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.

[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.

[Aggie_Ama]

DH and I have the goal to see all 50 states. Sure some aren't that interesting but the US is a HUGE country and I feel a bit annoyed by people who don't try to learn about their country. For me I would love to see every state and every province in Canada. We also want to go out of the country but it does generally require more money and time off. I am not opposed to it but it isn't the most feasible goal.

We have a close friend living in Alaska, so next year we are getting to add a state that is usually very expensive to visit. I have wanted to go to Alaska since I was a kid and having one of our best friends there is just a great excuse!

[Tuckervill]

We were in Montreal a couple weeks ago, just overnight (staying in Vermont).

I was surprised and impressed and grateful to all the people we spoke to. When they said "bon jour" and we said, "Hi", they were almost apologetic that they didn't figure out that we spoke English and not French, and happily repeated everything they'd said in French for us to understand.

I rode for a while with a cyclist in Vermont who said he rode from his home in Middlebury to Montreal and back once a year (150 miles one way). He said the hardest part was trying to find a place to use the bathroom once he entered Quebec. ?? He said the farmers between the border and Montreal tended to speak a dialect of French that even people in Montreal didn't understand. I don't know if that's true, but I thought it was interesting. (By the way, the man was 70 years old.)

Karen

[e.e.cummings]

shootingstar, one of your comments reminded me of a friend of mine who took a cycling trip to Denmark - she came back saying - I could have gotten that landscape in Vermont! It is true, there are places that just look the same.

-We may join friends in Normandy, France next summer (son's best friend, we get along with the parents very well.)
-Dh's best friend is a professor in Calgary, and has a place near Banff - never been, love to go.
-have a friend/colleague in Vancouver - want to go all over again - never been in the summer. She is thinking of renting her place during the Olympics - she wants to get out of Dodge! Hmmmmm....

[shootingstar]

shootingstar, one of your comments reminded me of a friend of mine who took a cycling trip to Denmark - she came back saying - I could have gotten that landscape in Vermont! It is true, there are places that just look the same.

-We may join friends in Normandy, France next summer (son's best friend, we get along with the parents very well.)
-Dh's best friend is a professor in Calgary, and has a place near Banff - never been, love to go.
-have a friend/colleague in Vancouver - want to go all over again - never been in the summer. She is thinking of renting her place during the Olympics - she wants to get out of Dodge! Hmmmmm....

Well, Denmark sounds different enough culturally. My partner has been to Copenhagen twice..with latter trip examining their cycling infrastructure for several days and meeting local cycling advocates. Alot of history there and very different since the city so bike-oriented. So please...I meant sometimes the landscape looks the same....without the local people.

I'm telling friends: unless you're actually attending Olympic event, don't bother visiting us during the Olympics. It's going to be mayhem here in Vancouver. 250,000 extra people (than normal) daily in downtown core. This includes the media, athletes, visitors, security..

I live very close to one of the Olympic venues downtown plus less than 1 kms. radius from 3 major public park /event areas that will be active from 11 am - 11pm minimum during the whole 2 wks. These meet areas will have music, crowds, etc. Groan. The city wants to reduce cars into downtown by....35% in total during the Olympics.

Several other TE Vancouver members live not far also from the ..uh..crowded action. Unless they are taking off outside of Vancouver.