In the Museum of London
Travelling this time around is different from my last travel in 2011. This was supposed to be an extension of my round the world journey, but with 5 months off, it shifted and is different.
Alone on a limb ...
What I am trying to decide is where to create my ‘base’. The place I will park my ‘stuff’ on a more permanent basis. That is one thing that I find is rearing it’s head. The need for a place to call home. But how does one determine this place?
Not altogether whole
Is it based on geography, people, opportunities, needs etc. Trying to discern this is a challenge. It might seem obvious and easy for most, but remains a clouded inquiry for me.
It's a questions of scale
I love Europe for its history and my link to it through birth. Although it is still Western society, it’s consumption is not as grotesque as North America, i.e. Canada and the U.S. Although consumption still does exist, given it’s existence of significant population and modern man for 3,000 years give and take, it doesn’t have the room to be as overly consumptive as Canada or the U.S.
Don't get caught on the fence
Which brings me to another point. It really irks me that the U.S. called itself that. Every countries’ names in the world, as far as I know off the top of my head, can be adjusted to represent a name for their people. That is except for the U.S. For instance people in Canada are Canadians. People in France are French. People in the Netherlands however are Dutch – not sure how that one came about. But the people in the U.S. are typically referred to as Americans. This is terribly incorrect. Any person who is from a country in North, Central or South American continents can refer to themselves as American. So how therefore did the U.S. dominate and steal that moniker???
Hold onto those things that are most important
As I travel, people often ask me if I am American or Canadian. Well both if being literal. But I have of course clarify that I am from Canada. See one of the reasons it irks me is that from a quick internet research, the best guestimate of the number of people from the U.S. that own a passport is about 20%. Therefore of it’s approximate 300 million population, 20% would mean that at best about 60 million people potentially go abroad. I don’t know the exact stats for Canada, but given our approximate 30 million population and how much of that is international (that is new citizens from different populations) I would say easily 70 0r 80% have passports and therefore travel abroad.
Don't take life too seriously
So as such, a foreigner asking an individuals who could be mistakenly taken for Canadian or from the U.S. (U.Statians?) is best assuming first and foremost they are Canadian because they are more than likely going to be right with that guess. Of course in Western Europe, the chances are a little more variable, but anywhere else in the world you will be more likely to encounter a Canadian than someone from the States (damn – you guys need a name that doesn’t take all of two continents).
Keep looking for the answers
Of course, you can also ask me or the person in question to say ‘out and about’. Then the answer will be clear 🙂
Between a rock and a hard place
But don't look back.
I just wanted to let you know that in German, the people of the Netherlands (Niederlande) are called Niederlaender, so it works. 😉
By the way, I like your captions beneath the pictures, especially the one of the daffodils.
Not sure if this will help in your search for a place to put your stuff aka home, but I thought you’d like these two home quotes:
“Wherever I lay my hat, that’s my home.” song by Paul Young
“Where thou art – that – is Home.” by Emily Dickinson
Well there you go, so they too are called by their country name. So what do the Germans call the United Statians (my new word)
Not sure if I want to answer your question, but……since the US is known as Amerika in the German language, people living there are known as Amerikaner. Sorry to disappoint.
Ah but you see that is my issue. Because Canada, Mexico, not to mention all of Central American countries and South American countries, ideally should be America. So therefore the United Statians have managed to make everyone refer to them as if they are all of that … if you see what I mean … Germans too.
Yes, of course I see what you mean and I agree with you 100%!!