I really wish I had been born in Denmark, Canada, or New Zealand.

College Confidential Community
1

<p>As it stands, I am an eighteen year-old (Asian) American male who's lived in the Midwest his entire life. Very unimpressive, eh?</p>

<p>Speaking of "eh?"...it's replaced "huh?" in my vocabulary. I wish to rid myself of all traces of Americanisms, and that would include phasing out the worst of them all, the "I'm like", "I was like", "I'll be like", etc. phraseology, which I have successfully avoided for the past year or so. I am VERY thankful that my Canadian aunt (bless her soul) never said such filth ONCE in her two-week stay with my family. (She IS fluent in English.) It seems there is hope that America's influence will stay confined to its borders.</p>

<p>Anyway, why those three countries? I'll list the reasons:</p>

<p>Denmark</p>

<p>1.) The language is dour, and has three extra letters to boot.</p>

<p>2.) Free government health care!</p>

<p>3.) Easy access to many European cities and nations, not to mention København, Århus, Odense, and especially Ålborg within Denmark itself.</p>

<p>4.) Tasty native food, and Middle Eastern eateries if I get bored with it.</p>

<p>Canada</p>

<p>1.) Spelling is somewhat close to pure English.</p>

<p>2.) See reason # 2 for Denmark.</p>

<p>3.) Toronto, Montréal, and especially Vancouver. </p>

<p>4.) See reason # 4 for Denmark.</p>

<p>New Zealand</p>

<p>1.) Spelling is pure English (-our, -ise, -re, etc.).</p>

<p>2.) Inexpensive, possibly free government health care.</p>

<p>3.) Auckland, Wellington, and especially Dunedin.</p>

<p>4.) Eh, the scenery.</p>

<p>I believe those are all very valid reasons to move to the respective countries, but I dread that they will go the way of Australia, which I did not list because the attitudes of that country's people really annoy me. In other words, Australia has become too much like America. When will the Aussies reclaim their nation? Let's hope it's done by people from Melbourne, the best city in the country.</p>

<p>In the meantime, I will wait impatiently until next year, when my aunt will finally get a two or three bedroom apartment and when I will be able to live with her. Who knows? I might study abroad in either the land of the Dannebrog or the land of the Kiwis.</p>

<p>Epilogue: I ask you all, would you have preferred to have been born outside America?</p>

2

<p>I love America, but I would love to be English. Nowhere else but England or America. I guess I would love to be enveloped in a culture a lot older than 200 years. I love socialism much more than capitalism, not that I'm all anti-capitalism and hate my government or anything, I just think socialism has more to offer, and Buckingham Palace is about 20x more impressive than the White House.</p>

3

<p>Socialism sucks, and Denmark has one of the most ridiculous criminal justice systems on the planet. Jeg elsker the language though.</p>

<p>It's extremely difficult to become an expat in any of the countries you listed though. Except maybe Canada, but really, I wouldn't want to live there, as it is quite cold and I've heard that mutant evil polar bears hellbent on world domination are creating quite a problem. That, and you have to live with other Canadians, or god forbid the Quebecois.</p>

<p>Personally, I heart capitalism (though I do believe it should be practiced responsibly-unmitigated capitalism is just as bad as unmitigated communism), and am really not into paying 60% of my income to the government so that some deadbeat can leech off of me via the healthcare system.</p>

4

<p>I am glad I was born in America. However, this fact is partly due to the people I have met in my life that I most likely would not have met in other countries. In general, I do not want to change my past (remember the Simpsons Halloween episode with Homer and the time machine).</p>

<p>transfer101, are you trying to start a debate?</p>

5

<p>I'm not really offended, I love this country, and it has a diversity unseen anywhere else. I love "americanisms" in all their glory, and I happily live by the constraints of capitalism</p>

6

<p>No, making inflammatory remarks about polar bears and Canadians is just one of my hobbies. </p>

<p>Any debate I've ever had about the relative merits of capitalism vs. socialism vs. communism vs. ninjaism has always devolved into a jingoistic circle jerk, so I try to stay out of them.</p>

7

<p>the netherlands is THE place to be.... so awesome, there isnt a single thing they do that I dont like</p>

8

<p>you just want to go to Amsterdam</p>

9

<p>I'd love to live in Canada. It just seems like the perfect country for me- the people, the country's general views, and the fact that they love hockey there is a big plus for me as a huge hockey fan. Plus, I fell in love with Montreal when I went there during the summer. The cold doesn't phase me much. I'm half Canadian, so it's in my blood, lol.</p>

10

<p>Ironically, I live in Canada, and desperately want to get out! I'll be studying in the US this fall, and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, I can get a green card and stay in the US and not have to come back to Canada. My primary reason for wanting to leave is the left wing government (which I totally don't support in wanting to legalize same sex marriage, raise taxes, etc, etc). All I can say is that I wish I was born in America.</p>

11

<p>free health care?</p>

<p>lol... heard of taxes?</p>

<p>Many other countries are very nice. I traveled to 6 or so European countries last summer, and had a blast. But if I had the choice, I would choose to live in the US over another country any day of the week.</p>

12

<p>yeah that's the only thing i like about canada these days...their hockey!!! (and yeah it's a beautiful place, i love vancouver---very clean and the people were so friendly)</p>

<p>but oh wait, there IS no freakin hockey season this year...and it's possible there won't be one next year cuz of that STUPID lockout. </p>

<p>I've been to four continents, and still--I LoVe AmErIcA!</p>

13

<p>I'm happy I was born in Canada. Not that I don't like America, it is after all, where I live now, but overall there's just a more peaceful more relaxed state of living up there, and it's really beautiful. I haven't met more friendly people anywhere else, and I'd say the good things about Canada definitely outweigh the cold :)</p>

14

<p>Canadians are fat? </p>

<p>hehe, get it? "Outweigh the cold" hehehe</p>

15

<p>I'm not sure there's any such thing as "pure English." Though I'll agree that I like our Canadian spellings better; I find them more aesthetically pleasing.
Also, whoa, we have native food? Since when?</p>

16

<p>Damn Quebequois</p>

17

<br>


<br>

<p>There is no such thing. It's not free; its just that other people are paying for it, and when you get a job and start seeing the government snatch about half of your income in taxes, you'll be paying for it too.</p>

18

<p>heres a thought for the op- if you not only wish you lived somewhere else, but seem to hate all aspects of american culture, apparantly want to give up half of your salary for "free" healthcare, and like the idea of people getting slaps on the wrist for heinous crimes, then heres a thought....</p>

<p>move the hell out.</p>

19

<p>prethumous, have you ever been to one of those countries??</p>

20

<p>The grass is always greener...</p>

<p>I'm sorry, but I simply cannot understand language "geeks" with the "aesthetic beauty of words," "PURE" English (no such thing), and the idea that just because local colliquoisms exist that you don't like, that Americans are "not fluent in English." </p>

<p>Only other place I'd rather live is N. Ireland, due to having family there, plus the county itself is simply breathtaking. </p>

<p>I am a ninjaist, though, as it is more adapt at handling the rising mutant polar bear problem.</p>