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JanMichael Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:16 PM
Original message
Poll question: Ever lived (live?) in another country?
Edited on Tue Oct-28-03 09:22 PM by JanMichael
Assuming you're a U.S.ofA.'er of course.

Care to share your experiance?

EDIT: Damned Engrish language....
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LeftCoast Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:20 PM
Response to Original message
1. I was a foreign exchange student
During my undergrad life I was an exchange student in Germany. Lived in a town called Goettingen. Great place. Loved my time there. Wouldn't mind living in Germany again.
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Rabrrrrrr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:22 PM
Response to Original message
2. I lived in Michagan for five years.
I think I should earn some credit for that.

Also lived in Hawaii, which is very much like a foreign country except with US money and English (and I mean that in as amazingly positive way as I possibly can).

But no, I've never lived anywhere that isn't represented by a star on the US flag.
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Capn Sunshine Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:24 PM
Response to Original message
3. I lived in Texas for a year and a half
ask them, they'll be the first to tell you they are "an other country"

Most of the natives spoke a crude form of english that was recognizable with practice.
:nuke:
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Tripper11 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:27 PM
Response to Original message
4. Couple places actually...
Born in England...lived there for 4 years, moved back to Canada for a number of years...then moved to South Korea for 3 years...then back to Canada then all over Canada and have now settled into Seattle for the time being.
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Rabrrrrrr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:31 PM
Response to Reply #4
5. So, which do you consider to be a/the foreign country?
Since I'm sure the poll was created with a US-centric bent, which country do you consider home?
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raysr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:33 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. Sort-of
Baltimore, '68 thru '70. U.S. Army
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Tripper11 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:41 PM
Response to Reply #5
7. Canada
My Dad was with the Canadian Navy (subs) stationed in England...when I was born they immediatey registered me with the Cdn Embassy.

Canada is my home and native land so to speak and I hope to one day return.
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Rabrrrrrr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 10:03 PM
Response to Reply #7
12. O canada!
Lovely country! Been there a number of times, had a number of Canadian friends in college, and think the world of Canada. If not the US, then Canada would be an excellent second choice.

But cripes, I wish that, on your major highways, when a lane is gonna end, you'd offer more than like a 100m warning. F-ing scary the first few times I drove to Toronto.

But on a good note, I absolutely love that your signs that show that an intersection is coming up, you actually put the two roads on the sign in the correct angular relation to each other. That's damn helpful!
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asjr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:52 PM
Response to Original message
8. Haiti
1943
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Say_What Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 09:59 PM
Response to Original message
9. Mazatlan, Mexico 1967
there was only one hotel there then and we lived at the far end of the street that runs along the beach. It was the summer and it was HOT--the hottest time of the day was 2am!! We had been in Guadalajara and thought it would be cooler on the coast--big mistake. Guadalajara was very beautiful and so was Mazatlan.
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DemoTex Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 10:02 PM
Response to Original message
10. vietnam, republic of
365 days. tour of duty, sir!
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Snow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 10:02 PM
Response to Original message
11. Peace Corps (remember us?) - I _have_ been in the service.....
- just not the fighting service. A little while in Malaysia, a longer while in Korea. Lived in one of the more rebellious provinces of Korea during the Pak Chunghee dictatorship..very interesting situation. English was not real common; in my district of 149,000 people, I was one of two foreigners (the other was an elderly Irish priest whom I met once the entire time I was there). I often went a coupla months without speaking English. Didn't really notice until I'd get together with the other Peace Corps vols in the provincial capital, then speaking English again felt very odd. Peace Corps is still around, although we were pretty beleagured back then & our budget was taking hits....Tricky was prez & Kissy was SecState. Gaaahhhh! I guess now is worse, but still, that was a bad time. We listened in on Watergate from Korea - a very interesting viewpoint.
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keopeli Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 10:18 PM
Response to Original message
13. I've lived in Belgium, Germany, Russia...
Brussels, Belgium - Loved it, great people, cosmopolitan
Heidelberg, Germany - Fantastic place, good people
Moscow, Soviet Union...then, Russia - What a ride. Briliant people.
El Paso, Texas - Um...no comment. :)

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BigMcLargehuge Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 10:30 PM
Response to Original message
14. lived in gorgeous West Sussex England for 18 months
pastoral beauty. I'd move back there in a heartbeat.
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corarose Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 10:33 PM
Response to Original message
15. England
Twice and I love it and I want to go back.
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NoPasaran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 10:40 PM
Response to Original message
16. I'm an Army brat
Born in Japan. Spent two years living in the Azores looking at the ocean through our front window.
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Dirk39 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 10:46 PM
Response to Original message
17. US of A....
o.k. Jan Michael, you did exclude me for not being a U.S. of A citizen.
But I contribute anyway. I escaped from the german reunification. One of the best times in my life. Really loved it, although some friends warned me before, 'cause I'm the typical european intellectual that would suffer a lot in the USA. BS. I enjoyed it more than everybody else. I did spent about 5 month in the USA from New York to Cincinnati to Texas to California to the Mormons and back to New York.
Since then I'm convinced that you really have to live in other countries for a while. Books don't help, T.V. doesn't help. Go there. But really go there, don't just stay in a Hotel and watch the "worth-seeing" things, chosen for you by some stupid tourist leaders. Invade them!
Hello from Germany,
Dirk
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JanMichael Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 11:18 PM
Response to Reply #17
18. What an interesting story!
You really must tell us more some day.

As to living in, as opposed to moving through, I'm in the "Lived in Krakow for 5 years" catagory.

You're right, it affects your views something fierce.
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Zomby Woof Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 11:40 PM
Response to Original message
19. lived in Spain
3 years, 3 days, so I answered "over three years". :-)

This was in the late 70's mind you.
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Scaramouche Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Oct-28-03 11:55 PM
Response to Original message
20. Lived in Italy, France, Belgium, and Germany...
I went to Milano for my sport and ended up modeling and making TV commercials...

I studied economics in Paris...

I was a "stagaire" for the Commission of the EU in Bruxelles and then worked for the Audio Visual(propaganda) production department for the next year and a half...

I worked in Hamburg for a Film Distribution organization to help promote European Films against the onslaught of Hollywood...
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Lydia Leftcoast Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 01:00 AM
Response to Original message
21. A year in Japan during graduate school
It was tough at times, since Japanese society can be infuriating, especialy when you run into unexpected frustrations, but on the whole I loved it.

I lived in a tiny apartment in a normal middle-class neighborhood, shopped in the local stores, ate in the hole-in-the-wall restaurants, bathed at the public bath house, and rode the subway to my university, where I was one of three Caucasian students (the others were from Australia and Norway) in the whole school. I hung around with people from Taiwan, Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos.

We had generous vacation time, so I traveled around a lot.

The experience literally changed my life. I learned what the U.S. looks like from the outside (i.e. not always so good), improved my knowledge of Japanese, and developed a life-long interest in public transit and urban design.

I've been back seven times, and I hope to go again next spring for the international Japanese-English translators' conference.
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HEyHEY Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 01:00 AM
Response to Original message
22. Another country - no...another planet - yes
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Susang Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 01:05 AM
Response to Original message
23. South Korea
I was the lead singer of a band that played military bases throughout South Korea. We performed at the bases in the DMZ as well as the one in Seoul. We also performed at bases in Pusan, Osan as well as a bunch of other places that I couldn't possibly spell. We lived there for about six months.
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Arcturus Donating Member (165 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 01:50 AM
Response to Original message
24. Definitely.
Edited on Wed Oct-29-03 01:51 AM by Arcturus
I was born in Kansas City. My family promptly moved to Heidelberg, Germany. After two years, we moved to beautiful Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where I lived until I was five.

In July 1989, we moved from Washington state to Berlin, where we lived for three years. Guess what happened in Berlin while we lived there?

I also lived in the Patagonia (Argentina) from 1999-2001. Missed the whole election debacle in 2000, but got home several months before 9/11 and the big economic crash in Argentina.

If I have enough money when I retire, I would love to move and spend my remaining years in Potsdam, Germany. Seeing as I'm 23 years old right now, that's a long way off.
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FDRrocks Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 01:58 AM
Response to Original message
25. No, but I'd like to...
and my economic situation is not opportune. I plan on moving to canada before 2010, then saving my money and making the move france, due to the completely different region and the distinct secular qualities of that nation.
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jonnyblitz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 02:02 AM
Response to Original message
26. other. Bahrain for A year. you dont have a year as an option
you only had under 6 months and over a year but not A year.
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LibertyorDeath Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 02:39 AM
Response to Original message
27. Australia, England, Scotland, Canada
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bubba_fett Donating Member (257 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 04:24 AM
Response to Original message
28. Studied abroad
Edited on Wed Oct-29-03 04:26 AM by bubba_fett
in Japan for a year, was there during 9-11. Very uncomfortable time to be out of the country.

Anyway, love Japan, would kill to live there again. For those of you here who have lived there (I know there are a couple) I lived in Akita-ken near Akita city. Hot as hell in the summer (and no a/c), lots of snow in the winter, and I'm a minnesotan, I know a lot of snow when I see it.

EDIT:
P.S. to Lydia Leftcoast, where did you go to school?
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BelleCarolinaPeridot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 05:31 AM
Response to Original message
29. I've been here in Germany
since March of 2001 - I never thought I would ever come to Germany . I met a guy , fell in love with him - but now I am about to come home . Once I started learning the language , everything became so much better . I was here in 2000 for 6 months and knew none of the language . I came back in 2001 ( March ) and began gradually to learn the language . Its not as hard as I thought but I am no expert .I am in the Hanover area .I am 23 by the way .

I was here on September 11 and it was a very ackward emotional feeling of not being able to hug my love ones - I can not wait until I do that . When all the Anti-Iraq War protests started happening all over Europe I did not feel offended at all because I knew they were against the Bush Regime and not Americans . My mom did not want me to go protesting because of our theories that the CIA is watching every American overseas . When the war started there was a dramatic contrast between the coverage CNN International and German Stations were showing compared to what MSNBC showed during its coverage . FOX NEWS was here for a while after September 11 but it was gone 4 months later . What a pity ...I think everyone if given the chance should spend time overseas . My whole viewpoint has changed . The news that we see in America is just so small compared so what is shown here . And of course no one likes Smirk here either . The Europeans are more aware of what is happening in the States than most Americans are . They please us to vote him out of office .
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Dirk39 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Oct-30-03 12:01 AM
Response to Reply #29
33. Hi Carolina....
nice to read your post, but isn't Hannover boring somehow? Gladfully, when I was in the USA, meeting all kinds of suspicious wonderfull human beings, the thought that the Verfassungsschutz (the german CIA) could watch me, never entered my mind. Although, they could have had reasons.
Have a nice stay here on earth, wherever it might be...
Hello from Germany,
Dirk
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GOPisEvil Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 08:13 AM
Response to Original message
30. Born in Greece; left at age 2. Moved to Germany, left at age 4.
Been "Livin' in the USA" ever since. ;-)
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grannylib Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 11:53 PM
Response to Original message
31. Oh to be in England....
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SOteric Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Oct-29-03 11:55 PM
Response to Original message
32. Several places. Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Egypt,
several European countries.
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LincolnMcGrath Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Oct-30-03 12:09 AM
Response to Reply #32
35. wow cool
:wow:
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Pert_UK Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Oct-30-03 12:05 AM
Response to Original message
34. I'm a Brit, but in Australia at the moment, China before.....
Having a splendid time, thanks for asking! I've been here for 6 months and will be around for another 5. I was in China for 2 months before that.

P.
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