switzerland was SW. I sent them a message and they fixed the whole website. Thank you, Spouse. You are quite welcome, World.

You should next time speak Züritüütsch when in LUX and people will assume that you try to speak Lechteburgish

Poor Switzerland. Last time I was in Canada I was ID'd when I bought booze. So I showed my Swiss driver's license. On two occasions the cashier asked me if I worked for the Red Cross.

The cashier needs support. Both flags, the RedCross flag and the Swiss flag, were devised by the same person, General Henri Dufour


Guillaume-Henri Dufour


Guillaume-Henri Dufour (* 15. September 1787 in Konstanz; † 14. Juli 1875 in Les Eaux-Vives,

I tried to explain to our milkman for years... that Switzerland is not Sweden, and that, no, I can't speak Swedish ... nor Swissish for that matter. But it never got through, somehow (:

Czech embassy had to launch a massive media campaign in the US after the two brothers from Chechnia targetted the marathon. Meh. Journalists.

Ouch! When I say Romania....oh...Chachesko, Drakyula and Nadia. So I know we really are famous, even to Americans....
But everybody is sure the capital is Budapest.

I'd rather be known by Dracula than by Pilsner and Budweiser.

The American immigration service or whatever they are called (I can think of a few suggestions too) code the united kingdom "GB" and take great pleasure in correcting you if you put "UK" as that apparently is the code for Ukraine. And being Americans I guess that they cannot tell a British accent from a Ukrainian one. To make it better, customs or some other equally efficient department use "UK" for the UK just to keep you guessing when you fill out the US governments famously well designed forms.

Ok, I am getting angry writing this, total bunch of autocratic arsemuppets. NSA on the other hand, we love you guys, nothing to see here...,

To be fair, the GB code is an ISO 3166 abbreviation, not a US government INS thing. That's the same international organization that made Switzerland/Schweiz/Suisse/Svizerra abbreviate to CH.

I met someone once (in Europe) who could not distinguish Kansas from Arkansas and thought they were interchangeable.

I've also received a package once, originally meant to reach me in Switzerland, which I got after a "little detour" of several weeks in Swaziland!

Ignorance clearly is without borders.

I was once sending a parcel from here to England, and the young guy behind the Post Office counter had to check with a colleague whether that was in Great Britain.

That's not surprising. Much to the ire of the Scots, Welsh and (N) Irish, most (continental) Europeans think it is all just England, and don't realise the difference between England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom.

Of course I was always aware of Chehia (this is how we call Czech Republic), but when I think of it today, Milan Kundera is what pops in my mind first of all.

Although I would not say No to a Budweiser, especially on a hot day after some hiking. Bless.

I havent been (yet) told I have a delicious Draculian accent, like some of my friends.. Wonder if it actually sounds kind of Russian or German, or a mix. Neither was I called Draculette (like one of our sopranos), probably dont have enough of a hot temper.

As opposed to Czechia or Chechni(y)a... only a typo away for easy confusion...

Turkmenistan, Tajikistan...how many people know there is a difference. The list could go on and on.
I dont think I know all state capital cities of the USA by heart. Sure, I had to learn them for Geography moons ago, but...but.

North Carolina/ Raleigh. Cmon. But if I was to write an article about North Carolina, I would have made damn sure I got at least the name of the capital city right.

What tickles me to death is that, I of course notice little mishaps in marketing and even more serious ones in health service in the US where the red cross is actually depicted as a Swiss flag. In many kids toys stores I have seen doctor play sets with the white cross and red background. My friend was even telling me of an ambulance with a red strip across it with a white cross inside. I can understand that someone wouldn't know the difference between Switzerland and Sweden given that geography is taught in sixth or seventh grade and the subject isn't touched afterwards, but confusing the cross....doesn't that speak for itself!