Unfortunately, this kind of experience is not uncommon.
Shortly after I came to the US, I lived in a large Capuchin friary. One day someone asked me if the mop left in the bathroom was mine. Alas, I had no idea what a mop was: I never saw one before coming to the US, I did not know what they were for even after I got to see them, and, most importantly, I did not know the word "mop".
So, I asked, "What's a mop?"
The man knew English was not my language. So, instead of telling me what a mop was, he just yelled very rapidly:
The mop! The mop! The mop!
Well, gee, that really explained it!