"You are from which country !!?"

steve_richmond

I'm from the UK (but not England) and my travelling mate is from Scotland... so it's always interesting trying to describe where we're from. Saying "London" always works, as many Indians don't appear to have heard of Britain or the UK...



This made me smile. I saw these bags all over India.

bijapuri

gee, I'm kinda glad I didn't know all that!

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DianeN.

When I was asked, "what country?", I just replied Japan. They were always taken back by that because I don't look Japanese at all--and couldn't come up with a response. Some, however, spoke a bit of Japanese, which then I responded to in Japanese.--(more than what they knew) they couldn't jump right into their sales pitch.

It was also convenient speaking Japanese while walking around with my daughter and my Indian friend. If the touts bothered us, my Indian friend shouted at them in Hindi so they left. We were a very strange combination of travellers.

mdchachi

Being able to speak in Japanese with my wife was very nice; then we could discuss prices, whether or not she really wanted to buy something and everything else in front of the salesman with the salesman stuck with having to guess what we were thinking.


Did any of you encounter the question My name? We got this several times. They were really trying to say "What's YOUR name"

-m2-

the name question that gets me is 'and what is your father's good name?'

biswajit_27

Volga, Russia is know as "Roosie" (Pronounced: Rooo See). Most of us(middle-class) are very familiar with Tolstoy, Pushkin and Mir Publishers (of yersteryears). Russia is recognized as an ally and a friend. Old films like "Mera naam joker" etc (made in the era of Indo-Soviet relations) introduced russians to us. The movie I mentioned above has been viewed by "everyone" (maybe except the sounthern belt, even in rural places).

Anyone above 26 years and even if slighty educated, will love you for being russian :-).

PS: Most of us (me included) feel sad that russia is down on its luck these days.

machadinha

Saying you were from the Netherlands would usually inspire a chorus of approval along the lines of "very nice place," followed by the inference that it was the beautiful capital of Copenhagen or similar. You get the same response with some Americans though It was a relief to have the usual associations with cannabis mostly missing btw.

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Ikuru

Ah your a cool dude having been on one of them Train rooftops, I never had the guts to get there...

Anyhow when Asked "what country?" My respons is Sweden. And then I get "Ahhh! Switzerland" many times in return, followed up with, "are you married?", to that my respons have allways been a No, and then if conversation continue chances are the next thing is "why not?" and "how old are you?" By now I start feeeling Old and lonely or something like that. And I might start getting the feeeling what really is beeing asked is something like "whats wrrong with you?" How come your a thirtytwo year old hippielooking westerner wondering around aimlesly with a obviously expencive looking camera etc. And by now the guilt trip is in full bloom and I will rather start fading in to my book than too continue. I know how bad this might sound, and that huge part of it is my selfimposed guilttrip of beeing a 32 year old inresponsible child of some sort...
But thats thee way it is. Ofcourse things change and we grow and see things differently eventually, maybe....

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snowcrab

Well that would be Ma India for you now wouldn't it? Just doing her job. Nag, nag, nag.

But seriously, it seems to just be the way people feel at this age. Got a number of younger friends who are suffering because they have internalized expectations of who and what they were going to be "when I'm grown up" and at thirty something they aren't there yet and worse than that have in some cases already decided they don't want to go there any more.

Gen-x-ers don't have that peer support that comes from being part of a large demographic, but there is a lot of illusion in that too. You may be much better off confronting these things than going along with a huge crowd who are creating comforting rationalizations as they go.

the solutions you arrive at will be individual and unique.

Ikuru

Interesting and comforting post snowcrab.

Thanx

davey

I tell anyone I'm from Ricky Ponting country, almost everyone understands and of course it leads on to the entire cricket team, which just happens to be the wrolds best....bet that sets off some people

Digital Drifter

Harrumph!

<walks away thinking dark thoughts>

anonymous

Another variation that I often hear is "What country are you coming from?"
On my first trip I crossed over from Pakistan so that's what I answered. Now I do it just to get a laugh.

Rob_The_Pom

Not for much longer...

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iwanttogoback

we'll just wait and see will we.
i loved it too, even though i'm really not fussed on cricket. it seemed comforting and welcoming that people knew about at least some australians, made me feel less homesick!. and they never mentioned shane warne, an absolute reccommendation i say.
we were travelling with some chinese malaysians and their identity seemed to really puzzle most indians. they would be asked 'china?' or even 'korea?' and the questioner almost always seemed puzzled.
one of my malaysian friends and i had a lovely conversation at the red fort, agra, with a man we think was probably from mongolia or thereabouts and who spoke no english. through hand gestures and the 'which country' he seemed to satisfy his curiousity and bless us and we were utterly charmed.
would it have been just my impression or would the fact that white ozzies and chinese malaysians were travelling together have drawn more attention than you normally get?
BTW, i found the whole question and introduction thing charming, especially when the parents would get their children to shake your hand and tell you their names.