When being asked where I hail from, I've taken to turning the question back around on the person asking. Partly because I want to know their thoughts, partly because I get asked the question so often it's nice to switch up the conversation, and thirdly it extends the conversation. Here is a list of all the places I have been asked or assumed I was from.
Pakistan - by far tops the list.
India - a close second.
Morocco - apparently my accent has some elements of Moroccan dialect in it. I got asked this even from some of our teachers back in America.
Kuwait - or some Gulf Emirate in general, for the same reason as above.
a Levantine country - I don't remember which one and I don't remember why either.
Libya - it was a shot in the dark attempt by a taxi driver.
Oman - There is a mosque nearby the apartment that I've prayed in a few times. The farthest any conversation between myself and another congregant has ever gone is the formulaic greeting of peace. The neighborhood is small and everybody is on a first name basis with each other; my presence as a newcomer is certainly perceived. Apparently word spread somehow that I was from Oman.
Bosnia - Let's not forget this anomaly. It's also the newest of the bunch.
Bosnia - Let's not forget this anomaly. It's also the newest of the bunch.
So that basically covers about half of the Arabic speaking world. If Libya, Tunis, Yemen, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and hopefully Egypt, come into play I'll be sure to update.
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