"English is not the first language in Sweden, you can paint yourself blue and run backwards and scream and nobody will notice" - Bill Bryson.

So I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's book "Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe" that he wrote about his travel in Europe, the book was later published in 1991, so it was all based on his 1987 journey experiences. I'm from Sweden, I love how he paints our country and culture in such hilarious ways, of course, I know Sweden is not as he describes it but it's really funny to see the country through his eyes.<br><br>For example, in the book he says;<br><br>"So I decided I had to get out of this hotel" (Hotel in Sweden) he says "for no other reason than just to simultaneously get out and to get paint on my face. ...I walked inside the bar, and I asked for a beer, and they said 'we don't serve beer after midnight' and I said 'why not?' and they said 'it's the law.' And I said 'Oh, I see.' "<br><br>Then as he had nothing to do and had already decided to leave the hotel, he decided to paint all his face blue, he says he got the paint from the desk of the hotel, as he was painting his face he said he was thinking to himself "It's mid night. I'm alone in my room in my hotel in a foreign country painting my head blue as a member of a primitive tribe. And no one cares. What am I doing here, why did I come to Sweden?".<br><br>He then decided to leave the hotel to a bar, as he was entering the bar everybody looked at him in surprise, he said "I'd never in my whole life drawn so much attention" he walked up to the barman and said "A beer please" the barman said "Sorry but we don't serve beer after midnight, it's the law" and I'm like "It doesn't matter... can I have a beer please, because I painted myself blue and I don't have anywhere to go, so I have to stay here" ...then everyone at the bar stopped looking at him, because the most surprising thing for them was that he spoke Swedish, that a "painted man" could speak Swedish.<br><br>Then he further says;<br><br>"...it was my first lesson of how the Scandinavians view foreigners... They paint their faces blue, or they can't speak Swedish. They're all the same. They're all just paint on the outside, nothing in common with us"<br><br>So I'm currently reading the book and it has many hilarious stuffs about my country. And I'm just simultaneously happy and sad that the language has progressed this much that we can have people from different cultures who can speak Swedish as we Swedes do, but at the same time I'm sad that we have become so much aware of other cultures in the country, so much that nowadays you don't see these kind of things happen anymore.<br><br>But anyways, what are your experiences with languages? How would you view a foreigner who painted his face blue or acted weird in your country?