Friends, family living in ideal areas

[NoNo]

One of the really cool things about the car club I'm in is that even if you haven't actually met someone, you still open your home to them. In May of 07 I went over to England to meet the people from the club over there. Someone picked me up at Heathrow, took me to their house to stay for two days. Someone else picked me up from that house and took me to the hotel where the charity ball was held. People drove me around all that weekend. Then another person took me up to their house near York to stay for a few days and drove me around the area showing me the sights. It was a blast, my only housing costs were the weekend of the ball, and I got to see things that only the locals would know about. More importantly, I made some lifelong friends and look forward to returning there or opening my home to them.

In addition to the club, my mom's cousin just moved to London, after several years in Paris. I'm kind of upset I missed out seeing them in France. We also have family in Italy that I would like to meet. I talk to one of them on Facebook, and two of my cousins have gone over and met that side of the family, so at least there's some kind of link.

[sfa]

My sister and her family lived in Norway for six months this year, so of course I took the opportunity to visit them! What I didn't understand was that my sister and I were the ONLY family members to do that. My parents, other sister, and Norway-sister's husband's whole family stayed firmly planted in the US. When else are they going to have the opportunity to go to Norway with a free place to stay?

I wish I knew more people who lived in interesting places. I've lost touch with my Swiss friend (spent a lot of time with him in Lucerne 20 years ago) who has since moved to Australia. I have one friend in England, but I don't know her well enough to crash on her sofa--more of a "get together for a day if I'm around" kind of a friend. And my family lives in such exotic locales as Winston-Salem, NC and Blacksburg, VA. Sigh. Nice enough places, but not ideal vacation spots.

Sarah

[shootingstar]

My sister and her family lived in Norway for six months this year, so of course I took the opportunity to visit them! What I didn't understand was that my sister and I were the ONLY family members to do that. My parents, other sister, and Norway-sister's husband's whole family stayed firmly planted in the US. When else are they going to have the opportunity to go to Norway with a free place to stay?

Sarah

It is a shame sfa. For some people it's a huge psychological effort (and at times, cost and timing) to even plan a trip outside of North America, heck for some, even outside their own state/province. There are still some siblings who haven't visited me yet here. Will take time.

I actually have whole slew of relatives in San Francisco and these are aunts, uncles and cousins of the first order, not 2nd,3rd order. Heck, even a first cousin my age who was born a month later than I. Didn't even know until my late 20's when meeting her. But not close enough for me to phone any Frisco relative out there for even a coffee and pastry together. (no, not dim sum. Geez, coming from Vancouver....!)

One of the main reasons I've chosen so far not to visit Germany at that time when dearie was seeing relatives there, was to avoid the same situation as Catriona in Belgium. Freeze-outs due to lack of local linguisitic fluency. I know full well this living reality since my Chinese fluency has seriously eroded.

However we have entertained some German relatives since relocating here and now, I know which relatives we would be comfortable to drop by...for an "exchange" goodwill and happy visit.

[Cataboo]

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.

[papaver]

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.

That's us. Although it was quite funny to speak a belgian dialect in morocco with the local population really in the middle of nowhere.

[Veronica]

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.

Not sure why that should be mind boggling... we have traveled extensively in the US and still have lots to see and do. Plus I want to go back to a bunch of places. I thought about a cycling vacation in Ireland next summer, but I only have ten days between the end of the school year and master's classes starting. That 17 hour plane trip each way, just isn't appealing when you only have ten days. I don't even want to waste the six hours it would take each way to fly back east. So, I'm thinking a cycling trip down the coast... yeah we did it in 1992, so it's a repeat vacation.

Veronica

[Cataboo]

Not sure why that should be mind boggling... we have traveled extensively in the US and still have lots to see and do. Plus I want to go back to a bunch of places. I thought about a cycling vacation in Ireland next summer, but I only have ten days between the end of the school year and master's classes starting. That 17 hour plane trip each way, just isn't appealing when you only have ten days. I don't even want to waste the six hours it would take each way to fly back east. So, I'm thinking a cycling trip down the coast... yeah we did it in 1992, so it's a repeat vacation.

Veronica

It's mind boggling for someone to say that they never ever think they have a reason to leave the US for their entire lives. Even if they won the lottery and never had to work again and vacation and money weren't factors... Because I've asked that when told they see no reason to ever leave the US. You're deciding against Ireland based on vacation time. But if that wasn't a factor, would you want to go see the Great Wall of China or the pyramids in egypt or fill in the blank?

Although, one of the persons that I've had this conversation with is neighbors with Sarah Palin in Alaska.

[Veronica]

Now that is weird. I have a whole slew of places... Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland... I want to go to... pesky job gets in the way.

Veronica

[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.

[Cataboo]

hrm. Maybe I'm easily amused or grasp at nit picky details - but while the US and Canada are Westernized, but it's fairly diverse. I've never seen it as completely the same - except from the standpoint of a starbucks and a walmart box store on every corner.

From where I live, I can go a couple hours and meet Mennonites or Amish people. I can drive 4 hours to New York city, find the Orthodox Jewish population and it's a completely different world. Or go to West Virginia or southern Virgina and seriously - West Virginians are very different. Southeners are different from New Englanders and so are people from the Midwest or the California. I wouldn't have to go far to find a section of town that's completely Haitian or Vietnamese or Chinese or hispanic... The spanish influence on architecture and history in the south vs. what you get in the northern states is quite different. Then there's the history of the various indian tribes around the US.

Ecosystems are completely different across the US.

When I visit Canada - I notice definite differences in culture that goes way beyond they say eh a lot more up there. You can see a definite British influence around Toronto or Vancouver - just from the point of views of gardening or gardens alone... Quebec is definitely completely different from the US... our closest French influenced area is New Orleans, and obviously... new Orleans is way different from Quebec in development and where the french ancestry has branched.


Yes, it feels like a completely different world when I'm in Asia or a third world country somewhere... But it also is a completely different world when I'm in the middle of Alabama or West Virginia, or in an inner city Ghetto, or in the hispanic sections of Los Angeles.

I find it much more exotic to leave the country on a vacation - but I also really appreciate the differences within the US ecosystem or people wise...

[shootingstar]

hrm. Maybe I'm easily amused or grasp at nit picky details - but while the US and Canada are Westernized, but it's fairly diverse. I've never seen it as completely the same - except from the standpoint of a starbucks and a walmart box store on every corner.

From where I live, I can go a couple hours and meet Mennonites or Amish people. I can drive 4 hours to New York city, find the Orthodox Jewish population and it's a completely different world. Or go to West Virginia or southern Virgina and seriously - West Virginians are very different. Southeners are different from New Englanders and so are people from the Midwest or the California. I wouldn't have to go far to find a section of town that's completely Haitian or Vietnamese or Chinese or hispanic... The spanish influence on architecture and history in the south vs. what you get in the northern states is quite different. Then there's the history of the various indian tribes around the US.

Ecosystems are completely different across the US.

When I visit Canada - I notice definite differences in culture that goes way beyond they say eh a lot more up there. You can see a definite British influence around Toronto or Vancouver - just from the point of views of gardening or gardens alone... Quebec is definitely completely different from the US... our closest French influenced area is New Orleans, and obviously... new Orleans is way different from Quebec in development and where the french ancestry has branched.


Yes, it feels like a completely different world when I'm in Asia or a third world country somewhere... But it also is a completely different world when I'm in the middle of Alabama or West Virginia, or in an inner city Ghetto, or in the hispanic sections of Los Angeles.

I find it much more exotic to leave the country on a vacation - but I also really appreciate the differences within the US ecosystem or people wise...

In Canada and the U.S. really...one doesn't have to travel for kms. to find someone who speaks English, they may not be perfect, but still easily understood. There is always an English language fallback /helpful person around. This alone I distinguish a difference being in any Chinatown, Japantown, etc. in North America vs. being in China or Japan. I also consider the North American history of those ethnic groups different from the original mother country. Even the mother language transferred to North America, takes on new word idioms particular to that immigrant group to reflect their immigrant history/experience. It is for this reason alone, none of us have visited relatives in China when visiting China: cultural and linguistic gap is just too enormous plus there is no pre-history of us as kids establishing any relationship with any relative in China by mail/phone.

Yes, true about the Mennonites who are culturally as well as by religion. Even their German is different. But now we have the Mexican Mennonites settling in farming community in southern Ontario.