How you act when living abroad

[Unkotare]

Unkotare -

There was no test - I really can't fathom your aggression and insults on this thread at all!

I am just really surprised that anyone could live in China for two years, and not feel he gained any new insights into the country he grew up in as a result.

Go figure...

First of all, stop whining. Second, I 'understood' my country before I went anywhere.

 

[Unkotare]

And if you lack the ability or the willingness to know your country while you are there you won't know it from somewhere else. You'll just ape the attitudes of others because, having never worked it out for yourself, you are easily influenced. I saw many such weak-minded lumps of clay abroad.

 

[Unkotare]

I am just really surprised that anyone could live in China for two years, and not feel he gained any new insights into the country he grew up in as a result.
...

Why so surprised?

 

[ABikerSailor]

Unkotare -

There was no test - I really can't fathom your aggression and insults on this thread at all!

I am just really surprised that anyone could live in China for two years, and not feel he gained any new insights into the country he grew up in as a result.

Go figure...

First of all, stop whining. Second, I 'understood' my country before I went anywhere.

Quick question, didn't you come back here to America with a bit of a different perspective, comparing the place you lived overseas with the place you were born here in America?

I know that traveling while in the Navy did that for me, because I got to see how other countries actually did things rather than just reading about them, and was able to compare them to this country, which (at least for me) gave me new perspectives about America, and where we were doing good, and where we could possibly use a bit of improvement.

 

[Unkotare]

Unkotare -

There was no test - I really can't fathom your aggression and insults on this thread at all!

I am just really surprised that anyone could live in China for two years, and not feel he gained any new insights into the country he grew up in as a result.

Go figure...

First of all, stop whining. Second, I 'understood' my country before I went anywhere.

Quick question, didn't you come back here to America with a bit of a different perspective, comparing the place you lived overseas with the place you were born here in America?

Only in the sense that I hadn't been at all familiar with, for example, China before I moved there. So you could say I understood China better, but I already understood my own country before I went anywhere. I didn't change my view of the US because I had spent years somewhere else. I would say the biggest impression I was left with was how similar, fundamentally, Chinese folks were to American folks, despite how much people love to make of differences and 'them' vs 'us' and all that.

 

[Saigon]

. I would say the biggest impression I was left with was how similar, fundamentally, Chinese folks were to American folks, despite how much people love to make of differences and 'them' vs 'us' and all that.

Which is a new insight, I'd have thought.

The funny thing is - it is exactly that kind of experience that I was referring to. I had a similar feeling in countries like Syira and Rwanda.

 

[Unkotare]

. I would say the biggest impression I was left with was how similar, fundamentally, Chinese folks were to American folks, despite how much people love to make of differences and 'them' vs 'us' and all that.

Which is a new insight, I'd have thought. .

Not a new insight into the US. I already knew what Americans were like.

 

[Unkotare]

The funny thing is - it is exactly that kind of experience that I was referring to. I had a similar feeling in countries like Syira and Rwanda.

The same applies to people from every corner of the globe, because after all we are all just people.

 

[hipeter924]

You are totally fucked up.

The term is well traveled, and by acting aloof and foreign looking I do not mean dressing up or deliberately trying to; just sometimes on a subconscious level I am not aware of unless people point it out to me. I do not for example go gangster or speak like an American would, or try to act like one; which is a sizable difference.

Half of my school years were in Australia; the rest in New Zealand, my mother is American so naturally I have learned some of her behavior; just as as I have learned some from my father. I have blood relations in both countries, and I have cousins in Utah.

If I had to compare I love both countries in different ways (I like Maryland and California if I had to pick two states), but I prefer to live in New Zealand as it is a simple life in a small country of two islands around the size of the UK; with no immigration problems, a tolerable health care system and relatively stable compared to Europe and elsewhere i.e. the national debt is somewhere around 30%.

Edit: Also since I am a rather soft spoken, friendly and polite individual in spoken English (and don't swear) and considering how I act towards people in person: I am chuckling slightly at some of the replies I have gotten here; especially considering I don't look scary at all, and that unlike on the Internet I don't engage in sophism or academic trolling. I am just blunt and to the point mostly, and just say what I feel in a few words.

 

[hipeter924]

If you "only come to understand" your country when you "leave it for an extended period of time," then you probably didn't understand it when you were there or when you were gone.

You have something to support this claim? How does missing your country more when overseas translate to 'not understanding your country'; by your claim we will have to assume that everyone who serves overseas or lives overseas doesn't understand their country whatsoever. I don't see where you are going with this.

 

[hipeter924]

I find that when I am traveling in America I act like a New Zealander, and am quite proud to show it; that means using NZ phrases and euphemisms and behavior; which can cause problems sometimes, they can't tell me apart from the British or what I am talking about it. I always get the question, 'are you from London?' or 'Are you Australian?'

Whereas when I am in New Zealand I find myself acting quite American (and thus aloof and even foreign acting and looking), and being rather snide about some things i.e. the tiny NZ military and some rather silly foreign policy positions NZ'ers hold.

I guess when I am in New Zealand I miss America, and when I am in America I miss New Zealand.

If any of you live/travel outside of America, do you find that you act more patriotic when you are outside the country; and more constrained when you are in it?

If you feel the need to act differently in either setting then you have issues in both.

Acting subconsciously is different to acting on purpose i.e. I am describing what I do sometimes (not always).

I doubt that unlike the rest of humanity you are capable of controlling your sub conscious actions i.e. things you aren't personally aware of or don't realize. I smell BS.

 

[hipeter924]

I find that when I am traveling in America I act like a New Zealander, and am quite proud to show it; that means using NZ phrases and euphemisms and behavior; which can cause problems sometimes, they can't tell me apart from the British or what I am talking about it. I always get the question, 'are you from London?' or 'Are you Australian?'

Whereas when I am in New Zealand I find myself acting quite American (and thus aloof and even foreign acting and looking), and being rather snide about some things i.e. the tiny NZ military and some rather silly foreign policy positions NZ'ers hold.

I guess when I am in New Zealand I miss America, and when I am in America I miss New Zealand.

If any of you live/travel outside of America, do you find that you act more patriotic when you are outside the country; and more constrained when you are in it?

I spent 20 years in the Navy and traveled to 26 different countries, probably 8 years of my career was spent cruising overseas. So, there are my credentials.

Am I more patriotic in America or outside of it? Probably more patriotic while in America, because it's easier to discuss politics with people who are affected by it, which means fellow Americans. I also fly my American flag on holidays, as well as wear red white and blue patriot clothing while running around town.

Outside of the US? I tried to keep a low profile because of several things. Number one, I was a U.S. Navy Sailor, and if it was made obvious, I could open myself to all sorts of nasty encounters (I went overseas in 1983 for the first time, and during those 4 years is when a lot of countries were unhappy with America as reflected by USO bombings), and number two, because I might never get a chance to see or travel to those countries again, I was interested in finding out as much as I could about the place I was at, and meeting the locals, and having lots of fun learning how they lived.

If I took the attitude of the Ugly American and acted like I was better than them, I would have missed out on a lot.

I am an internationalist, I am patriotic about some things but my personal limit is wearing a t shirt or sending a donation; I don't fly flags, wear ribbons or go to military holidays i.e. remembrance day like events. I have an emotional attachment though, I can get offended when people say nasty things about the US or NZ; though mostly I just brush (or laugh) it off.

 

[hipeter924]

Unkotare -

There was no test - I really can't fathom your aggression and insults on this thread at all!

I am just really surprised that anyone could live in China for two years, and not feel he gained any new insights into the country he grew up in as a result.

Go figure...

I expect a neg on this reply, but some people are professional asses in some topics. I have lived in Australia for four years, traveled to Europe (Greece and Italy), Thailand and to the United States; and lived in New Zealand for the rest of my life. I suspect he just hated how I opened this topic, and just made assumptions about me. All you can do is chuckle and let the insults fly, fortunately I don't have to meet him in real life; that is something I am thankful for.

 

[Unkotare]

If you "only come to understand" your country when you "leave it for an extended period of time," then you probably didn't understand it when you were there or when you were gone.

You have something to support this claim? How does missing your country more when overseas translate to 'not understanding your country'; by your claim we will have to assume that everyone who serves overseas or lives overseas doesn't understand their country whatsoever. I don't see where you are going with this.

Your conclusion does not logically follow because it is not based on what was actually said. Try reading all the replies.

 

[Unkotare]

I doubt that unlike the rest of humanity you are capable of controlling your sub conscious actions i.e. things you aren't personally aware of or don't realize. I smell BS.

I smell a pretentious poseur.

 

[Unkotare]

I think most of us only come to understand our country when we leave it for an extended period of time. .

The real question is, how could you live (supposedly) most of your life in 'your' country and understand it so little? Or perhaps you just have an especially impressionable personality.

 

[Unkotare]

If you "only come to understand" your country when you "leave it for an extended period of time," then you probably didn't understand it when you were there or when you were gone.

You have something to support this claim? How does missing your country more when overseas translate to 'not understanding your country'; by your claim we will have to assume that everyone who serves overseas or lives overseas doesn't understand their country whatsoever. I don't see where you are going with this.

Your post has nothing to do with my reply at all. Try again.

 

[Unkotare]

[ I have lived in Australia for four years, traveled to Europe (Greece and Italy), Thailand and to the United States; and lived in New Zealand for the rest of my life.

Are you saying that you are posting from the pure land? I didn't know they had internet access there.

 

[Unkotare]

Perhaps the problem is a lack of ability to understand understanding.