In Europe our 50 states would each be its own country. You would need a passport to travel from one state to another. At some borders instead of stopping at the Welcome Center to pick up a new highway map you would stop to exchange currency. At others you would have to learn a new language before you could ask for directions to the bathroom–or understand the answer.
If each of our states was a separate country we would likely have border wars. Just like in other countries our wars have mostly been with other nations: native tribes, England, France, and Spain. We did have one big War Between the States but it was a political war not a boundary war. We mostly think of ourselves as one big country. Thus our wars are now held on sports fields. And while they do result in wounded they very rarely result in death.
We are fortunate indeed to live in this country where we can travel for many days without ever dealing with a border crossing or people who hate us for our birthplace. I am grateful for that.
TTYL,
Linda
I think about that a lot.
Linda, the use of passports between countries has been mostly eliminated with the Schengen area countries. The area is about 25 countries, including some non-EU countries. Very few border check points.
God Bless the USA!
I do wish you would tell Dave to eliminate all that putting in business.. name email and URL … I’m pretty sure I’ve bitched about this before and you said Dave said … something or other so I know he won’t do it… lol BUT I like to rant …
oh, passports. When I was traveling in the New England states … I thought exactly what you did. These state are so close together … but in the West? oh, well… Texas … I worked with a kid straight from London somewhere in the 60s … I was straight from Dallas … we’d draw a crowd while we were trying to understand what the other was saying… HAHaaa
Anyway .. I was moaning about doing taxes and how I disliked it and so forth … she said … you pay taxes? huh? yeah I paid taxes … but you’re from Texas! …. yes… we pay taxes in Texas…
oh, really? well, yes… Cara! by george I remember her name … we pay taxes in Texas… she thought Texas was a whole ‘nother country….
Haaaaa … wonder what ever happened to Cara… she was sooo cute.
You are right! It’s easy to just go from one state to another without having to worry about changing languages, changing currency or changing plug ins so we could use whatever electrical items we can’t live without. Been there, done that and not planning on doing it again.
Same language? Put somebody from Boston or New York City in rural Alabama or vice versa and i guarantee they will need an interpreter. I had a friend from The Bronx who I could understand fine. But put her in the same room with someone else from there and within 5 minutes you can’t understand a word they are saying.
And trust me, there are people here in the south who absolutely despise anyone born north of the Mason Dixon line. Something about some unpleasantness during the 1860’s or such.
Even here in the Keys, the way of thinking and the lifestyle is totally different from the rest of the country. You sometimes think that the Conch Republic really is a foreign country.
what a fun post.
I kind of agree with the captain though.
i always had trouble understanding the numbers from people calling from the deep south.
their 5’s and 9’s sound amazingly alike…
fawv fawv nawn fawv nawn. you hated to keep asking them to repeat… but??? LOL
and my daddy was a texan.
it truly IS another country for sure!!! 🙂
a wonderful nation we have. and this is flag day too! xo (i’m late to the party)
Tammy, my dear friend…you would probably have to ask me to repeat things. 🙂
Because of my job I speak with so many different nationalities, not only in the USA but also other countries. When I first started out in recruiting I had a very difficult time understanding some people (they almost always still have a difficult time understanding me), and I get picked on from time to time by candidates about my accent – but hey….I look at it as an ice breaker and laugh about it. I’ve gotten better at understanding other accents after doing this for so long, so I don’t ha be much trouble understanding – I just have to remind myself to speak and enunciate clearer, not slurring my words together as I do in my eastern Carolina accent. 🙂
It is very nice to not have to deal with money exchanges and to be able to travel freely throughout our country!
The most hilarious accent I ever encountered was a family from Denmark. They were in town to buy some motorcycle stuff and the only one who spoke English was the teenage daughter. And she learned to speak English in Charleston, South Carolina. So try to imagine a Danish accent with a thick southern drawl. I couldn’t replicate it if I tried. But it was a real trip to listen to her.
I didn’t grow up with an accent. Until I moved from Illinois to Minnesota and my classmates made fun of me. I remember hearing that TV stations liked broadcasters from Minnesota because everyone could understand them.
And that’s just accents. What about words having different meanings? When my cousins in St Louis asked me if I’d like a soda I said no because ice cream upsets my system. Then I wondered why no one offered me a can of pop when they were all having some.
That’s how I feel about my country Canada…although I do like and appreciate my US neighbors to the South! And I don’t even mind that I need a passport to come visit y’all 🙂
Lyle
what do you call someone who speaks two languages?
bilingual
what do you call someone who speaks only one language?
american
what do you call an american who speaks two languages?
hispanic
Wonderful sentiment! We are truly blessed to be living in the United States with access to some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. Good luck with your journey from all the folks at RV Four Seasons!