My Life as a Foreigner: 5 Weird Situations I've Experienced in Minnesota

1. Not Understanding Some Important Words

I had to go to the restroom at an Irish pub. Once I got there I couldn't really figure out what the gender signs meant. I figured "lads" had to be short for ladies, so that's the one I went into. Luckily it was empty, but I met a man on my way out and he pointed out, not too nicely, "wrong door!!!".

2. Going Topless in Public?

I had just started dating my boyfriend and he told me he was going to take me out in his Jeep, topless! I freaked out for a moment, until I realized he was talking about the roof, not my clothes.

3. Joining the Olympic Team

My Swedish friends and I were out in uptown. We all happen to be blonde, and we all happened to be wearing navy blue jackets. A guy next to us, that hadn't even heard us speak, asked us if we were the Swedish Olympic curling team.We thought it was hilarious and said "of course." Apparently the news spread, and before the night was over we were standing inside of McDonald's taking fan pictures with people.

4. Weird Pick-Up Lines

A guy actually asked me "Don't you need a green card?" as a pick-up line.

5. Mixing Words Up

The word "sex" in Swedish means both six and sex. It can get kind of weird when you forget that's not the case in English.