your country or the rest of the world

[Clara]

I love to learn about other countries because I find it helps me to understand my own. In fact, I have learned to appreciate the UK (good things and bad things) by spending time overseas. I don't know if I could live somewhere else. I used to think I could but now I'm not so sure. I'm even looking forward to moving back to England because I feel such a foreigner in Wales (I don't speak the language for a start).

 

[Miss Shelf]

The older I get, the more I appreciate my own country. I guess it depends on what you're comfortable with. I've traveled outside of my country and when I got home I wanted to kiss the ground. I'd prefer to travel more in the US than outside of it. It's easier for those of you who live in smaller countries, particularly Europe, to explore outside your culture. For those of us in the US, a trip to Spain is almost akin to a trip to the moon, while for Brits it's a simple hop.

 

[novella]

The older I get, the more I appreciate my own country. I guess it depends on what you're comfortable with. I've traveled outside of my country and when I got home I wanted to kiss the ground. I'd prefer to travel more in the US than outside of it. It's easier for those of you who live in smaller countries, particularly Europe, to explore outside your culture. For those of us in the US, a trip to Spain is almost akin to a trip to the moon, while for Brits it's a simple hop.

Oh, come now. It's much easier and cheaper and quicker for me to get to London or Paris than to Abilene.

There are aspects of American culture that I find embarrassing and disturbing. Patriotism and flagwaving, the culture of obesity and constant eating, glorifying celebrity at every level, elevation of popular culture to a system of metalinguistics, adoration of the perfect body while excusing complete ignorance, equating national pride with morality . . . I could go on.

Also, I would like to draw a distinction between my country and its government. I love my country and abhor its current government.

That said, I think there's nowhere in the world more tolerant, nowhere that a person can more fully develop as an individual, no place that values individual rights as highly as the US. Sure there are some problems, but by and large conflicts are not solved by throwing rocks at tanks and setting cars on fire.

I've lived in other places and felt the strictures of social conventions and societal expectations, which I felt myself succumbing to in order to blend in. That just doesn't happen in the US. If you want to be a gay Buddhist broncobuster with two adopted kids, and run an all night carwash that serves Indian food, America has a place for you.

 

[Kookamoor]

The older I get, the more I appreciate my own country. I guess it depends on what you're comfortable with. I've traveled outside of my country and when I got home I wanted to kiss the ground. I'd prefer to travel more in the US than outside of it.

I found that it wasn't until I travelled outside of Australia that I realised how much I didn't know about my own country, and how much more of it I wanted to see. I returned for a year after an 18 month stint in Canada and took a trip up to Kakadu, which I'm not sure I would have bothered to do had I not realised how much I hadn't seen and appreciated.

 

[muggle]

The older I get, the more I appreciate my own country. I guess it depends on what you're comfortable with. I've traveled outside of my country and when I got home I wanted to kiss the ground. I'd prefer to travel more in the US than outside of it. It's easier for those of you who live in smaller countries, particularly Europe, to explore outside your culture. For those of us in the US, a trip to Spain is almost akin to a trip to the moon, while for Brits it's a simple hop.

Correct, it is much easier to travel within the U.S., and Canada, than making a trip to Europe. Actually, it is interesting to visit the different states in the U.S. as it is a little different from state to state.

I have lived in Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and finally retired in Virginia. I have traveled to most of the states except the Northwest and upper mid-west either for vacation, work, or related to auto racing. We raced at Laguna Seca in Monterey, CA, Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, Cleveland, OH, and Mosport at Bowmanville, Canada and at a track in West Virginia. There were times during my working career when I would travel frequently.....and there are still many places in the U.S. that I would like to visit.

 

[SFG75]

Here comes the unpatriotic bad guy.....

I would move to Canada, the UK and a few other places in a second if Tom would go with me. I don't care all that much for this country and I'm thankful that I live in the area I do. I don't think I could survive in a midwestern social climate (sorry guys). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this country is the worst place in the world I could live. It isn't, and I'm glad I have the oportunities that I do. I just think that other western countries have more to offer me.

surprised me here. Here's a good link of interest.

 

[direstraits]

I have lived in Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and finally retired in Virginia.

This is very interesting for me. Is it difficult to move around like this? Aren't you mired in paperwork to transfer everything out of one state to another, or is it a simple matter of packing up and go?

I'd love to sample as many different parts of US as I can, when I can. I've been to quite a few places in Europe already, but I'd love to travel more of US, as I've only been to Boston (which I thought was a lovely city with lovely lovely people).

ds

 

[turque]

I do not like my country, the people sucks... I got more interest in other cultures than mine... don't ask me why (because I just fell it) and don't ask me which is my country!
Neverland... over the rainbow! I am Peter from Neverland!

PS: turque does not come from Turkey!

 

[Billy]

I love my country and I love the fact that we are fairly unimportant in a global perspective. I don't think I would like to live anywhere else, but there are lots of places I would love to visit for a while, even a long while, but I would always be happy to come home.

 

[JoannaC]

I have been living in New Zealand for the past year and it has made me quite nostalgic for Canada. But I am sure that within five minutes of being back in Canada, I will be gushing sentimentally about New Zealand. I am not a born traveller. I enjoy it, but in limited doses. NZ has been a little different in that I was living here, not just being on vacation, so I did have a home base. I went on excursions and enjiyed them, but after about a week I was ready for my bed and my shower and all of that.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

I have been living in New Zealand for the past year and it has made me quite nostalgic for Canada. But I am sure that within five minutes of being back in Canada, I will be gushing sentimentally about New Zealand. I am not a born traveller. I enjoy it, but in limited doses. NZ has been a little different in that I was living here, not just being on vacation, so I did have a home base. I went on excursions and enjiyed them, but after about a week I was ready for my bed and my shower and all of that.

Yay NZ Where abouts do you live?

 

[steffee]

What a fantastic thread!! Needs a revive, methinks.

I love the UK. It's so fasinating, and parts of the UK, like the Lake District, Cornwall, all of Wales, Glencoe in Scotland, Seil Island, the Trossachs, Inverness etc, are so beautiful, and an absolute joy to visit. I have travelled quite a bit round England, Scotland and Wales, but have yet to visit Ireland and I can't wait to later this year.

Saying that, I would like to live in Canada. My parents emigrated there when I was a three-month old baby, and stayed for two years, but I still have family there and it sounds amazing. So, I dunno, I love the UK, I love Europe ('cept Spain) and would love to live in Canada, at least for a while.

 

[novella]

What a fantastic thread!! Needs a revive, methinks.

I love the UK. It's so fasinating, and parts of the UK, like the Lake District, Cornwall, all of Wales, Glencoe in Scotland, Seil Island, the Trossachs, Inverness etc, are so beautiful, and an absolute joy to visit. I have travelled quite a bit round England, Scotland and Wales, but have yet to visit Ireland and I can't wait to later this year.

Saying that, I would like to live in Canada. My parents emigrated there when I was a three-month old baby, and stayed for two years, but I still have family there and it sounds amazing. So, I dunno, I love the UK, I love Europe ('cept Spain) and would love to live in Canada, at least for a while.

Oh, I too love England, steffee. I'm oh so familiar with the Midlands as well. Where would we be without England? The world would be speaking French, and we'd be forced to read books about lingerie, philosophie, and deconstruction. Mon dieu!

 

[steffee]

Oh, I too love England, steffee. I'm oh so familiar with the Midlands as well. Where would we be without England? The world would be speaking French, and we'd be forced to read books about lingerie, philosophie, and deconstruction. Mon dieu!

LOL!!

Yeah, imagine that...