Friends, family living in ideal areas

[shootingstar]

I think the US really doesn't have that much of a culture of overseas travel - or out of the country. The US is huge and there's so much to see inside of it, that you can do for cheaper than going over seas and you don't have a pesky language barrier to deal with.

Although, I've really found that I do okay being a clueless tourist who only speaks english where ever I am in the world. However, it was easier traveling with the belgian bf and his french, english, flemish, german, russian, english, spanish, and italian language abilities. Even if it meant that he was speaking German to some Turkish guy up a small mountain in the middle of nowhere Turkey because that was the only language they could find in common.

But I've had people tell me that they have no desire to ever leave the US or to visit another country because they can see everything in the US... and it just boggles my mind.

When dearie is travelling in Europe but outside of the U.K., he will first use his German on a non-German local before he tries English. And it has worked 50% of time, when he was in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.

Of course none of the spoken Asian languages have similarity except maybe for "tea". Yes, a drag especially when also one cannot read a language script.

True, that given the sheer size of Canada (bigger than U.S.) and U.S., it can be costly, there is a great deal to see with different regional differences in terms of history and environment/geography. However there is an underlying cultural sameness and ethos in North America...to me, which is Westernized. It's annoying at times, to have to travel several hundred, even over 1,000 kms., before one sees a starkly different landscape or urban/rural life.

Methinks that now the world is plugged into the Internet, it misleads us to think we have great global consciousness and real sensitive understanding of foreign cultures, languages, when we connect with people worldwide, see more 'foreign' images. Doesn't invalidate online relationships and understanding but it's an experience....under the control of each Internet user/communicator..on our own terms/time when we feel like reaching out. Not plopped suddenly into a foreign culture/linguistic group.

I mind less to be thrown into a foreign language culture where I am with friendly strangers speaking their language. It doesn't bother me as much as being part of a family where family members are speaking a language I can barely understand or don't understand at all. But then, I've lived a twilight language zone for most of my life, ...so for me to go to Quebec or to France..it actually felt ...like hanging out with my Chinese-speaking relatives: not understanding a whole lot of the language, but just enough so one doesn't feel panicky/too lost.

We have deliberately chosen to visit (and do some minor cycling also) in some parts of the U.S. that are VERY different in terms of history / environment: ie. New Mexico. There is no equivalent of the Southwest Indian history, culture and art in Canada.

And Hawaii (where I've visited twice) which I do consider, despite its American insitutions, its underlying history and culture, plus tropical lush environment (well on some parts of the islands), very different...to me ...than mainland U.S. or even California where there is high % of Asian-origin Americans.

So I guess part of me does now want travel experiences where I wouldn't normally get here in our area which already offers alot that we still haven't seen.

There are parts of the U.S. which I'm not motivated to visit. If travelling through visually, my perception would be: now how is the landscape visually different from....ie. southern Ontario? And true, if it's a sizable North American city to spend alot of time, I confess I do prefer cities with a noticeable amount of visible diversity among its locals. After being in some rural areas with homogenous populations...after awhile I get...sorry..bored. I just feel culturally stifled.