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Post by slh1234 on Feb 9, 2023 21:13:15 GMT
A young European's comments on her 6-month trip to the USA. This was fun. She's really entertaining. Most of what she says I've heard in other forms. A few thoughts I had: She commented about how vast everything was, and how far it was between cities or population centers. The trek she described took her across the most sparsely populated parts of the US, so I can completely understand that perspective. If she had trekked from California across I-40 eastward, I would expect that perception until she entered Oklahoma, then suddenly, there are a lot more lights at night although that part of Oklahoma is still very rural. Population density picks up quite a bit as a person goes eastward from there. So I get her perspective. I'm glad she got the good side of Americans and she expressed that the people were "lovely." It's always nice to be known as "lovely." One of the nicer things about living in Asia, and especially in Korea was the perception they had of Americans. I had more than one taxi driver tell me how much they liked dealing with Americans because their perception was that Americans were always happy, or always smiling, always fair, always respectful, etc. As an American, I know that's not really true, but that was their perception, especially when contrasting with visitors from ... let me just say especially those from one big-population country in East Asia. The perception of people in these countries was such a stark contrast with our self-image of the "Ugly American" traveler. However; the perception of Americans among people in Mexico is very different. My guess is that that the people who go to Korea, Japan, or China tend to be business travelers, or more financially well-off people who are very self-aware of their roles as "Informal ambassadors" and they tend to do us proud. The ones who go to Mexico probably tend to be less well-off and culturally less respectful. (Note that I don't find that people in Mexico think every American is like that, but in areas where Americans frequent, most have at least one story, and if the story involves drinking ... yeah, they embarrass me, too.) I have a story of when I went on business to Aukland. I rented a car. It was my first time to try to drive in a country that drives on the left. When I considered it, I decided to not even try to drive a manual car because of everything being with opposite hand. Still, at my first intersection, I turned into the wrong lane. I got that sorted out, but on the motorway, the first time I had to take an exit onto a freeway to go to the left, trying to figure out where the exit was, etc. ... I got confused and missed my exit because I couldn't figure it out in time. I finally got back on track, and a couple of days later, I started getting comfortable. Then after the engagement was over, I got back in my car in the US, and the first thing I did was turn into the wrong lane at the first intersection ... (There are a couple of cute accent stories from my time in Aukland, too. ) I've lived in 4 countries other than the US (South Korea, Japan, China, Mexico). I find something I love in every one of them. I'm way past culture shock these days as I normally say I "lost my anchor" so there's just not one way that I think things should be. I also have at least one unpleasant story in every one of those countries except Japan ... and actually, China's story isn't really "bad," just uncomfortable, but on balance, I enjoyed all of them. My shorter business trips outside of the US have now taken me to more than 15 countries (I can never remember them all in one counting, but I don't think it is more than 18). Thanks for the video. I can picture where every one of her perceptions came from, and she is entertaining.
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Post by missouriboy on Feb 9, 2023 23:25:34 GMT
A young European's comments on her 6-month trip to the USA. This was fun. She's really entertaining. Most of what she says I've heard in other forms. A few thoughts I had: She commented about how vast everything was, and how far it was between cities or population centers. The trek she described took her across the most sparsely populated parts of the US, so I can completely understand that perspective. If she had trekked from California across I-40 eastward, I would expect that perception until she entered Oklahoma, then suddenly, there are a lot more lights at night although that part of Oklahoma is still very rural. Population density picks up quite a bit as a person goes eastward from there. So I get her perspective. I'm glad she got the good side of Americans and she expressed that the people were "lovely." It's always nice to be known as "lovely." One of the nicer things about living in Asia, and especially in Korea was the perception they had of Americans. I had more than one taxi driver tell me how much they liked dealing with Americans because their perception was that Americans were always happy, or always smiling, always fair, always respectful, etc. As an American, I know that's not really true, but that was their perception, especially when contrasting with visitors from ... let me just say especially those from one big-population country in East Asia. The perception of people in these countries was such a stark contrast with our self-image of the "Ugly American" traveler. However; the perception of Americans among people in Mexico is very different. My guess is that that the people who go to Korea, Japan, or China tend to be business travelers, or more financially well-off people who are very self-aware of their roles as "Informal ambassadors" and they tend to do us proud. The ones who go to Mexico probably tend to be less well-off and culturally less respectful. (Note that I don't find that people in Mexico think every American is like that, but in areas where Americans frequent, most have at least one story, and if the story involves drinking ... yeah, they embarrass me, too.) I have a story of when I went on business to Aukland. I rented a car. It was my first time to try to drive in a country that drives on the left. When I considered it, I decided to not even try to drive a manual car because of everything being with opposite hand. Still, at my first intersection, I turned into the wrong lane. I got that sorted out, but on the motorway, the first time I had to take an exit onto a freeway to go to the left, trying to figure out where the exit was, etc. ... I got confused and missed my exit because I couldn't figure it out in time. I finally got back on track, and a couple of days later, I started getting comfortable. Then after the engagement was over, I got back in my car in the US, and the first thing I did was turn into the wrong lane at the first intersection ... (There are a couple of cute accent stories from my time in Aukland, too. ) I've lived in 4 countries other than the US (South Korea, Japan, China, Mexico). I find something I love in every one of them. I'm way past culture shock these days as I normally say I "lost my anchor" so there's just not one way that I think things should be. I also have at least one unpleasant story in every one of those countries except Japan ... and actually, China's story isn't really "bad," just uncomfortable, but on balance, I enjoyed all of them. My shorter business trips outside of the US have now taken me to more than 15 countries (I can never remember them all in one counting, but I don't think it is more than 18). Thanks for the video. I can picture where every one of her perceptions came from, and she is entertaining. When Marta and I were in Bahrain Andrew was 1 year old. Very interesting given Saudi and Bahrainey family habits. In a mall and an entire Saudi woman family unit (must have been 15 of them) passes Andrew throughout the whole unit. He came out smiling. Their men were off to the bars (probably). They are very family oriented. And the South Asians that provided the store(s) workforce(s) also loved kids. They would entertain him while we shopped. And he loved it. The Saudi's can be a bit overbearing on their fellow Muslim S Asian breathern. All of Asia is there supporting their families back home.
You're brave! I'm not even gonna drive on the left. Trains and buses for me in those spots. Navigating old European cities is challenging enough. So much of driving is long acquired reflex. I'm not even going there.
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Post by nonentropic on Feb 10, 2023 2:48:34 GMT
Its interesting driving is highly reflex and driving on the "wrong side" is troubling.
In the 80's I worked between the UK and NL driving from one to the other, did it for two spells of 7 months and by the end the transition was reflex so there is hope, what I can say is that I know no person who changes sides that did not have a story. Next week I try again be aware in CA then Idaho.
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Post by ratty on Feb 10, 2023 11:42:46 GMT
Summary executions afterwards?
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Post by gridley on Feb 10, 2023 11:49:13 GMT
Spent a number of months (cumulative) in the UK. Driving was required. I left tiremarks on a lot of curbs my first trip. My second not so much, and by the fourth I was picking up on the "unofficial" traffic rules. Despite knowing how to drive stick I was never brave enough (or foolish enough) to combine "stick on the wrong side, driving on the wrong side, AND roundabouts."
I found it particularly interesting to visit military museums in the UK, especially those covering WWII. The general attitude of US museums is that the US fought the Axis in WWII and won with some help from the various other Allies. The general attitude of UK museums is that the UK fought the *European* Axis in WWII and won with some help from the various other Allies (including the US). Not to say other topics and viewpoints aren't covered, but those are the dominant themes in the respective countries.
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Post by Sigurdur on Feb 10, 2023 17:08:10 GMT
Without the US and Russia, GB would be speaking German today.
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Post by code on Feb 10, 2023 17:33:53 GMT
Summary executions afterwards? Interesting and satisfying.
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Post by slh1234 on Feb 10, 2023 19:30:36 GMT
Since I said I had a bad incident there, I should probably tell that one of the most incredible experience in my life actually happened to me in Korea and it is an incredible story of compassion. Can you deal with a story in the picture thread? (I can't do anything in a couple of sentences).
The last time I lived in Korea, I lived by my choice in Busan, but if you're going to do business in Korea, you'll have to spend a good amount of time in Seoul. I had a (company) car, but that is a 5 hour drive, so most times, I took the KTX bullet train and spent the night either in Yeongdeungpo (for central or northern city business) or Gangnam (for southern metro business). So this particular trip, I was in Gangnam because I had to work farther south in the Bundang district.
We had a meeting between executives of a customer company, and our company. I was the most senior person from our company physically in Korea, so it was something I had to make it to. As my dad used to say: You drag your dead body there if you have to. When I woke up that particular morning, I had pain between my shoulder blades in my back, and in those days, I carried my computer in a backpack. Pain or no, I got around and got onto the subway from Gangnam down to Bundang. The pain got progressively worse as I went.
The meeting was long and stressful, and the pain continued to worsen as the day wore on, but I think I hadn't let anybody know at this point. At the end of the day, I bent down to pick up my backpack, and the pain shot from my back through my chest and it was severe enough that I yelped. That got the attention of my Korean colleagues who then insisted on carrying my backpack down to the taxi. They told the taxi driver to take me back to Gangnam, but I knew traffic was terrible during rush hour, so I told him to take me to the subway station instead.
The subway trains are actually very smooth, but the acceleration and deceleration is enough that it shifts your weight, so you hold on. The first time the train accelerated, as I was holding onto the pole, the pain became so bad that I started to gasp for breath. At this point, I couldn't hide it from my face anymore, so I know that other people on the train could tell something was wrong with me. IIRC, there are 4 stops from Bundan station to Gangnam station, and there was standing room only, and I got bumped as people boarded and got off.
When Gangnam came, I could get off, but every single breath was just excruciatingly painful. The subway station was very crowded and I was afraid of getting bumped again, and as I was struggling to breathe, I started getting confused and disoriented, and I couldn't find my way out of the subway station. I had reached the point that I just wanted to find a place to get off my feet and try to get comfortable and catch my breath.
While I was in this state, someone tugged gently at my sleeve. When I looked, a middle-aged woman held her cell phone up to me, and in the translator app on her screen, it said "Are you in pain?" I answered "Yes" in Korean, and she typed on her phone again and showed me "Do you need medical assistance?" Again I answered that I did, and then she asked me via her app if I would like her to take me to the hospital. When I answered that I did, she used her body against the crowd to ensure I didn't get bumped, she held me by the sleeve, and led me out of the station. She got a taxi, and IIRC, she paid for it, and got in the taxi with me to take me to a small hospital in Gangnam.
Shortening it a bit, she stayed with me while they examined me, and as soon as they had a diagnosis that I had swelling around my spinal cord, she called my wife in Busan to tell her what was going on - communicated everything the doctor said to my wife. She actually stayed with me until after midnight that night when they got the pain level down enough that I could breathe easily and rest. Then, she left her business card with me in case I needed anything, and went home to her husband and kids. She actually called me the next morning to see if I was okay, and made sure I was able to get train tickets back home. (I don't think she realized my Korean language was good enough for me to get along in Korea like I could).
I told the story to the seniors on my team and in Korea, and they contacted her company to thank her, and with intent to give her a thank-you repayment. She refused any kind of repayment from them and also from me. Her answer back to us was that when she saw me obviously in pain with no help, she just had to think how terrifying it would be for her to be in a foreign country and have a medical emergency. She said she was Christian and knew the story of the Good Samaritan very well, and when she thought about me in that situation, she just thought it was her chance to be the Good Samaritan, so she acted as she did.
Sorry. I can't tell the story without enough detail for it to come across what an incredible thing she did for me, and how desperate my situation was really getting.
Anyway, yes, I had a bad incident in Korea in the 1980s, but I also had that incredible experience in Korea in the 2010s, and that one will stand out in my mind enough to make me forget the 1980s incident.
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Post by ratty on Feb 10, 2023 23:44:06 GMT
Since I said I had a bad incident there, I should probably tell that one of the most incredible experience in my life actually happened to me in Korea and it is an incredible story of compassion. Can you deal with a story in the picture thread? (I can't do anything in a couple of sentences). [ Snip ] Of course you can .... and that is a wonderful story. It painted a picture for me. Was it the backpack/computer that caused the problem?
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Post by ratty on Feb 11, 2023 0:48:41 GMT
Grab a coffee and see how the 'middle class' face up to a 'sex scandal' with pure class. Harry's an idiot, he should have kept this one and given the whinging Megan a wide berth!
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Post by slh1234 on Feb 11, 2023 11:09:43 GMT
Since I said I had a bad incident there, I should probably tell that one of the most incredible experience in my life actually happened to me in Korea and it is an incredible story of compassion. Can you deal with a story in the picture thread? (I can't do anything in a couple of sentences). [ Snip ] Of course you can .... and that is a wonderful story. It painted a picture for me. Was it the backpack/computer that caused the problem? Almost certainly it was an injury caused by the backpack. I use a roller bag these days and haven't had any more issues.
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Post by blustnmtn on Feb 11, 2023 13:14:18 GMT
Never, under any circumstance, attempt to disarm undetonated ordnance! :
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Post by ratty on Feb 12, 2023 5:01:55 GMT
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Post by ratty on Feb 12, 2023 11:01:13 GMT
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Post by gridley on Feb 12, 2023 11:22:56 GMT
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