That refugees don’t have a great life in refugee camps and don’t enjoy more privileges than locals. A guy complained that language courses and (the really poor housing) are a luxury Germans don’t get. I can’t understand how living in crapy camps and getting some language courses to navigate through life can be seen as luxury.

In another situation a guy who was asked 8 questions in a short survey by the train company was unable to understand why the company is interested in this travel route. I did not say anything, but I should have pointed out that this survey can be answered volunarily and that the company plans its service according to demand and use. I don’t know why this was hard to understand.

My friend was helping a new set of refugees adjust to life in canada. He had to take them shopping for groceries so he took them to the local supermarket (Real Canadian Superstore i think). The refugees first entered the store and he told me that they all were in shock and awe at the size of the store. They asked if all stores were this large in Canada.  They thought the size was a result of engineering code to make all large places of gathering bomb proof in case of bombing.
My friend explained back: “Nope, not bombing, just for shopping.”
 

Why the Winter Olympics was called the Winter Olympics. I tried to keep the sarcasim out of my answer but failed.

The Beatles name is misspelled because of the “beat”.

Why CINCO DE MAYO always is celebrated in May 5th?  (is like asking why the 4TH OF JULY is always celebrated on July 4th)…. Is bad enough that most Americans and a large part of the Latino community think that is Mexican Independence Day (Is NOT, Independence day in Mexico is celebrated in September 16) but with Google and all the apps in our phones, there is NO excuse no to know that Cinco de Mayo means MAY 5th
I had to explain this to several adults in the around the world.

That we Mexicans do not live that hollywood pictures us, i had to explain, several times, that we do not go around riding donkeys and drinking tequila while asleep in a cactus, a German friend actually got quite impressed when he visited me in me home city of Guadalajara, and found out that México has huge cities and a lot of european influence, i mean, come on! don’t they use google???

When I was in the Army, I had to teach a new private how to pump gas. I was truly dumbfounded when he told me didn’t know how, and thought he was screwing with me. He owned a car! Apparently his parents and girlfriend always did it for him. Hard to believe a 19 year old in the U.S. didn’t know how, made wonder how he fed himself.

I had to explain to a 35 year old that Alaska was not out in the Pacific next to Hawaii. She did not understand that as she’d always seen them side by side on a non-scale map. She was also equally confused when I told her the reason for their difference in climate.

While visiting my mothers house on rural lake Erie with a friend we were outside drinking some beers with my stepbrother.  It happened to be an annual meteor shower event… my 28YO friend (good private school and a business graduate) pointed out a “shooting star” and asked how something like the sun could move so fast.  He knew that the sun was a star, but thought that “shooting stars” were actual stars passing by and not meteorites hitting the upper atmosphere.  We broke the news to him and it appeared his childhood reasoning was just crushed.

How if you take your birth year away from the current year you get your age… to two colleagues both in their mid twenties. One got a calculator out because she didn’t believe me. *face palm*

My neighbour wanted to get a toasted sandwich machine and i showed him that a frypan does the same job. He was so amazed and i thought he was taking the piss out of me but when he called his parents to share this revalation it confirmed i was living next to a hilarious loveable 30 year old manchild.

A co worker was explaining how progressive he was by boycotting the red meat industry and all its evils. I asked him to explain his leather belt, with a highly annoyed look on his face that showed he didn’t think I was listening and snapped “Deerrr its organic…” It was such a pleasure to let him know he was wearing cow skin. 

When I worked at a home improvement store (the big orange one), I got a call from a woman who wanted new carpeting and tile installed.  Both she and her husband were totally blind, both being blind from birth.  I had to try to explain how to coordinate style and color to a couple who cannot possibly know what I was talking about.  But I did my best and scheduled installation.  You don’t realize how hard it is to explain simple details to someone who in-turn put their complete trust in me to not screw them over.

Anything credit/ debit card related to my mother-in-law. Literally every single time she pays via card, it is a struggle, a battle, a losing struggle. I explain to her strip facing, no, the card is upside down no… Okay, mag strip is facing the wrong way again. My wife tells her to just look at the picture, and match the card to that orientation. M-I-L insists she is, did, has, and it still hasn’t worked.
It was a frustrating war to teach her to use pay at the pump. To this day, she would rather brave -20 degree snow storms, instead of using the pay at the pump.

Server here, I have had to explain to more than a dozen full grown adults that the reason some cuts of meat (like chicken wings) have veins in them is that they are pieces of an animal, and animals have veins.

My boyfriend and I were discussing plans for a vacation to italy we would like to take, and I suggested we visit Venice while we’re there. After 5 minutes of confusion while he ranted about the political and economical struggles, and why he would never go there, I ask him if he meant Venezuela.  He did. I then had to explaim to him that they are different. 

My brother-in-law and I worked at the same company. He was an electrical draftsman and I was a sysop/systems programmer so my salary was substantially higher than his. Every time we all got a cost-of-living increase he complained that because I made more money than he did, I got a bigger raise. I tried to explain by saying if everything in the universe expanded by 10% you would never know the difference because rulers would also expand by 10%. I couldn’t get through to him.

Once my wife (who is an MBA in travel and tourism) tried to explain to me that you can check-in your hand hand baggage even if you have not bought any check-in luggage . I tried to explain to her that when you have not bought check-in luggage, hand carry is what you are allowed to in your hand into the airplane. We had a big fight and she still doesnt agree. (It has been three months, I have given up)