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Where are you from?This forum post has messages dated from 01/02/12 through 01/24/12, please be sure to read all the messages. If you feel it is old or outdated, please follow up with a question or comment and someone may be able to update it, or reply with newer information if you have it.
| Where are you from? When someone asks where are you from, which answer do you provide?- Where you were born - Where you grew up - Where you lived last in the USA - Where you lived last in some other country - Where you live now - What your nationality is whether it reflects your culture or upbringing Which is the correct response? Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay |
Comment #1
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| "Good Question"
I have had a problem with this question all my life. Born in Washington, D.C. but never saw that city till high school. My father was military and we moved all over. I say California because I lived there the longest. Since participating on this forum I have used Thailand and the U.S. Is there a correct answer? |
| "it is a useful label"
Lets face it, if it is a one off question then it doesn't really matter anyway. If it is part of a conversation that is leading somewhere then more information is going to be shared anyway.It can be a useful label though for other people. The Patricks around here are a case in point. Is it "Dutch Patrick" or Ïrish Patrick" or I think I have even heard of a Patrick or two from other places. Those labels seem to be used with given names rather than Surnames. Expert Page: House Sitters for Uruguay |
| "excellent question!"
To me this is a very PERSONAL question. Therefore, I find it kind of nervy when someone who doesn't know me from Adam asks me that question when they don't even know my name.I've gotten that question from all kinds of people everywhere all my life, from cab drivers in Montevideo, to street vendors in Mexico City and Starbucks baristas in Miami. I guess I must have that "alien" look (as in from outta space)! In my view, if the place where one "comes from" is equal to "HOME", then this is NOT necessarily the physical or geographical place where a person is born, but the place with which each individual identifies the most, and therefore, feels most "AT HOME". In my case, even though I was born in Uruguay, my "home" is in the USA, where I grew up and lived most of my life. |
| "Better questions..."
"To me this is a very PERSONAL question. Therefore, I find it kind of nervy when someone who doesn't know me from Adam asks me that question when they don't even know my name."I think it is often a conversation starter... and sometimes at the Sunday Expat meetings it can be interesting just by chance how many people are "from" the same area, or have lived in similar places... So, if the question is too complicated or personal, what would be a better conversation starter? Expert Page: Quick Tips for Getting Settled in Uruguay |
| "Conversation starter"
"what would be a better conversation starter?"Perhaps "What brings you to Uruguay?" or "How long are you in Uruguay for?" Expert Page: House Sitters for Uruguay |
| "conversation starters"
I agree with Lionel. But to be honest, at the expat meetings there's probably a general expectation that people will ask that question, so it's perfectly acceptable. |
| "Where are you from?"
I have never taken offence that someone was interested enough in me to ask the question. In my working days, I dealt with many people over the phone and learned to recognize different regional accents. I used to try to guess and was often correct. One time I was riding the "el" (rail transit line) and overheard a group of people speaking what sounded like a Slavic language, so I asked if they were from Poland. I told them my father was Polish and his father had immigrated from Poland as a young man. They asked if I spoke any Polish. I said, "yaksha maash", "nostrovya", "dobja" and "brudna gotkey" (I don´t know about spelling, these are phonetic interpretations. They got a big kick out of the last one; it means dirty underwear. Why do parents teach their children such goofy phrases? ;-)Expert Page: Aguas Dulces Cabin Rentals |
| "Ginkooye!"
We all respond differently to different situations for various often unexplained reasons. I was in Poland a few years ago. Loved it! I have one Polish friend and a few Polish-American friends. But I only know one word in Polish: "ginkooye" (mispelled to death!)which means "thank you". At one point I had also learned how to say "vodka will kill you!" but I forgot now. |
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