On vacation with "my kind"

So I'm taking German lessons. Private, but also with a group since it's good fun, especially with the group I'm in. We're 7 people and apart from me they're all around 50+ years old. One of them is a retired orthopedic surgeon who doesn't hear very well, so every time we do listening exercises he just sort of sits there and guesses. Still, he's still super smart and can speak and write German pretty well. The others can hear just fine, and they're all really enthusiastic about learn German. So all and all, a nice group of people.

feeling small in Dublin

Yesterday we got to talking about meeting your fellow countrymen when you're abroad for a vacation. A rather interesting conversation in the end, because it seems that no matter where you're from, you always feel ashamed for your countrymen while abroad. Does this mean that everybody in the world is behaving badly while on a vacation? Does this mean that I'm also a source of embarrassment for the other Finns? Got me thinking.

When I was living in Finland I didn't travel too much. But I do remember that when I did go somewhere, I tried to stay away from the other Finns, not only because "when in Rome, stay with the Romans" but also because they usually drink too much and then take their clothes off. Not to mention that they also want to eat Finnish food, drink Finnish drinks, and sing Finnish karaoke while on vacation. Their idea of a cool vacation is for everything to remain just like in the Motherland, only to have it cost more and to get a sunburn while you're at it. So yes, I was (and am) a little embarrassed by my fellow countrymen. I'm not saying that I never drank too much on a vacation, but at least I kept my clothes on.

When I moved to Italy, I started to travel alone. Not so much  in Italy, but in general. I still tried to stay away from the Finns, but strangely I also started to see the Italians abroad as annoying, loud and disrespectful. And their hankering for Italian food is overwhelming, not to mention that they can't wait to finish their food and then say "it wasn't as good as at home". Well of course it isn't dumb ass, this isn't Italy and the cook isn't your mom. If you want to eat the same stuff you eat at home, then stay at home. As if it was a punishment to have to eat this non-Italian food.

feeling weird in Gambia

There are also a few other nationalities that I like to avoid. Not necessarily for any particular reason, I just do.

I stay away from the Chinese, probably because they're always taking photos and they move in big flocks so if you by any chance get caught in between, you're forced to go where ever they're going until you manage to find your way out.

I avoid staying alone with the Turkish, because they usually start to hit on me.

I also avoid the Brazilians in the evening, because they want to party until the morning and I'm too old for that.

I might want to hang with the French, only they talk too fast, or have an accent that's just impossible to understand.

feeling embarrassed in London

Strangely enough there are also nationalities that I tend to stalk a little. Like if I hear someone speak Norwegian, I usually stick around and try to figure out what they're saying and whether they'd be good company, for let's say, a dinner. The same thing tends to happen with the Swedes, the Danish and the Icelanders. Also, I find people from the Netherlands to be interesting and well behaved. If I encounter Americans, I'm a little torn. Sometimes I go strike up a conversation just to hear some good ol' American English. If I stay or go depends on what they choose to say to me in return.

I wonder what would happen if I went to live in Norway, for example. Would these people start to look as revolting in my eyes as the Finns and the Italians, or would they keep their wonderous stalkability-status? Is it just unavoidable to hate your countrymen, or does it simply depend on the country? Are there people somewhere who go abroad, see their peers and say "look darling, aren't they wonderful, let's go join them" ?

I remember when I was 15 and took a trip with my friends on one of the cruise ships to Stockholm. I had a little too much to drink the night before, so when we arrived to Stockholm the following morning, I didn't feel too good. Let's just say that when my friends were running around the city, I was hanging in the shadowy streets hurling out my bowels. I remember the distinct sense of shame, and the feeling of being the "uneducated Finn who can't control her drinking habits"."Dear, look at that girl, what a disgrace, I bet she's Finnish". Ever since then I've tried to be on my best behavior abroad, and to bring honor to my country instead of being the Finn who the other Finns avoid.

feeling at home at the Frankfurt airport

Going abroad serves not only to see interesting new places, to eat new foods and to meet new people, but also to see ourselves through the eyes of the "others". And to make sure that when the "others" look at us, they think we're stalkable as hell.