But then they told me I was an exception or something, or things in other Latin American countries besides mine were like that.

This. (I will never forget the US citizen who asked my sister if, when we lived in Mexico, we rode a burrito-- yes, the food-- to school. I think he must've been "burro," but FUCK, if you're going to ask stupid questions, AT LEAST ASK THEM WITH MINIMUM IDIOCY.)