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Old 12-07-08, 10:28 AM  
behaha
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LynnO
Second, veering even farther off topic- every time i read about someone going to another country, especially nonEnglish speaking one, I really want to ask them questions that are so not my business.

Why did you pick that particular country?
Why are you going there?
What do you hope to do/learn?
How is being in a country where you don't know what people are saying?
I've been leaving the country about once a year for a few years now and, while it's not entirely new to me, it's new to this phase of my life and so has acquired characteristics that help answer these questions. When I was a kid and travelled occasionally for pleasure rather than work, these were different answers.

Why did you pick that particular country?
generally I go somewhere because work sends me. But once I've gone somewhere I usually want to go back, in varying degrees, so I pick somewhere based on how much I want to get back there; or based on prices and deals for the cost of travel.

Why are you going there? see above

What do you hope to do/learn?
I like to see other cultures. See sights, eat different food, use different simple technologies (toilets flush differently all over the world), experience a different way of being, and how that feels.

How is being in a country where you don't know what people are saying? it's fine. Even interesting.

Last edited by behaha; 12-07-08 at 11:55 AM. Reason: edited TWICE for clarity of layout; and also to convey: getting out of one's own country is cool. useful. for the reasons everyone is saying.
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Old 12-07-08, 10:45 AM  
SharonNYC
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We spend summers in Argentina and go to Spain as often as we can. We both lived in Latin America for a time in the 60s -- husband was in the Peace Corps in Bolivia and lived in Mexico and I lived in Bogotá.

Why did you pick that particular country? We both have some Spanish (and have resumed study of that language so we have more every time we go back). Of Spanish-speaking countries Argentina was more economically feasible for a culture-rich region.

Why are you going there? We're both interested in Latin American literature and culture -- and of course the language.

What do you hope to do/learn? See above.

How is being in a country where you don't know what people are saying? Well, now we can understand a lot of what's going around us -- in the beginning, when our Spanish was a little more sketchy, it was relaxing not to be so plugged in. And not having to answer the telephone is a wonderful thing. Even when you don't know the language very well, which is how it is with us when we travel in Portugal, a good phrase book goes a long way.

Living in another country and in another culture is broadening in the truest sense. It's given me, through the years, much more perspective in understanding what's going on in the world. Given the opportunity and the right circumstances, I don't see why anyone would not do it.

Knowing another language is still thrilling to me -- not quite fluent yet but I know it'll feel like taking flight if that ever happens.
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Old 12-07-08, 11:50 AM  
Jacqi A
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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Haifa, Israel
Quote:
Originally Posted by LynnO
Why did you pick that particular country?
Why are you going there?
What do you hope to do/learn?
How is being in a country where you don't know what people are saying?
I've lived here for over 20 years, moved here for ideological reasons (I'm Jewish). I speak Hebrew fluently but still have a strong accent. It was hard to learn. I don't know any Arabic or Russian & I hear them often on the street, at work etc.

It's fun travelling in countries where they don't speak English, although in most countries that I've been to, young people & people who work with tourists do know some English. I was in Hungary in 1989 & almost no one knew English (I think that German was taught as a second language) and my very poor French & Italian were useless, too. I communicated by drawing pictures & that worked out fine .
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Old 12-07-08, 02:08 PM  
FitBoop
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Wow, this thread has taken lots of twists and turns!

Here's my take:

For years, Anna Benson has given excellent customer service (to me and many others), including adding extra goodies when there were DVD delays (like a sweatshirt and an entire extra set of DVDs), so I don't see a reason that people shouldn't do business with her.

I think that Annette should be forgiven, because everyone makes mistakes.
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Old 12-08-08, 01:27 PM  
Joni O
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WOW - I stopped reading this thread long ago and just came back to it. All I can say is that I'm glad I'm no longer a moderator and, therefore, didn't have to participate in analyzing all the drama. It's been so refreshing without it.
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Old 12-08-08, 01:47 PM  
LynnO
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Interesting answers ladies.
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Old 12-08-08, 01:53 PM  
lindseylu8
 
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Location: middle of the desert
Quote:
Originally Posted by LynnO
Why did you pick that particular country?
Why are you going there?
What do you hope to do/learn?
How is being in a country where you don't know what people are saying?
I lived/worked in Japan for 2 years. I taught English to Elementary- 9th Grade students.

1. I studied Japanese in high school. It was always an intention to live there for a while but college took longer than expected and by the time I got to japan I hadnt studied/spoken/ heard Japanese in about 8 years!

2. I taught English

3. I wanted to re-learn my Japanese and of course learn more, make friends, travel throughout Asia, life expereinces...I did make MANY wonderful friends some of which came to the US for my wedding a year after I came back to the US. I did learn a ton of Japanese. I travelled all through asia and have some wonderful memories. I learned a ton there and became creative at communicating.

4. It made me want to learn the language even more and pushed me to study on my own (no classes in my area), talk more, and ask more questions.

Lindsey
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Old 12-08-08, 04:23 PM  
deesharee
 
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Location: NY
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abbe
Wow, this thread has taken lots of twists and turns!

Here's my take:

For years, Anna Benson has given excellent customer service (to me and many others), including adding extra goodies when there were DVD delays (like a sweatshirt and an entire extra set of DVDs), so I don't see a reason that people shouldn't do business with her.

I think that Annette should be forgiven, because everyone makes mistakes.
Wow, this thread is still going strong! Interesting take on everything. Not a question of Annette being forgiven. Don't think anyone is mad at her - just disappointed that she didn't disclose important information that would have prevented all this drama and could have avoided putting another VFer (Raquel) in a very defensive position when she ordered from Anna Benson.

Annette was the one who chose not to return, and I understand that. Perhaps she'll return one day, when all this is not so fresh.
------------------
To change the subject, I think it's fascinating reading how there are a lot of VFers who are so well-traveled. How awesome is that?

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