Where are you from?

[Packman]

Is it me or does this question trip up other newbie full timers? The question was posed by employer of workamper position in regard to where you want to be from on you name badge.

Let's see: We can go - originally? where I last lived? where I lived the longest? Were my domicile is (or will be)?

... I'll get back to you!!

[chirakawa]

I've been asked that question at least 500 times since I started full timing eleven years ago.  If I'm near my rv, I turn and point at it and say "right there".  If I'm out and about or at a tourist site, I give them the location of my campground/rv park.

Once I get better acquainted with someone, I may or may not tell them my life's history.

[richfaa]

Not a hard question for us our Domicile is Ohio  were we maintain a S&B. We have a residence in Florida.

[ms60ocb]

The question WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I use multi answers. This morning I left ___________,   I'm from Texas and my DW is from Illinois (she hates that response as its makes wonder if we're married),   Summer in Midwest, Winter in Texas and a favorite from Hank Snow "I've Been Everywhere "

Clay at my wife's small place on NW Illinois with over 5 inches of white hiding the green grass.

 

[kb0zke]

I usually point or tell where the MH is and say that home is where we park it. I may then add that we grew up in Lincoln, NE, retired from SW MO, have church membership in WY, are domiciled in SD, and have a lot in NM. That usually starts a discussion of full-timing, and often the people we're talking to say that they would like to do that, or had thought about it.

[2gypsies]

If you need a place to put on your name badge I'd use your last S&B residence.

Depending how long you'll be talking to a person or the circumstances you can then get into a more detailed explanation.

I definitely wouldn't call our domicile/mail forwarding address as a place I'm from initially but if you have license plates to match you may have to get into an explanation of the whole story . . . and this could take a long time!

The whole thing creates entertaining conversations!!

[Kirk W]

Legally speaking, it would be the place you put on your tax returns. For a name badge it likely doesn't really matter. We have been RV volunteer/work-campers at more than 30 different places and I do not recall ever having been asked that for a name badge, but I'd probably use TX as I have their license plates. For the casual acquaintance I have always just used TX which is our domicile. If they seem to be interested to know more, then I also volunteer that my RV is my home and I live there no matter where it happens to be.

[Packman]

They are used to workampers, so they probably find the question entertaining. I'm sure they don't really care, but I find the whole inability to answer the question humorous.

[NDBirdman]

Depends on the mood I'm in.  I usually tell born/raised/still a gypsy, pick a year and I'll tell them where I was.  Being retired military, I can cover the US and alot of Europe, some SE Asia and a few unmentionable locations.... LOL  Not in a chatty mood, I just say it's where my heart (wife) is.  In a bad mood.... I won't type what I tell them.

[Carolaow]

Which lifetime?  The longer I live, the more all those places and peoples and situations feel just like that.  Another lifetime.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Carolaow

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

 I’m from the Great State of Texas, but home is were I park it.

” Happy Trails “

Chiefneon 

[RV_]

My Significant Harassment of 47 years was a military brat as her dad took them all over the world and US. My dad was military for a few years and I was born where my mom's mom lived, so when in exasperation folks say OK where were you born then, I tell them half the continent away from where I lived. So when asked where we are from, we both say when? Then we full time RV'd for seven years. We just sold our two properties in Louisiana and finally moved to Colorado where I taught at the USAF Academy 1978-1981. We love the dry climate  and the mountain views from our living room and bedroom picture windows facing the front range and Pikes Peak. We will likely be here for the rest of our lives as we have lived for from two years to seven years at a time on four continents. We can't RV to Japan/China/India and Australia. So we'll be flying there for at least a month each. Then our travel bucket list will be  more complete. We've already done a week diving the Red Sea off Hurghada Egypt in 1996, and did all the great slopes in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, and Italy, for our 30 days of leave and another 12 days or so more four day weekends for the seven years we lived in Germany. We even visited Luxor and the Temple of Karnak, crossed the Nile by boat and did the Valley of the Kings and visited Tut in his tomb and the other larger but unoccupied tombs there. We did Alaska/Canada/Mexico by RV. We have trouble relating to folks who proudly proclaim they've never left their county or State. Different strokes. Here there are five Military bases including The AF Academy, Cheyenne mountain, Ft. Carson,Peterson AFB, Space Command, and Schriever AFB. We have lots of fellow folks who've lived on four continents for years at a time instead of a a few days or a week's visit. 

So we grin when asked where we are from. We are glad to get out of the horrid humidity of the South. The climates there don't suit us. But we look forward to meeting folks as we go and learn their stories and immerse in their cultures. Once we finish making our home here we'll be doing tourist length trips too. We aren't stationary just like a home base. And everywhere we go we'll be asked where we're from. Or be told "You ain't from around here are ye?" Nope. <grin>

[KodiakJack]

Kodiak Island Alaska but been lots of places, some one time too many.

Later,

J

[sandsys]

12 hours ago, RV_ said:

My dad was military for a few years and I was born where my mom's mom lived, so when in exasperation folks say OK where were you born then, I tell them half the continent away from where I lived.

My dad was in the US Navy when I was born in Cuba. Try telling people today you were born in Gitmo and see how they react.

Linda Sand

[RV_]

Linda!

I didn't even know it was an accompanied assignment or had maternity facilities but that IS an interesting place to have been born.

[sandsys]

29 minutes ago, RV_ said:

Linda!

I didn't even know it was an accompanied assignment or had maternity facilities but that IS an interesting place to have been born.

Um, you probably weren't there in 1947; I suspect things have changed since then. I was born in the Navy hospital there but my birth certificate says Child Born Abroad of US Parents and I had to send to the Secretary of State in DC to get a copy of it.

Linda

[Twotoes]

I say I’m from the State of Confusion heading to the State of Insanity. They I tell them to just put the location of where I am and will be volunteering/working. 

[RV_]

Linda, I never did Navy, and you do have me by three years. What a great story!

[fpmtngal]

There is a difference between the question "where are you from" and "where do you live" in my mind.  

I'm "from" California (twice) but I've lived and have contact or ties to a number of other places.  If I were asked that question for a work camper name badge, I'd be tempted to put down the place where I had the most emotional ties to and knew the best. Right now I'd probably put down Texas as I'm a newly minted Texan, so my emotional ties are now to Texas and I can talk intelligently about Copperas Cove, having lived there happily for a few years in the 1980's.  I know California best for having been born and raised there, then moved back there 30 years ago.  However, I have few emotional ties left there and not sure I would want that state, that I couldn't wait to leave, on a name badge.

The answer to where I live is wherever I'm parked now.  Totally different question, totally different answer.

[Packman]

I'll probably see if they will put something funny on it.

On ‎11‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 5:58 AM, fpmtngal said:

There is a difference between the question "where are you from" and "where do you live" in my mind.  

I'm "from" California (twice) but I've lived and have contact or ties to a number of other places.  If I were asked that question for a work camper name badge, I'd be tempted to put down the place where I had the most emotional ties to and knew the best. Right now I'd probably put down Texas as I'm a newly minted Texan, so my emotional ties are now to Texas and I can talk intelligently about Copperas Cove, having lived there happily for a few years in the 1980's.  I know California best for having been born and raised there, then moved back there 30 years ago.  However, I have few emotional ties left there and not sure I would want that state, that I couldn't wait to leave, on a name badge.

The answer to where I live is wherever I'm parked now.  Totally different question, totally different answer.

To my point, I'm from Maryland, but why would I want to be from somewhere I'm fleeing!

Rick

[chirakawa]

You could say "I'm from Maryland, as far from Maryland as I can get".

[fpmtngal]

3 hours ago, chirakawa said:

You could say "I'm from Maryland, as far from Maryland as I can get".

Love it!!!!

[Kirk W]

8 hours ago, chirakawa said:

You could say "I'm from Maryland, as far from Maryland as I can get".

Pam says that but about CA. When I left the Navy she told me that she would go anywhere with me except back to CA. That would mean a divorce. 

[Lou Schneider]

On 11/18/2019 at 2:46 PM, Kirk W said:

Pam says that but about CA. When I left the Navy she told me that she would go anywhere with me except back to CA. That would mean a divorce. 

Smart lady.  <g>

[Twotoes]

Ditto