“Why Am I White?”: Nurse Shares the Daily Struggles of a South African Working in the USA
- A South African nurse working in the USA shared the strange and sometimes offensive questions she gets asked by patients
- The video showed her dealing with people asking if she speaks English, confusing her country with Australia or Russia
- South Africans living abroad flooded the comments sharing similar experiences, with many saying they've been asked if they own lions
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Source: Facebook
A South African nurse working in the United States shared some of the bizarre questions and struggles she faces from patients who don't understand where she's from. The woman shared the video on 20 January 2026 on her Facebook page @GirlintheJeep.
In the clip, the woman was recording at her workplace and recreated some of the conversations she has with patients on a regular basis. She started by introducing herself to a patient, saying,
"Good morning, Sir. My name is Rona, and I'll be your nurse today."
Immediately, she gets asked if she speaks English. She responds yes, explaining that she just has an accent.
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The questions then escalated to people trying to guess where she's from. She clarified that no, she's not from Australia, and no, she's not from Russia either. She's from South Africa. But even after explaining this, patients seem confused, asking where the South of Africa was based. She responded:
"What do you mean by where in Africa? My country is called South Africa."
Things get even stranger when patients ask if she knows a Ben from Ghana. She responds that she's sorry, but she doesn't know anybody from Ghana, questioning why she would know anyone from Ghana just because they're both from the African continent. It's like assuming every American knows every other American simply because they live on the same landmass.
The video ended with the most shocking question of all. A patient asked her,
"Why are you white?"
At this point, she got up angrily and walked away, showing just how frustrated she gets with these kinds of questions.
Watch the Facebook clip below:
Netizens relate to SA nurse's USA struggle
Many expats shared similar situations they experienced on Facebook user @GirlintheJeep's video:
@chasecrampton said:
"I was asked how I got there 😐. Do I own lions, do we have computers, etc."
@susanparsons shared:
"First comment after I said South Africa: 'but you're not black!'..."
@sarahjones wrote:
"I had someone ask me once if my parents were white 😂"
@jonathanwobkerblackbeard revealed:
"I was an exchange student in Alabama in 2000/2001. These were the regular questions I was asked. It was so ridiculous, but I love the stories of the stupid questions 😂"
@rosiegarcia joked:
"🤣🤣 My wife gets the same questionnaire. Sometimes it includes 'Where is South Africa?' Sometimes she's replied 'in the North.'"
@jpgreenop added:
"I'm a South African living in the UK. Ive been confused with an Australian. I also got asked 'Are you a kiwi?' once."
@carolineeaton sympathised:
"Skattie, I sympathise. Been asked all those questions in the UK as well! 😂"
@ilzekruger wondered:
"Sometimes I wonder what they are taught in school..."
Source: Facebook
More about South Africans and America
- Briefly News recently reported on an American woman who discovered a South African bar in Los Angeles.
- A talented South African woman living in the United States gave her followers a rare look into her life as a chef.
- An American woman who moved to South Africa shared how the country's currency made her realise how racist her home country is.
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Source: Briefly News
