Where are you from? This really works!
 

I went to Turkey two years ago and I had many people wanting to have a conversation with me. Where are you from? was usually the first question. When I said, the United States, their next question was, "What do you think of Bush."

This became old after a few days. Afterall, I'm on holiday, I would like to meet the locals--especially since they speak English quite well, so I decided to say, "I'm from Miami." Well, not really, but I did fly out of the Miami airport.

"Where are you from? I was asked?" I said, Miami. The response was, "Wow, Miami Beach. I want to go there. What are the beaches like?

If I say I'm from Florida, they talk about Hurricanes. If I say I'm from Orlando, it's Micky Mouse, and Miami, they think of the beaches and the clubs.

Where am I from? It depends on what I want to talk about.

Unfortunately, if I say, "I'm from Austin," I'd probably still get, "What do you think of Bush?"

Say it in the UK, and people will reminisce to you about cars....

Wow...if I say Wisconsin will they want to talk about Cheese...

If I say I'm from Illinois, they assume I'm from Chicago. If I say I'm from St. Louis (I live in Illinois, near St. Louis...believe it or not, there is life in Illinois outside of Chicago!), they usually don't know where that even is. Its usually easier to just say Chicago.

Tracy

Tcreath..

I know what your saying is true...I lived in Waukegan for many years and no one had a clue.

I think you have a great suggestion, Wally. Thanks. (I wonder if they've heard of Iowa?)

So what do you thoink about Bush?

It used to be that when I said I'm from Minnesota, I either got asked if I live on a farm or if it is part of Canada. Now, I get asked if everyone I know works at the Mall of America.

VBL - Are you wearing your cheesehead hat when they ask you that question? :)

I was in Ireland at a pub and got to talking with a local businessman. He asked where I was from, and when I told him New Jersey, he said he had a cousin living in Conneticut and proceeded to give him name and asked if I might know him. It's a small world, but not that small. :-) ((b))

Yeah, we're from Texas, so it probably won't help. Maybe I need to learn to say "I didn't vote for him" in Italian.

It's true ... you say Chicago and people respond with Al Capone, Michael Jordan, Oprah, pizza, and wind. Once, in Slovenia, I got "Da Bears". Personally, it seems that it's easier for many people to find common ground as a good icebreaker, which leads to other (better) conversations topics (like "what do you think of Bush"? - just kidding).

You're on to something. I say, "San Diego" or "California" and people will either tell me about their trip to So.Cal including Vegas or how they would love to make that trip.

When we say we're from Seattle...

US - "Rains all the time, right?"
UK - Nirvana (yes, still)
Europe - Bill Gates, Starbucks
Oz - "Where's that, Canada?"

cls2paris...

I'm not from Wisconsin..born Chicago moved to the burbs raised in Mich and Colo and now live in Florida...

So when people ask me where I'm from..I'm at a loss...do they mean originally or now or inbetween

also lived in various other states thru different marriages...

I don't think they do all that moving around in europe so I don't think they would understand.....

So from now on I think I will just pick a city from anywhere and see what they say....

Minnesota? Do you live in an igloo?!!!! When my daughter got married here in Minnesota in January everyone thought they'd have to ride to the ceremony and reception on a reindeer or a moose!!!

When I say I'm from New Hampshire, most Europeans don't have a clue where or what New Hampshire is, so I usually say 'between New York and Canada'.

I wonder what they would say about Dijon ;-)

I once told someone in France that I was originally from Ohio, and she said, "that's round at both ends and 'hi' in the middle". I nearly fell off my chair. I hadn't heard that since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I think it was the only think she knew about Ohio.

Coco, they'd say mustard.

I used to say I was like a publishing company-- New York, Chicago, Boston.

I would tell folks that I'm from Texas anyway as we sort of consider ourselves a separate country. I'm not interested in talking politics with foreigners, but if they insist on being jerks, I'll be glad to tell them that I voted for Bush. Honestly, on my last trip to Europe (Paris, 2004), nobody I ran into wanted to talk politics.

I always tell them I'm from Austin, TX and they presume I live in the desert. Nobody believes me when I tell them Austin is NOT in the desert, it's actually quite green and beautiful. We get a good amount of rain every year, which unfortunately makes it very humid.

They also think we all own horses and oil wells. Personally I don't know anyone who owns horses, however I would certainly love to own a few oil wells these days. :-)

twk, we were posting at the same time. I too have met VERY few Europeans who want to talk politics.

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and when people find that out they bring up old stories about the old steel mills. :) I now live in the metro Washington, DC area.

Budman: sometimes the world actually is that small; one guy I randomly happened to share a couchette car with happened to go to high school with my next door neighbor (in a different state). No actual point to saying that, and I guess I ought to answer the OP: I usually say I'm from Texas, so I get asked what I think of Bush or if I ride a horse or something.

I'm often surprised when quite a few Europeans know who are "Governater" is here in California.

In London, I was asked where I was from. When I said Georgia, they asked if that was near where the wildfires were in California and how that had affected me.

I guess some people tend to think of the United States as very small.

When I tell people I'm from Atlanta (Georgia, southeastern U.S.) they ask me if it's distracting working so close to the beach. Of course, those are Americans who ask me the question.

Budman, my sister's stepson was on a little island off of Madagascar. He started talking to one of the only other Americans on the island and found out they had been to camp together as boys. so, it can be pretty small. and as a southerner relocated , i guess i will take on my husband's nationality...Texan.

If I say I'm from Massachusetts most people think "Boston"...which is fine except that I'm about 70 miles away from Boston. If I say "Worcester, Mass", the city nearest to me, I usually get a blank stare. Come to think of it, that's what I get from some people in Boston when I say "Worcester". ;-)

LeeParis

Nikki, <Coco, they'd say mustard>
Of course unfortunately! I wish they said something else like Kir, or gingerbread...
:-)

I've tried saying Minnesota, and got a blank stare in London, but when I say Minneapolis, people think immediately of Prince. Interesting idea. :)

That happens to me too :) If I say "I'm from Castellon" , people knows where it is as much as they know any tiny village in China. So I say "I'm from Valencia" , and everybody smiles and says "oh, yes, paella !!! "

A couple years ago in Paris, I met these lovely men from Scotland. They asked where I was from and I replied Minnesota. The both laughed and said - "Minnesota? Fargo, eh?". They had recently seen the movie. I politely pointed out that Fargo is actually in North Dakota. The conversation turned into a grammar lesson as they were not using the phrase "Ya, sure you betcha" correctly in the conversation. Uff da!

I remember in Italy when a very jovial man asked me where I was from, I responded Dallas, Tx. He immedaitely acted like he was pulling 2 six-shooters from his holsters like a cowboy. He wasn't too far from correct, now that I think about it, but it's not from cowboys these days.

Totally off the subject -
I just wanted to tell L84SKY that I love your screen name! (and Jackson Browne!)

Now on subject -
I'm from a suburb of L.A., so you can imagine the response I got! Mostly "oooh, Los Annngeles" and then the question of whether I've seen any movie stars. (I have, but not as many as they think.)

Them: "Where are you from?"
Me: "North Carolina"
Them: "Um, (pause) that's nice"

Never a mention of basketball, beaches, or barbeque.

If I say I am from Salvador da Bahia, no one knows what am talking about. Do you????

I think it's great that people want to talk about politics. (not on this forum, but out in the world.) Shouldn't we citizens of a democracy be prepared to discuss what our government's been up to?