Thursday, February 5, 2009

Home Sweet Home


1. What is the farthest you've ever been from home? Where was it? How did you come to go there?

2. Would you ever consider moving to another country to live? Or have you already moved to another country from your birth country?

3. How far, approximately, in miles or km, do you live from the place of your birth right now?

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. I don't know how far it is from SA but I think San Francisco USA was the farthest, I went there on holiday.
2. I was born in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) but moved to SA and have now adopted this country.
3. I live approx 1700km from my place of birth.

Anonymous said...

1. What is the farthest you've ever been from home? Where was it? How did you come to go there?

Where is home? Where I was born? If so, this place I'm living in now is the farthest I've been and my mother dragged me kicking and screaming.

2. Would you ever consider moving to another country to live? No. Not even Canada.

Or have you already moved to another country from your birth country? I was born in Germany, so I'm living in a different country and this is where I shall stay.

3. How far, approximately, in miles or km, do you live from the place of your birth right now? I don't freaking know! Germany to TN,USA. Let me know after you google it, LOL.

Lidian said...

1. I've been to California and to various places in Europe, for various reasons. (She's so vague, I guess you think this answer's about her!)

2. Why yes, I moved to Canada and here I am. Still.

3. About 600 miles, I think. I ought to do it in km, but I never took to the metric system (not really, but I try to keep up since we're all metric here)

Sheila @ A Postcard a Day said...

Define home.

Sheila @ A Postcard a Day said...

How long constitutes "living in another country".

Caroline said...

so this is where you hide these days.

1. Furthest I have ever been from home, would be New Zealand. I went there for 3 months on a backpacking trip after uni.

2. I have now lived in three countries, England where I was born and schooled, Holland where I had my first job, and now here in the US. I'd love to live in other places too - Australia probably being on the top of the list.

3. I now live 7559.97km (4697.67) from where I was born.

Caroline said...

Sheila , someone once told me that if you have been to a cinema in a place, the you lived there. His supporting case was that, when he's on vacation he wouldn't go the cinema, its the sort of activity he does in a place that he lives. Kinda made sense to me.

Relax Max said...

@Sheila - A home is where you live. As far as living in another country, the official rule is more than 11 days. This is the international standard.

A. said...

Are you ready for a long and complicated answer? Too bad.

1. I was born in Ireland and moved to Malawi - 8,500 km or 5250 miles so I was 8500 km from home. After the first 3 years I was back in Ireland for a holiday but by this time Malawi was home so I was again 8500 km from home. Home eventually changed to Ireland again. We then went to Nigeria - not so far, 5000 km. Again, Nigeria became home and when we returned.... blah blah blah.

Since then the furthest holiday has been to Mexico, coincidentally almost the same distance from England as Ireland to Malawi.

What I'm trying to say is, home depends on your perspective and very often changes, for some anyway.

2. Clearly, yes I have, several times as a child. As an adult I have lived in England and Scotland, Paris, and now rural France (the last two are like two different countries). But home is where the heart is, and nothing is carved in stone.

3. Right now I'm in England so only 423 km from where I was born, a mere trifle.

That's a good way to define where you live Caroline. It falls down a bit if you don't speak the local language, or if you never go to the cinema anyway, but as a general rule it does make sense.

Relax Max said...

@Frostygirl - Air distance from JBurg to San Francisco is 10,507 miles/16,909 km. But you will have to add the distance from your home to JHB because I couldn't find it. Or subtract it probably. That's a long way! You are in contention for the record here! I forgot the town in Zimbabwe where you were born, but JHB to Harare is about 634/1031. Again, you'll have to add on both ends. That's pretty far, too!

Thank you for playing my game! If you win the $10 prize, you will have to come pick it up. :)

Relax Max said...

@Angelika - Well, ANY home I guess. Think of the main homes you have lived and then think of the farthest place you have been from any of them, and then choose the one that.... arrrghh! Never mind. Just choose any home. :)

Germany to TN is about 119 miles, so not really that far. And I am assuming you were born in East Germany of course. I would imagine that Rein Mein (Are you Air force or Army?) or Weisboden (sp?) are at least 10 miles closer, so 109 miles to TN.

Why did I think you lived in Georgia? Georgia is like 5000 miles to Germany. So Tennessee is a lot closer to Germany. I will admit to being a little vague.

Relax Max said...

@Lidian - That's "vain" not vague. Carly Simon is turning over in her grave. Ok, she's not dead. But you understand.

So you are living in Canada now? Same as Linc? (Canucklehead)? Well, you are so nice that you balance him out, so that's good for Canada.

It's okay for you to be vague. I can tell by your word verification on your blog that you are afraid of internet stalkers. So that's cool. The rest of us are just past caring about spam and stalkers. :)

Incidentally, California is only for illegal immigrants and Austrian movie actors, so please don't go there again. Just sayin'.

"Various places in Europe" shows your trust in us again. Thank you.

Finally, I commend you for disdaining all things metric. What a farce perpetrated on the world outside the US of A. As Winston Churchill once said: "Never give in. Never.

Never never never.

Never."

It is possible he was not talking about the metric system, but it fits. Take care.

Relax Max said...

@Caroline - It's good to see you again.

If you count where you are now as "home" (for now at least, and I believe you probably have gone to the cinema there) and you count NZ as the farthest place, then that's about, what, 12 light years? So you probably win. I will have to look that up in miles. I will also check it from England since you went before. Probably even further. 20 light years. :) Thank you for commenting and I hope you will not be a stranger.

Relax Max said...

Too bad Grumpus left us. She was from Saturn, you know.

Relax Max said...

@A. - First, you wear me out. But I love every second you spend on this blog. :)

But you have lived in and been in so many places it really isn't fair for you to play. Stay where you are for a while so we can watch you. :)

Relax Max said...

Me? I have been 8,746 miles from my home (at the time,) and now live 1583 miles from where I was born. So, nothing spectacular for me.

Relax Max said...

Newcastle to Aukland is 11,174 miles. Closest cities I could find on the mileage chart. So Caroline wins for distance traveled from home to a holiday. And maybe also wins for distance from birth place. No. Angelika is probably farther now. We'll see tomorrow. I am too tired to do it right now. :)

Wins what? That is the question. :)

I now have 12 entrecard credits...

Unknown said...

I am sure I am to late to answer this and I won't get a response. Sad isn't it when you can't get a dog to respond? I am a whopping 3,000 miles give or take a couple hundred from my home. I can't Google it at work. There! I lose.

Unknown said...

I know I did not answer all the questions. By the way I mis- spelled "too" in my first comment. Gaahh I hate that. I would move to any country where I could live on a deserted island. Of course I would have to have a couple of things, clothes would NOT be one of them.

A. said...

Ettarose, better no response than being told you can't play, as I was. I didn't even know it was a competition.

Anonymous said...

Pity I did not win, I was looking forward to fetching my $10, ha,ha1

Nice to see where everyone is from, good idea of yours to pose these questions.

Anonymous said...

Sorry forgot to mention I am about 500km from JHB

Relax Max said...

@Ettarose - I will answer you against my better judgement. And I defy you to show me one comment you've made here that hasn't been respond to. Big liar. But I can show you a lot of mine you never answered. You didn't misspell "to". To is a word. You just used the wrong damn word, you didn't misspell it. And I have used your name in several posts and even linked to you in posts and never get credit for it. You are too busy (to busy?) with all your hotshot humor friends now. I know you didn't read the post because I called you backwards and you never said anything.

You are 3000 miles from home? Where were you born, Atlantis? God forbid you give up any actual information.

Relax Max said...

@A. -

Relax Max said...

@Frostygirl - It WAS a good idea, innit? And I didn't mean I couldn't find where you lived on the map, only that I couldn't find the mileage. Doesn't matter - Caroline kicked all of us anyway.

I think you came in second place. Second prize was a ticket to my braai this weekend and all the Boerewors you can eat. No monkeygland sauce though. Pyuck. You still have to come fetch it of course. :)

My Afrikaans is terrible. I give up. Going now.

PS- Speaking of Boerewors, I remember the picture of you grandma's family with the big long one. That was cool.

Relax Max said...

@A. - Arrrrrrr....

Relax Max said...

@A. - rrrrrrgggggggg....

Relax Max said...

@A. - gggggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!

A. said...

Oh Max, you darling little puppy dog, don't growl at me!

A. said...

Such a long growl too.

Janet said...

Here I am to be boring!

1. I went to Herforst Germany in 1997 with my Mom to see my brother who was stationed at the Air Force Base in nearby Spangdahlem. At the time I lived in Jackson, Kentucky. We traveled to Rothenburg and the Black Forest, so I imagine the Black Forest is as far as I've ever been. And we stayed in Germany for 14 days, so does that count as living there? Although we did spend one night on the tour bus. I won a bottle of wine for guessing how much the bus weighed.

2. Oh yes. I would live to live in Canada, Great Britain, Italy, France . . . I've always lived in the US, and only 2 states.

3. 267 miles. My mother lives approximately 15 miles from where she was born, and my grandmother lives 24 miles from where she was born.

Relax Max said...

@A. - Not growling. Having a seizure.

@Linda - You guessed how much the bus weighed? Amazing. Really. :)

From Jackson to Herforst was 4519 miles in 1997. Give or take 1000 miles. It is considerably closer today probably. The Black Forest is only 8 km further. You probably thought it was much farther than that because all the road signs were in German. That is deceptive. Plus you were just a child. Children often hallucinate in Germany.

All seriousness aside... I think it is absolutely double cool that your mother and grandmother live so close to where they were born. But you are quite the wanderer of the family at 267, aren't you? I think that is cool too.

France is out, though. The French are notoriously vicious with Kentuckians I hear. Relentlessly sarcastic in that uppity way they have. Choose Canada. They speak almost the same language as we do in parts.

I absolutely LOVE your interesting comments, did I ever tell you that? It's true. A. could take lessons from you. She is so disruptive. A byproduct of living in France, btw. :)

PS- you didn't win anything. You were kind of in the middle. Some honey for the Pooh if she comes and gets it though.

A. said...

A short, no, actually very lengthy, lesson in how to win friends and influence people.

dmarks said...

Venice.

Relax Max said...

@A. - Please don't be shy. Say what's on your mind.

@dmarks - California? Italy? Heh. Italy is pretty far. I have never been to Europe. I hope one day to visit France. Grand Rapids.. is that the one on the outskirts of the Ada metro area? Highway 131? Kent County? Home of G. Ford and fine furniture and AMWAY? Never heard of it. Thanks for stopping by. We seldom get new visitors due to my attitude, so it was a pleasure. :)

Janet said...

8 km? Must have been the fact of being on a tour bus that made it take so long to get there!
(And thank you for crediting me with youth, but I was 35 in 1997.)

And, uh, why do you keep calling me Linda? not that I mind really, just curious.

Kelly Ann said...

1. Home for me is many places. I go because I want to, or have to.

2. Sure why not, might be fun, as long as I can understand the language. The second question.. no.

3. I have no idea, it's from MA to ID. Your good at math aren't ya? :)

Relax Max said...

@Janet - KIDDING!!!! :)

So you are, like 39 now?

I call you Linda because of Eeyore. It's on a different comment. Please read them all and find it. :)

@Chica - MA to Idaho. About 800 miles, right? You were born in MA? You were not. MA is Florida, right?

No, I'm not good at math. Or distances. Or state abbreviations. :)

But I am so glad you started coming by again.

And I am sorry about that uncalled for remark I made about your avatar face on Twitter. Totally uncalled for.

Relax Max said...

@Chica - Now I know what it is - YOU CUT YOUR HAIR!!!

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