Boo Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Where are you from & where you live are 2 different answers IMO. I am from the UK & I live in London. If you have spent most of your life in one particular country & speak witht hat countries langauge & accent then thats where you are from. And if you moved to thailand in your 20's or later then you aren't from thailand, sorry to say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Where are you from & where you live are 2 different answers IMO. I am from the UK & I live in London. If you have spent most of your life in one particular country & speak witht hat countries langauge & accent then thats where you are from. And if you moved to thailand in your 20's or later then you aren't from thailand, sorry to say Boo ... if so then why From: Khon Kaen/London ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 jdinasia, now your just being pedantic. KK is where my husband is from & where we spend most of our time in country. In the context of this forum it is useful to know where people are located & I don't view that as claiming to be from thailand, just where we are located when in country jsut as London is where we are in the UK. If it makes you feel better I will happily change it. n.b actually when I addded that info I was living full time in KK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I see it the other way around Boo ..... where I am from is where I live! When I lived in Denver I was from Denver. If I were here on contract I might think differently! I am not though! I am from Kamala now. My nationality is still US. Different thing ... (note others have said this too! I am sure others like you see it differently .. but then again how you see yourself is how you define yourself.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 not an argument jd (unless you want to make one) I expressed an opinion. You are the one defending it but I think telling people your from phuket sounds ridiculous unless your thai. Just an opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnustedt Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I usually say "just came in off the street" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I'm from me Mum ...... there..... that's that sorted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Black Duck Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I don't know about anyone else but I have a problem when someone asks me "where you from?"... I've not lived in any one place for more than a few years since I was a teenager - I'm not really sure where I'm from, anymore! Especially these days, since I have lived on Phuket for 4 years, and somewhere else a few yrs before that.... and then several other locales a few yrs each, etc. So, these days - I just say I am from PHUKET! Is there anything wrong with that? The Thai locals laugh and accept it - no worries! Some farangs have a problem with it ... but - up to them! It's ok to be FROM where you are in the moment... Right??? Correct me if I'm wrong but I was always of the belief when ask "where are you from"? someone was trying to determine your country of birth.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 not an argument jd (unless you want to make one) I expressed an opinion. You are the one defending it but I think telling people your from phuket sounds ridiculous unless your thai. Just an opinion. Could be why I choose to use the phrase "I live in Phuket" while here .... When you ask a Thai where they are from in Phuket they reply with either Phuket (or the name of a town in the province) if they live here; or from wherever in Thailand if they are a tourist here. Yes I have met people that by your definition are from Bangkok that answer Phuket because they live here. <Yes I can tell the difference, different speech patterns etc>. So ... "I live in Phuket" works for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I live in Phuket" So not "from" but "live in", therefore we are in agreement. You live in Phuket but your not from there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 (edited) I live in Phuket" So not "from" but "live in", therefore we are in agreement. You live in Phuket but your not from there Only if you feel the need to win I am with Khall on this one Edited October 24, 2006 by jdinasia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Never stated I was Thai .... though maybe when I get PR ... I'll start the next step If I get Nationality THEN I'll state that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkmadness Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Specifically .......... knew that point would be lost on you ....(as well as overseas) blah blah blah ... when asked where I am from ... I say "I live in Phuket." If they want to know more they can ask. Depending upon my mood they may get more details .... pathetic comeback. you're not thai mate - that's the point Im making and you are crying about. Pardon me? the question is not "What is your nationality?" ... again specifically where am I from? Texas ? Maine? Colorado? Ga? overseas options??? ... no ... "I LIVE in Phuket" Obviously when they ask you where are you from it means where was your born so USA. If they ask where you live, its Phuket. How difficult can it be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 That is one train of thought ... not everyone's. But scroll back and tell me where I am from Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkmadness Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 USA, Phuket, your house, your mother's womb, a big explosion of energy and matter a long time ago, all are correct answers but if you meet someone and they ask you where are you from then I would guess they are asking which country. So I'd go with the USA. Don't you find when people ask you where you are from and you answer 'Phuket' they just have to ask you again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Nope ... they ask where you are from ... I say "I live in Phuket" ... If I say USA ... then most times I have to explain "I have not even stepped foot in the USA for 3 years etc! I live in Thailand full-time now! I lived in BKK until recently and before that HuaHin" Rarely do people care where you are from if they know you actually live here! <If they ARE interested in me being from the USA then it leads to the same lengthy discussions "where in the USA? ... then "Well I moved here from Colorado but only lived there 2.5 years the last time .........." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ijustwannateach Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 I've removed a number of offensive posts from this thread and given a holiday. Namecalling is not acceptable behavior, folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceBlondie Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Up to a point, I'm with jdinasia that the question is ambiguous. Heck, lots of Thais who ask me where I'm from, can't speak English. In Spanish, the preposition de means both 'of' and 'from.' To the stranger who can barely say, "whe' you fom?" I will say "America" if I'm in a generous mood, without out-pedanticizing the point that America is an entire hemisphere with two continents and many island countries. If the other person is an expatriate, I may just say "Texas." A Mayan would name his community of origin, which is probably where he lived all his life, and he can never separate himself from that origin. It depends on the context: who asked it, where you were at the time, etc. Besides, if you answer clearly, "I live in xxx," they should be able to understand what you mean. Also, I learned that in Thailand, you don't have to answer any question, especially directly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkkmadness Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 (edited) Nope ... they ask where you are from ... I say "I live in Phuket" ...If I say USA ... then most times I have to explain "I have not even stepped foot in the USA for 3 years etc! I live in Thailand full-time now! I lived in BKK until recently and before that HuaHin" Rarely do people care where you are from if they know you actually live here! <If they ARE interested in me being from the USA then it leads to the same lengthy discussions "where in the USA? ... then "Well I moved here from Colorado but only lived there 2.5 years the last time .........." How about "Originally from the US, but I've lived in Thailand a few years." If I meet a foreigner here and I ask where they are from and they tell me 'Thailand', I usually just think they're trying just a little too hard to show that they live in Thailand. It's not the question I asked, they can tell me all about how many years they have lived in Thailand later if they really feel it's so very important, but for the time being I just wondered what country did they originate from. Edited October 24, 2006 by bkkmadness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 Nope ... they ask where you are from ... I say "I live in Phuket" ... If I say USA ... then most times I have to explain "I have not even stepped foot in the USA for 3 years etc! I live in Thailand full-time now! I lived in BKK until recently and before that HuaHin" Rarely do people care where you are from if they know you actually live here! <If they ARE interested in me being from the USA then it leads to the same lengthy discussions "where in the USA? ... then "Well I moved here from Colorado but only lived there 2.5 years the last time .........." How about "Originally from the US, but I've lived in Thailand a few years." That would work .... but generally people are more interested in Phuket than the USA (and "originally" would imply I am now from somewhere else ..... and the pedants in here think you can only be "from" where you are raised !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceBlondie Posted October 24, 2006 Share Posted October 24, 2006 bkkmadness, that was my point about context. If it's an expatriate who speaks fluent English and asks me clearly, I'll give him a complex sentence like "Originally....and now..." I'll guess that the Scots and the Welsh don't usually just say "United Kingdom" or "British Commonwealth of Nations." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIPxCORE Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 where are you from has always meant where do you live. not in my book. Not in my book either. When someone asks me where I am from, I take that to mean where I was born or what my nationality is. When in Thailand if someone asks, I simply say "America." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 where are you from has always meant where do you live. not in my book. Not in my book either. When someone asks me where I am from, I take that to mean where I was born or what my nationality is. When in Thailand if someone asks, I simply say "America." But you ARE from the USA ... that is where you live! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raybkk Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Foodland. Does the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIPxCORE Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 where are you from has always meant where do you live. not in my book. Not in my book either. When someone asks me where I am from, I take that to mean where I was born or what my nationality is. When in Thailand if someone asks, I simply say "America." But you ARE from the USA ... that is where you live! Even if I lived in the North Pole, I would still be from America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceBlondie Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Even if I lived in the North Pole, I would still be from America.Brrrr......I always taught my students, "Now, at the North Pole, it is very cold, NOW." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sai grok Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Even if I lived in the North Pole, I would still be from America. I agree with this.. where you are from is where you are born/raised. If someone asked where you live then thats when to say where you live at the present time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neeranam Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 (edited) Up to a point, I'm with jdinasia that the question is ambiguous.Heck, lots of Thais who ask me where I'm from, can't speak English. In Spanish, the preposition de means both 'of' and 'from.' The question is bloody simple - I'm from Scotland. If someone from Scotland asks, I'll say Aberdeen, where I lived the longest. Even if I live here for 50 years, it doesn't change where I come from. Jdinasia - you'll always be a yank and never a Thai, accept it. What's Spanish got to do with anything? Edited October 25, 2006 by Neeranam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Up to a point, I'm with jdinasia that the question is ambiguous.Heck, lots of Thais who ask me where I'm from, can't speak English. In Spanish, the preposition de means both 'of' and 'from.' The question is bloody simple - I'm from Scotland. If someone from Scotland asks, I'll say Aberdeen, where I lived the longest. Even if I live here for 50 years, it doesn't change where I come from. Jdinasia - you'll always be a yank and never a Thai, accept it. What's Spanish got to do with anything? Again you confuse Nationality .......... But you'll get it sometime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatabike Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 As far as i am concerned it aint where you come from thats important. It's where your going that life is all about. Chew on that ha now you can all fight over where your going instead of where you come from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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