View Full Version : Personal Enrichment Through Travel
AngelsSix
07-19-2004, 17:51
What was the first foreign country you visited and what were your first impressions?? If you were with the military at the time, do you think that affected how you viewed the experience?? If so, how do you feel it would have been different if you were a civilian?? Do you think these visits affected how you felt about a certain group of people?? Did you come to realize that things you had thought about that place or those people were skewed?? And if so, why do you think that happened??
My first foreign country (believe it or not) was Keflevik, Iceland. I was in the Navy at the time, it was my first sea duty assignment. I had a lot of free time while there, so I personally do not think that my being in the military affected how I viewed the place or the people. Before I went, I had never been out side the US, so I really hadn't formed any opinions about foreigners. I had no real interest in politics nor did I watch the news. What struck me as the strangest thing was how people could survive in that environment. Cold and in the winter dark for 20+ hours a day. But depsite the isolation, the weather or environmental conditions, the people there were amoung the friendliest I have ever encountered, and also amoung the most trusting. I also realized that they did not live in igloos. :D
Roguish Lawyer
07-19-2004, 18:02
Mexico. My parents dragged me along for shopping in Nogales.
The Reaper
07-19-2004, 18:09
Originally posted by Roguish Lawyer
Mexico. My parents dragged me along for shopping in Nogales.
What did they get for you?
TR
Originally posted by Roguish Lawyer
Mexico. My parents dragged me along for shopping in Nogales. 1968. Mexico.
We went shopping in Ciudad Juarez and I bought myself some shiny blue maracas that I annoy my family with to this day. :D
Originally posted by The Reaper
What did they get for you?
TR
And how long did it take you to find your way home after you had been traded for a Basket and some sandals?:D
Max Power
07-19-2004, 18:40
Iraq.
Actually, that probably answers all of your questions, lol.
Bill Harsey
07-19-2004, 18:44
California.
Australia. It reinforced the rugby rivalry and made me realise how much the countries are similer culture wise. It also made me realise how good NZ was, though Australia does have a few points over us, namely the weather.
But I won't ever repeat that :p
I'd like to hit Europe or North/South America after Uni. I think I'll leave the Mid East and Africa alone. Would love to go to South Africa one day, but the current situation negates that to some extent.
Originally posted by Bill Harsey
California.
That shit aint funny! :o
My wife comes to the conclusion that I need to see a Psyhchiatrist/ologist in San Francisco...because of my need to recognize/understand other walks of life.
I have to tape one of our conversations.
Listen Doc..."I don't drink non-fat chai tea latte...never been in a STARBUCKS until I got out here...here is my resume to help you".
SOB didn't even know what SF was!:eek:
NousDefionsDoc
07-19-2004, 19:31
Originally posted by Max Power
Iraq.
Actually, that probably answers all of your questions, lol.
No shit? Dude, you need to come down here.
ROTFLMAO @ Guy
My first overseas visit was Augusta Bay, Sicily. It was turnover so interaction with the people was minimal. I did get to go on a tour to Mount Etna which was ineresting to see all the lava and etc.
During my Navy time I visited 39 cities in 15 countries and they seem all about the same. The people were mostly nice, especially the english women on "Holiday". Only a few places stick out in my mind that I would like to travel back to.
The Reaper
07-19-2004, 19:34
Originally posted by Guy
That shit aint funny! :o
My wife comes to the conclusion that I need to see a Psyhchiatrist/ologist in San Francisco...because of my need to recognize/understand other walks of life.
I have to tape one of our conversations.
Listen Doc..."I don't drink non-fat chai tea latte...never been in a STARBUCKS until I got out here...here is my resume to help you".
SOB didn't even know what SF was!:eek:
SO YOU ACTUALLY WENT???
You ARE whipped!
TR
NousDefionsDoc
07-19-2004, 19:37
Of course he went. You don't think Guy would pass up a chance to mess with a Kalifornia shrink do you?
I'll bet the poor man is still being treated by his colleagues. LOL
Bill Harsey
07-19-2004, 19:40
Originally posted by Guy
That shit aint funny! :o
My wife comes to the conclusion that I need to see a Psyhchiatrist/ologist in San Francisco...because of my need to recognize/understand other walks of life.
I have to tape one of our conversations.
Listen Doc..."I don't drink non-fat chai tea latte...never been in a STARBUCKS until I got out here...here is my resume to help you".
SOB didn't even know what SF was!:eek: Laughing Too Hard To Type! Do all these other folks worry about understanding yours? I think that would be a good beginning.
Bill Harsey
07-19-2004, 19:42
Originally posted by NousDefionsDoc
Of course he went. You don't think Guy would pass up a chance to mess with a Kalifornia shrink do you?
I'll bet the poor man is still being treated by his colleagues. LOL That would make for some serious reality tv. I'd give up a credit card no. for pay per view!
I went straight into my SERE training.:eek:
It was an agreement reached between the wife and I, prior to me continuing this type/line of work.
I'll really fuck his ass up this week, when I walk in with a suit/tie.;) I was reading "Hunting the Jackal" when he came to get me.
brewmonkey
07-19-2004, 20:22
My first trip out of the US as an "adult" was to Tijuana Mexico. Not sure if we gained anything culture wise but I learned to not buy anything from the lady with 60 kids all selling Chicle.
Did my being in the military have any influence? Sure the heck did. The Navy & Marines had a curfew way back then and the Army didn't, we would stay and party till the wee hours at the Bambi club, Tilly's on 5th Ave, and on one occassion the El Zorro club until someone CS'd it after getting ripped off. Many a days down there we came stubling through the turnstyles at 0400. Hell once we even snuck a dog through! :D
I went back a few years after I got out and it was stil the same. A border town full of drunk sailors and soldiers all trying to pick up the underage college girls from SDSU.
Last summer we hit Nuevo Progresso Mexico. While it is a small border town it is a lot more rundown then TJ. The town on the US side is mostly winter Texans and they all head into Mexico to buy their prescriptions. You could not throw a rock without hitting a damned pharmacy or a dentist office.
Only thing I learned that time was not to eat any unpasteurized cheese. We had breakfast at a restaurant that my father in law liked. I ordered some eggs with queso blanco which I normally love except in the US it is pasteurized and does not run through you like the wind. :eek:
Bill Harsey
07-20-2004, 09:19
Originally posted by Guy
I went straight into my SERE training.:eek:
It was an agreement reached between the wife and I, prior to me continuing this type/line of work.
I'll really fuck his ass up this week, when I walk in with a suit/tie.;) I was reading "Hunting the Jackal" when he came to get me. Guy! You must keep us posted on how this goes for the poor guy your meeting with. Good job using SERE training.
Roguish Lawyer
07-20-2004, 11:05
Originally posted by The Reaper
What did they get for you?
TR
Probably a cheesy sombrero or something like that. Maybe some maracas?
Originally posted by Roguish Lawyer
Probably a cheesy sombrero or something like that. Maybe some maracas?
Oh, That's what he meant, I took it that you were brought along as trading Material:D
The Reaper
07-20-2004, 13:35
Originally posted by Air.177
Oh, That's what he meant, I took it that you were brought along as trading Material:D
Me too.
Maybe that was what he meant as well.
They swapped him for a cheesy sombrero or some maracas.
Looks like they got him back though.
Hope they got to keep the maracas.
TR
GracieLou
07-20-2004, 13:54
My first overseas trip was part of an international exchange program in sports (track and field) and I traveled to Northern Italy and Switzerland.
It definitely changed how I felt about other cultures and I had realized that coming from the South I had been seriously sheltered! Not to mention, I learned quite a bit by watching some of the other participants act like "stupid" Americans. I think sometimes it pays to keep your lips sealed if in doubt!
I was grateful to hae had the experience and don't regret it.
AngelsSix
07-20-2004, 15:32
I guess the reason I started this thread was to get a feel for how people think about other cultures.
Does anyone here think that the naysayers would have a different opinion if:
A:) They lost someone in the WTC's on 9/11
B:) They actually saw what was really going on in Iraq (went there and experienced it in person vice hearing and seeing what the media is feeding them.
C:) We had continued attacks here on a almost daily basis like they do in Israel
Thanks!!
Jack Moroney (RIP)
07-20-2004, 17:32
My first trip out of the country was to the Bay of Fundy in Canada when I was a no-necked, snot nosed, tree-hugging, wildlife management student. The area was beautiful and desolate and never saw a Canadian. It was and ecology course field trip with a college professor who looked and acted just like Elmer Fudd. During the trip the professor demonstrated that he was a prime candidate for the Darwin Awards when he managed to get himself stranded on a rock as the tide came roaring in and I came in a close second place when I was stupid enough to get his sorry ass off the rock, much to the chagrin of the other students, and to the shore. After that we developed a long and storied history throughout the remainder of my undergraduate years like the time we were aging deer by tooth wear. This clown was so obnoxious about his heroic adventure in Canada that I asked him to come and verify my work. Now you have to picture this. We were not just working with deer jaw bones but complete severed heads that required you to either crack the jaw bone to open their little lips to see their teeth or pry open and hold the jaws which took some effort because the jaw ligaments where like working against bowflex power rods. When Elmer arrived to verify my aging estimate I let him put his hand in the open jaws and....oooooops they snaped shut. Never saw a grown man hop so high with 20 pounds of deer head attached to his hand. We all felt vindicated for the Bay of Fundy fiasco and Elmer never came to another lab-he sent his assistant for the remainder of the semester:D
Jack Moroney
AngelsSix
07-20-2004, 18:04
Damn that was funny. I love it when people get even with stupid folks, that is the best!!!:D
Originally posted by AngelsSix
I guess the reason I started this thread was to get a feel for how people think about other cultures.
Does anyone here think that the naysayers would have a different opinion if:
[...]
I'm not comfortable running my mouth, but here's 0.002 cents worth of reverse situation.
My first trip was at the age of five to the USA. That's where I spoke my first words of english by ordering a coke, and where my dad explained that I was a representative of Sweden and ought to behave as one.
We spent a lot of time in WI and on a roadtrip. Since I was so young at the time, it wasn't much of a foreign culture study. It did however give an orientation of the country, showing how it could be structured differently and hence different appearances of peoples' lives. I think that contributed to my early appreciation that there are many ways to do things, big and small.
My family went again when I was 9, and I crossed the ocean once more when I was 14. Both times were mostly spent in WI, since that is where our relatives live. I stayed very much in the background on the last trip, having it serve as a recovery period after a few troubling years at home and for simple observation and getting a feel of the people.
On 9/11 my sister said there had just been a terrorist attack, and I went to the living room, saw a tower burning and went back to the computer. After a minute I comprehended, crap that is bad, that is big. I could identify with the people there and it made me angry. It would not be long before I felt a frustration between how I knew people over here thought about it, how I imagined, heard, saw and read about your pain, and how I saw, heard and felt the response of the large population of middle easterners at school.
You know about dehumanization? You know how to raise dogs? Fame? Fear? Slogans and protestors' one liners? Leadership and role models? What it all boils down to is association.
Bring together association with ignorance and bad sources, and you have a people in total obediance. Give them intelligence and you'll be greeted with misunderstanding.
Imagine somebody who, when they look at the US, see greater rifts between the rich and poor than in Iran or SA, an oil dependant nation run by a president with a record in the oil industry, believe the guy making praised and seemingly logical flicks about weaponry and deaths (but can't even quote stats correctly) in the USA, who only thinks of Hitler, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and molested children by death squads and bombs when they hear war (which they only hear from the right wing), who think the president "stole" the election and then locks up people without trials for years on end on a desolate island, blah blah blah +ICJ, UN, Israel, whatever.
There is part of the result. Very rudimentary, the problems are the lack of dissemination of good information, and a lack of understanding of evil - how humans work.
Martin sends