A few months back, a female Chinese colleague of mine came to my desk and asked me if I had received an email from her. I didn't really know who she was so I very well could have received one from her but didn't realize it. She said it was an email asking me to give some input into her team's project and she referred to me as 'an expert in that area of software so we'd really like your comments'.
I hadn't really thought of myself as an expert before but after a compliment like that I couldn't turn down her request for my help.
'Oh, I didn't get this email but if you send it again I'll have a look and do what I can.'
She was pleased with this answer and went off to supposedly send me another email.
A few days later she walked by my desk so I told her I still hadn't received an email from her. She was surprised as she had now sent it twice. I told her just to instant message me over the office messenger. The rest of that day I still received no message.
The next day she came by my desk again and said...
'You're not Mike. Are you?' (another foreigner colleague of mine from Norway)
'No, I'm not'
'Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought you were Mike, that's why I asked you for your help' (that made sense since I really had not much of an idea of the work she was talking about and he really is an expert.)
Accidents do happen so no big deal but the best part was that as she walked away she, very nonchalantly, said 'All you foreigners look alike to me anyways'.
Ha! That is mildly offensive! but.....ditto. ;)
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