Hehehe I can imagine you have many stories. I worked with Eastern Europeans in Norway and discussing interactions with Americans can be quite funny.

I know that as a Norwegian I can accidentally offend Americans at times because our Nordic way of communications is more direct. But then I think: My God Eastern Europeans must have a real problem because I think you guys are even more blunt.

Did you ever have that problem? Like have people accepted in the past that just because you look white doesn't mean you "act white" as Americans would describe it. I sometimes think that in the American world "white" is really a short-hand reference for people acting and living like the typical role played by actress Reese Witherspoon.

I notice in raising my kids that I sometimes have to discuss with my wife about talking calmly. It feels like that in American culture there is a lot more yelling between parents and children. The Nordic way emphasize much more calm and composed behavior.

Acting out too loudly signals that you are not in metal control of yourself and makes everybody around you cringe. An American told me he had gotten angry in a meeting and loud so everybody would understand the seriousness of the matter and that they would listen to him. I was like: "Oh God, no man you cannot do that in Norway. Visible display of anger makes you loose all credibility in Norway. People stop listening to you and turn you into a problem case which needs solving."

It is funny all these little subtleties which you never think about, because nobody gave you an explicit lesson in what all sort of behavior means and is interpreted. You just internalized it from how everybody around you behave.