Trying to get a 'sense' of how far afield from the USA DU'ers have been

I had a conversation with my daughter about the ramifications of being/studying/living in another country and I realized that I've seen "what's your age", "what part of the country do you live", "what's your highest educational level", etc. polls here, but I don't believe I've ever seen one that asked about DU'ers exposure to other countries/cultures.

I don't know anymore what the statistic is about how many americans have passports. Last I recall, it was in the 10-20% range but that was before the rule change about passports for Canada and Mexico.

SOOOOOO, I thought I'd create this poll.

Thanks in advance to all who choose to participate! :-)

P.S. I realize that the way that I have set the "answers" up won't work for non-Americans. I'm asking this question to Americans (and, yes, I know that there will be some who are "American citizen born Abroad", etc. That would be "other"

Poll lets us choose only one :)

I don't think I did it terribly well here, but I think it will still give an idea of how many DU'ers have (or have not) had some sort of "overseas" experience. That's all I was wondering about. Thanks for contributing to the poll! :-)

Mexico and El Salvador during the 1980's covering the civil war and again during the Chiapas Uprising.

How long do you have to be in another country before you can be considered to have lived in it? I spent 5 weeks in Canada on business. I "lived" in a hotel suite, went grocery shopping, cooked my meals, went to work 5 days a week, etc.

But to me what you are describing with your 5 weeks, I wouldn't consider "lived in"....I'd consider that "travelled".

To me "lived in" means that you became some part of the community wherever you were. You got to know a few people....the grocer, the barber, a next door neighbor. You were for some period of time a resident/member of the community.....not just a "long-term" guest who really belonged and 'had their life' going on somewhere else.

I guess it falls somewhere in between a business trip and living there, but it would be most accurate to say that I traveled there.

:shrug: I've spent over a month in several places on business.

I don't even want to think I "lived in" Viet Nam ... even though I gave up residence in the US.

and I thank all of you VN vets for your service and I can't apologize enough, as a citizen of the USA, for what you all were made to go through ......

... the Canary Islands to the Philippines, and Seattle to Turks & Caicos, -- and I never got enough. :shrug:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eI4BumtpfA

:-)

beyond his own backyard.

He probably doesn't know how to play along with "others" who weren't from his neighborhood, b/c he had it all comfortably "figured out".

and over 60 countries...gotta figure out how i am going to get to Antarctica!

sP

seriously!

I know it's not for 'everyone', but the bits of the world that I've been lucky enough to see/experience - both inside and outside of the USA - just has left me hoping for more. Despite it's faults, we live on a very beautiful/engaging planet with so many interesting cultures/people.

Hope you figure out how to "do" Antarctica! lol :hi:

six or seven years...and much of it since marrying and having children. but i would not trade the experience it has given me for just about anything. i have gotten such a good understanding of different cultures and peoples that it has just amazed me ... the diversity of culture really leaves me at a loss for words and in many cases leaves me wishing that we could integrate more of those cultures here rather than spend all of our time trying to strip immigrants of what really could make this country better in the name of 'Americanizing' and homogenizing...

Antarctica will take some work...but i will figure it out...even if i only get to be there for a little while...

sP

cool kids too!

That's what I was talking with my daughter about. We lived overseas when she was little and it's AMAZING how much she remembers about it all and how much it has shaped, and will continue to shape, her whole life. (Kinda like how cool/wonderful the well-traveled/lived-all-over-the place Barack Obama turned out, perhaps?) :shrug:

a DVI video camera is a terrible thing to have unless you have unlimited disk space :-)

see you in the cold nether regions of the world! or maybe an espresso in Estoril, Portugal (one of my favorite spots)!

sP

but been to Canada several times, Italy, Switzerland, England, and France.

Have also been to every State (except California and Hawaii) and every province in Canada,
Spent all of August bumming around Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru.

I encourage everyone to travel.

most of it because my father was in the Army:

7-1/2 years in Germany 66-67 72-75 77-80
1 week on busines in Buenos Aires Argentina 1995
3 months in South Korea on business 1998
Right now I'm two weeks on business in England.
I'll be travelling to China in December.

I've been to:

Germany
France
Austria
Switzerland
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Morocco (sp?)
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxemburg
England
USA
Bahamas
Canada
South Korea
Japan (for two hours each way in the airport to Korea)

I've been to the continents of:
Europe
North America
South America
Africa (NO it's NOT a country Sarah)
Asia

I haven't figured out how to get to Austrailia or Antarctica yet but I did work with Aussies back in the early 1990's and hoped to go there back then.

I also applied to a job at McMurdo Station in Antarctica once as well but they never called back. I'm a test engineer by experience and an aerospace engineer by training so it seemed like a do-able thing but as I said they never called.

It's not like I want to spend the rest of my life there but it would certainly be a huge eye catcher to have on my resume.

Were you born in the US or Germany (US Citizen born Abroad)? Since being 42 would make your birth year 1966.

I hope you get to Australia & Antarctica too! (wouldn't that be fun(ny) to create a DU'ers trip to Antarctica - like a National Geographic trip - just to say that "we've been there")? Oh, I'm gettin' *silly* now :silly:

:)

but it goes along with being a merchant seaman.

Do you keep/have a journal? I would hope you do, and if not, perhaps you should consider starting/having one. :-)

I believe that's the key to making this world a better place. It's harder to want to kill and bomb people when you've actually spent time with them.

My kids are dual citizens, and we try to get all the passports stamped as often as possible. My 1-year-old has traveled out of the country more than most adults.

Argentina
Bolivia
Canada
Colombia
Cuba
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Peru

Since then, mostly in the US but spent a fair bit of time working outside it and 2-1/2 years living on an island (non-US territory) after the 2000 coup.

and lived there off and on for the first 14 years of my life. Also lived in France and Pakistan, taught in Hong Kong and have sung in 68 different countries on 5 continents.

I don't know "who' you are, but if it's true that you have 'sung' in 68 difference countries.....I hope that you mean your audience goes far beyond the soap that sits in your shower's dish. ;-)

Sing-on....glad you are a DU'er, whether you be a "shower singer", a "virtuoso", a "rock star", or ????. :-)

I was one of 14,000 boys who auditioned each year with a Roman Catholic boy choir when I was 11. I was one of 38 chosen. When I was 19 and comfortable with my English skills and had become a citizen of the US, I was the team leader of a national music group a team of 7 sent out by the 3 main Lutheran Synods at that time. We sang and did youth work all over the nation for 15 months. I have been singing or directing all my life.

(or anyone else's approval). SING-ON!

I think it's very cool how many diverse/talented/well-traveled/experienced people read/are members of DU! :hi:

there are so many more people here who a much better grasp of the political situation than I do, I love to read the discussions about the events that are taking place and gain insight from those smarter than myself!

North, and South America, Africa, and Asia/Europe, and a couple of surf trips to Mexico before it got too dicey.

Born in the USA, currently live in Canada.

Been to (other than US/Canada):

Mexico
Argentina
Brazil
Great Britain
Ireland
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Germany
Austria
Spain
South Africa (it's a country, Sarah. :D )
Botswana (this in Africa, too. :))
Namibia (and this :))
Mozambique (and this too :))
Australia
New Zealand
Indonesia

How much you want to bet Palin doesn't know where that is either? :evilgrin:

I would LOVE to live in Italy for a while. Anyone from Italy want to adopt me for a few years? ;)

==================
GROVELBOT.EXE v4.1
==================



This week is our fourth quarter 2008 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

Does that count? :rofl: :shrug: I would love to see more countries though... it's just very costly.

loved it.

I've traveled to France, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Jamaica.

I've also been in 17 of the 50 states.

NT!

traveled through many other parts of the world.

Have traveled to Italy, France, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark. I plan on making traveling an annual rite of passage, pending financial stability.

I was born in Germany, but left when I was six weeks old. I've been to France, England, Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Armenia, Turkey, Jordan, Oman, and Nepal. I always want to see more, though.

Colombia, Peru and the UK. And probably going back to the UK at some point.