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  • Where are you from?

    When meeting someone new, it is common to inquire about their background to get a snapshot of who they are and where they are coming from. For locals in Hawaii, one of the first questions that comes up is, "What school did you grad?"

    Some of my friends went to college on the mainland and stayed there after school to work. They have lived there over 20 years which is longer than they lived in Hawaii. So they are somewhat conflicted when they get the question, "Where are you from?" They don't keep up with Hawaii current events and their kids don't understand their cousins' pidgin. Some just identify themselves as residents of wherever they currently live. But some identify strongly with their Hawaii roots and feel compelled to say, "I'm from Hawaii, but now I live in ________."

    For those that have lived in different locations for significant portions of your lives, how do you associate yourself? Do you identify more with where you were born and raised or with your adopted home?

  • #2
    Re: Where are you from?

    I would respond to that question by saying "I currently live in" and then put in the place where I currently live, which for me is a different place from where I was born, raised and went to high school and which is yet another different place from where I went to college.

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    • #3
      Re: Where are you from?

      I feel like there is 100 threads on this...but, I am from Bermuda, and now live in Washington D.C.

      If someone asks "where are you from" I PROUDLY say Bermuda...where are you from, and where do you live are 2 different questions in my book.
      flickr

      An email from God:
      To: People of Earth
      From: God
      Date: 9/04/2007
      Subject: stop

      knock it off, all of you

      seriously, what the hell


      --
      God

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      • #4
        Re: Where are you from?

        It's easier to say "I'm from Chicago" than the actual locations. For example I was born in an orphanage that is no longer there, in the ghetto part of town
        near the United Center where the Bulls play. No one knows where Naperville is so I don't say that and while some people know of Evanston where I went to school at Northwestern many here don't. They think Northwestern is that school in Washington state.

        My final answer would be "Kaneohe" as I've been here during my 24 years in Hawaii for 16 years........I've been in Hawaii longer than anywhere and consider this my home

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        • #5
          Re: Where are you from?

          Usually I'll say "the Eastern part of Washington State", and when they don't know where that is exactly (or have no concept of how it looks on a map), I'll say "you know Seattle or Portland? Now drive 200 miles east." If they still don't know (and even with access to maps everywhere, some will still ask), I'll just say "a few hours outside of Seattle".

          I will always say Hawai'i is where I was raised, and what I still consider to be my "eternal home".

          (cue the audience: "awwwwwwwwwwwwwww")

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          • #6
            Re: Where are you from?

            I identify a little bit differently...
            My hometown is Laguna Beach, CA.
            My adopted home is Hawaii.
            Both factor into the equation. Equally. I cannot separate them.

            My kids lived in Laguna for 10 years, Hawaii for 8 years and now Calif. for over 20 years. Still, they list their "home town" as Hawaii. It makes me feel so proud to know that yanking them from their roots at such a tender age had such a positive impact on them.

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            • #7
              Re: Where are you from?

              If someone asks me where I'm from, I say that I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, left Illinois after college, lived in several states when I was married to a Navy pilot, but moved back to Hawaii after spending too many years in Texas AND because Hawaii is where my heart and soul have led me to call home.

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              • #8
                Re: Where are you from?

                "I grew up near Pittsburgh, and I left as soon as I could..."
                Youth may be wasted on the young, but retirement is wasted on the old.
                Live like you're dying, invest like you're immortal.
                We grow old if we stop playing, but it's never too late to have a happy childhood.
                Forget about who you were-- discover who you are.

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                • #9
                  Re: Where are you from?

                  I'm not really "from" anywhere as I now reside within 5 miles of my birthplace.
                  Within 10 miles of my father's birthplace.
                  The "Valley". San Fernando that is, swimming pools, movie stars.
                  Totally dude, for sure.

                  Now my ancestors hail from Ireland, England, France, Spain, Mexico and elsewhere lost to history.
                  Last edited by sinjin; April 9, 2009, 05:14 AM.
                  “First we fought the preliminary round for the k***s and now we’re gonna fight the main event for the n*****s."
                  http://hollywoodbitchslap.com/review...=416&printer=1

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                  • #10
                    Re: Where are you from?

                    Originally posted by TATTRAT View Post
                    If someone asks "where are you from" I PROUDLY say Bermuda...where are you from, and where do you live are 2 different questions in my book.
                    That's the gist of this question. Does the equation change depending upon how long you have been away from "home"?

                    I had dinner recently with a friend who grew up in Hawaii but has been away for a long time. He has always sentimentally regarded Hawaii as home but realized that he feels like a tourist now when he comes "home" to Hawaii. He doesn't speak pidgin anymore. He wears sandals instead of slippers. Doesn't get the references to current local stuff that comes up in conversation.

                    Originally posted by Nords View Post
                    "I grew up near Pittsburgh, and I left as soon as I could..."
                    Too funny! Some say you can never go home again. Some don't want to.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Where are you from?

                      My "location" in the upper right hand corner of this screen says it all for me.
                      Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

                      People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

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                      • #12
                        Re: Where are you from?

                        Originally posted by matapule View Post
                        My "location" in the upper right hand corner of this screen says it all for me.
                        So if you just moved somewhere or are traveling and someone asks where you're from you honestly say "Here"? Interesting outlook on things, hehe.

                        I was born and lived in the same city for 18 years so I always say that, even though I've lived in several states since then.
                        What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof. – Christopher Hitchens

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                        • #13
                          Re: Where are you from?

                          By next year (assuming no unpleasant changes), I will have lived half of my life in Seattle, and half in the Midwest. Where I am from matters less to me than where I am.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Where are you from?

                            Born in Liverpool/England but taken to France at a few weeks old to live with my nan.
                            I was ten when she died and then I went to stay with relatives in Ireland.

                            I started to learn English when I was about 12. Even though I live in England but often work (p/t) in France, I still consider myself as a Liverpool > Scouser.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Where are you from?

                              Originally posted by Barry View Post
                              then I went to stay with relatives in Ireland..
                              Erin go bragh! I'm of Irish extract. My gaelic name is Padraig.
                              Peace, Love, and Local Grindz

                              People who form FIRM opinions with so little knowledge only pretend to be open-minded. They select their facts like food from a buffet. David R. Dow

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