The International Club ~ We're back!

[Lady Vulpix]

Welcome again to the International Club!

After our previous topic was closed during the switch from PCG to GGG and the attempt to replace it by a social group failed because social groups aren't really meant for ongoing discussions, clubs have been allowed on this forum again and we're finally back!

As you know, have a variety of users from different countries here at TPM. So this is a club for eveyone out there.

This club has more than one purpose. If you want to know something about a certain country, this is the place for you. If you want to make your country better-known, tell us about it here. There's more, one purpose is to create first a list, then a map on TPMers around the world. Anybody can invite new members.

You can also change the word 'country' to the word 'state' or 'province', because, for example, if you live in the USA, it may tell more about you.

You can start by asking new questions or posting your answers to any of the questions on the old thread(s). You may also post any pictures that you find representative of your homeland.

If you're new to this club, you can let us know where you live and share some interesting facts about your area.

Here's our list of TPMers and their general locations, in alphabetical order:

Argentina
Lady Vulpix

Australia
Andrew
Crazy Elf Boy
Gavin Luper
Last Exile
mistysakura
PancaKe
shazza

Austria
Austrian ViceMaster Alex

Bahrain
Kyuuketsuki

Belgium
MeLoVeGhOsTs

Canada
Crystal Tears
Knight of Time
River
lvl100mewtwo

Finland
Mikachu Yukitatsu

Great Britain
Cheesey
Chris 2.0
Heald
Kris
Little_Pikachu
Ultimate Charizard
Weasel Overlord

Malaysia
darktyranitar

New Zealand
firepokemon

Puerto Rico
Shadow Wolf

Singapore
Dark-San
Roarkiller

The USA

Alabama
classy_cat18

Colorado
Starry Might

Illinois
MToolen

Maryland
Jeff

Massachusetts
Zak

New Jersey
Blademaster

New Mexico
Crystal Mew

New York
DarkestLight

Oklaholma
mr_pikachu

Pennsylvania
Fett One

Texas
Drusilla
homeofmew
Katie
Roy Karrde

Virginia
Asilynne
Kuro_Espeon
Link_10
Master Rudy
MewtwoD2
Raz
RedStarWarrior
Shaka

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

Hei, kiitoksia kun postasit tämän, Lady Vulpix!
Hey, thank you for posting this, Lady Vulpix!

I have already one correction on what I said in the last topic.

Finnish language is quite special in European standrards, though this can be argued. While English, German and even Swedish are Anglo-Saxon languages, French, Italian and Spanish are Romance languages, Russian is Slavonic, BUT Finnish is a Finno-Ugric language. Thus, in language kinship terms, Finnish isn't related to Swedish and it isn't related to Russian either. Finnish belongs to the same language group as Estonian, Ukrainian and Hungarian.

UKRAINIAN is a Slavonic language.

But that doesn't change the fact that Finnish differs totally from Swedish and Russian. We do have some loanwords from those languages, but the grammar is a whole new world with the verb conjucation and eccentric noun cases. As much as some here in Finland think spoken Japanese and Chinese are all the same, they are as wrong as those who say Finnish is copied from Swedish. (Written Japanese and Chinese is another story though, and that's a little off-topic as I should talk about Finland.)

[Lady Vulpix]

Interesting. Now let's see if I can find a question that fits that answer.

What language(s) is/are widely spoken where you live? Are there any particularities about the way your language is spoken there in comparison with other areas?
The official language in Argentina is Spanish (there are small communities that speak other languages, but they're not widely spread). We have our own version of the language, most notorious for the use of "vos" instead of "tú", with its own conjugation, and also because we pronounce the consonants "y" and "ll" as "sh". Although in Uruguay they do those things too. But some words are different here and in Uruguay. For example "chivito" here means young male goat, while in Uruguay it's a beef sandwich. Sneakers/sports shoes are called "zapatillas" here and "championes" in Uruguay. "Relajar" in Argentina means "to relax" while in Uruguay it means "to scold".

Each province in Argentina has its own accent and a few local words, but we all understand each other when we speak. It's a bit more complicated when talking to people from Spain or Mexico, because while most things are the same, food names are completely different and there are some phrases and expressions that are common in one country and mean nothing (or something completely different) in another. That happens with some Chilean words too.

[DarkestLight]

O.o Wht's all the rucks about a club?

Scoff No New York! Pfft no. Joining if only to show off the fact I'm from the crazy state on the East Coast that's misrepresented by a city not even really connected to the state

Ok and uhh...

What language(s) is/are widely spoken where you live? Are there any particularities about the way your language is spoken there in comparison with other areas?

Hrm, lets see. In Harlem, Spanish is number 1, then English, and if you think I jest...hhaha big shocker for you. Its to be expected, with so many Spanish cultures dwelling here. But we also have Hindu, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Arabic floating around here. :/ If I expand to include the whole of NYC, then I' pretty sure every language is in attendance here in some denomination.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

But DL, I whore out everything where I can talk about my country I whore out!

As for the language question, going to a little more in depth here.

Finland has two offical langauges: Finnish and Swedish. Only 5.44% of Finns speak Swedish as their mother tongue but RKP, Swedish People's Party drives their rights well and we also have a common history when Finland belonged to Sweden. Plus, almost everyone in Åland speak Swedish HELA TIDEN (translated: all the time) so if we gave up with Swedish we should perhaps give up Åland as well and we don't want another Åland War!!

In the North, we have another notorius minority, Sami peoples, with their own languaes and then we have Russian-speaking population naturally mainly in the east. Although only Sami is regarded as an offical minority language, also Russians and Romani and other minorities are 'protected to maintain and develop their cultures and languages by the Constitution'. Big words, but don't except to get Romani-speaking service in Ylivieska, sorry. The state of minorities has virtually evolved during Tarja Halonen's rule to some extent though.

Here in Ylivieska, young people speak quite good English but elderly folk avoid using it, even if they know some. And I don't think we have any communities of Sami/Swedish-Speaking Finns/Russians here at all either. I know only a few of Russian descent here, a number of Chinese persons, some of them run the restaurant Tianan, have seen some Asian and African students walking down the streets and finally, Turkish and Romani people too.

[Lady Vulpix]

I'm of Russian, Romanian and Ukranian descent, but I've never learnt any of those languages, nor Yiddish which was what my ancestors actually spoke. All my grandparents - and even one of my great grandparents - were born in Argentina, so I grew up hearing Spanish only (and some English which is always around). Which is a bit sad in my opinion. Last Monday I went to see a show with my mum and my grandparents, and most of the songs were in Yiddish and I was the only one who couldn't understand them. I wished I could.

And now for a question which I've already answered in this post...

How long (for how many generations) has your family lived in your country? Where did your ancestors come from?

You can still answer the language question, but now you can answer this one too.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

Very difficult question. I think Sami people originally inhabited Finland, but then they were pushed further to the north by southern, Viking and Russian invaders. Like in 1000 or something.

I have heard that my grandmother was of a Sami descent, whereas my surname may give some info about my grandfather's original roots. 'Tanska' is Finnish for 'Denmark'! Other than that, and as for my father's side, I know nothing!

[Jeff]

On the language question:
English is the main language, but there are alot of Spanish speakers around here. My dad, who used to work near Washington, DC, before being switched to a different location, said that there are some areas around there where there are businesses with Spanish names. It kinda makes me think of neighborhoods like Chinatown or Little Italy, which have a similar history to modern Spanish-speaking neighborhoods.

As for the English speakers, it's hard to pick out things about my own dialect that are unique, because I'm so used to speaking it, but I have heard a few things about it. One thing I've heard is that we tend to slur our words together and drop the 'a' from the beginning of words that start with it, so if someone from around here says "it's cross a street", they probably mean "it's across the street". Baltimore (which I'm from originally, but haven't lived there since I was 2) is known for having it's own distinct speech patterns. The most famous things about it is how the people there pronounce their "o"s, and their tendency to call everyone "hon".

Ancestors:
My grandfather on my mom's side is 100% Italian. I don't know when his father's family came over, but he has told me that he used to visit his grandparents who lived outside of Annapolis, which is not too far from where I live now, so it sounds like we've had family in the area for generations. His mother was from Sicily, making her the most recent immigrant in my lineage. On the other extreme, my dad's family came over before the revolution.

On a somewhat related note, I live on Kent Island in the Chesapeake Bay, which isn't an isolated island like Tangier and Smith Islands (if any of you have heard of them, congratulations ), we have bridges to both sides of the bay. Anyway, Kent Island happens to be the site of the first European settlement in what is now Maryland. Back then, the colony of Maryland didn't exist, and all of the land it now sits on was part of Virginia. A man named William Claiborne led the first group of settlers onto the island in 1631, and Maryland was founded three years later. Suffice it to say, Claiborne wasn't too happy about his island changing hands, so he fought back against Maryland's founders, which led to the first known naval conflict between Europeans in North American waters.

[Austrian ViceMaster Alex]

We can only trace our heritage back to my greatgrandparents. They are lived in Austria except for my father's grandfather who came from what is now the Czech Republic. Back then it was all part of Austria/Hungary though.

[Lady Vulpix]

I was talking to Shonta when she mentioned a bridal shower, and I had to ask her what that meant and the conversation that followed helped me realize that we have different wedding traditions. So here's a new discussion to help us find out more about these:

What are the most common wedding traditions in your community?
Here in Argentina it's customary to have an informal party before the wedding. This party, called "despedida de solteros" (bachelors' goodbye) is usually held separately for the bride and the groom with their respective friends (although sometimes they have their goodbye together), and it usually includes one or more of the following: costumes, strippers, pranks and general abuse towards the couple. The level of the pranks may vary from light to really nasty depending on the relationship between the couple and their friends.

Then there's the civil wedding (at the civil registry), where the bride and groom say their vows, put on their wedding rings and sign a book along with 4 witnesses, after which people throw rice at the couple and usually go to either his or her parents' house for a snack. From this moment on, the couple is legally married.

There may or may not be a religious wedding. If there is one, it's usually on the same day as the party, which is normally a couple of days after the civil wedding. Each religion (and each branch within) has its own traditions, and there are usually traditions derived from the places the couple's ancestors came from, so wedding parties can be quite different from each other, but generally there's food, drinks, music and dancing, and 3 traditions which are common to most weddings: the flowers which the bride throws without looking and all the single women try to catch, the garters which the bride wears during the party until she passes them on to her single friends, and the wedding cake which is sliced by the couple and rarely eaten by anyone because everyone's already stuffed by that time. Wedding parties tend to last for many hours and usually end between 5 and 7 in the morning. The bride usually wears a white dress to the party, although there have been exceptions.

After the party, the couple goes off to their honeymoon which usually lasts for about a week.

These days same-sex marriages are allowed, so where it says "bride and groom" it may be exchanged for "both grooms" or "both brides". I don't know how they handle the flowers and garters, though. I haven't been to a same-sex wedding yet.

It's also very common for couples to move in together without getting married, and that kind of union has its own legal status as well as some benefits. Sometimes couples decide to get married after having lived together for a few years.

[lvl100mewtwo]

What are the most common wedding traditions in your community?

Canada is a very very multicultural country, I don't think that we actually have a standard to weddings to be honest. It seems every wedding I've been too in the last little while has had hints of other cultures. Like the Sihk / Canadian wedding I went too this summer... beautiful wedding though.

I guess the only standards we have here would be that the Groom's group and the Bride's side hole seperate Bachelor / Bachelorette parties, kind of a last she-bang before they get married. Generally it's a night of pure debauchery, depending on who is going and who is planning it. I have the luxury of planning 2 this summer... lol...

There is also something called a Stag & Doe, where it's a party organized by both bridal groups, where they raise funds for the married couple to pay for the wedding by having a big party with games and prizes and drinks...

Gay's and Lesbians weddings have had a rather high amount lately. Their wedding's don't differ at all from the social norm, nor should they.

One big thing about canada though, is alot of couples tend to migrate to the south, in the Carrebean area, to have their wedding's in a hot local, I haven't had the luck to goto one yet or when one came around, I was too poor for it, but it's great times I've been told.

[Mikachu Yukitatsu]

Hahaa! Sorry, I can't tell too much about the wedding stuff but what I have is a new question.

How's the current political situation in your country?
For starters, either President or Prime Minister can be considered as the highest and most important political position in Finland. Verbally, it's the President who is The Head Of State. He decides the foreign policy of Finland together with the government and is the Commander-in-chief of The Finnish Defence Forces. It's also the president's task to appoint and discharge ministers and other important civil servants. Including The Supreme Court of Finland. The President of Finland is elected for 6 years in a direct democratic election. The present President is named Tarja Halonen. She was elected the first female President in my country in 2000 and has soon ruled for two eras.

The Prime Minister of Finland leads the goverment formed by some of the political parties elected to the 200-membered Parliament (Eduskunta) in a democratic election every 4th year. The goverment doesn't necessarily have to be formed by the majority parties that won the election, however, it should enjoy the trust of The Parliament. The current Prime Minister is Mari Kiviniemi and Speaker of The Parliament is Sauli Niinstö.

The role of the president has been a weighty issue in arguments, for example who should represent Finland in EU meetings. When Urho Kaleva Kekkonen ruled the country (1956-1982) the power of President was in its highest. This strong President was the one that could deal well with The Soviet Union and that's why they wanted to keep him in that position for such a long time. Only Kekkonen's health issue, following the death of his wife Sylvi, could let him be replaced by Mauno Koivisto.

Right now the Finnish goverment includes Center Party (Keskusta), National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), The Greens League (Vihreät) and the oblicatory filler Swedish People's Party (RKP). The Opposition includes Social Democratic Party (SDP), Left Alliance (Vasemmisto), Christian Democrats (KD) and True Finns (Perussuomaliset).

What comes to Prime Minister, after the rather individual character Paavo Lipponen of SDP, Center Party won the election in 2003 and Anneli Jäätteenmäki was appointed the first female Prime Minister in Finland. She resigned in 3 months due to an Iraq war information excange related scandal including a crucial mistake of lying to the Parliament and she was replaced by a 'grey figure' Matti Vanhanen.

Oddly enough, Matti Vanhanen wasn't safe either in the end. He faced lots of scandals during his second reign, the most infamous one probably beign the 'lautakasa-jupakka', a corruption case regarding a building project. Summer 2010, The Center Party elected a new chairperson and a Finnish veteran politician called Paavo Väyrynen was a strong candidate, I even used him in a TPM signature.



However, Väyrynen didn't make it and Mari Kiviniemi who beat him was appointed Prime Minister and is the current Prime Minister of Finland.

This year, we'll have a Parliamential Election here in Finland and a new government will be appointed as well. True Finns have raised as the fourth major party in opinion polls and their chairman Timo Soini may even become the next Prime Minister. True Finns have saucy opinions on various issues, such as immigration.

[Lady Vulpix]

Political situations are always complicated. I'm not going to go into too much detail here. We have a president who is elected every 4 years (there's always some fraud, but with any luck it won't make too much difference). The president can be re-elected, but can't rule for more than 2 periods in a row. This year we will have a presidential election and I really hope our current president (Cristina Fernández de Kirchner) doesn't get re-elected, and that we don't get someone worse either.

We also have a congress with 2 chambers: deputies and senators. They're also elected, but through what we call "blanket lists": we vote for a party which proposes a group of about 20 people, and the number of people from each party who get a chair depend on how many votes the party receives with respect to other parties. We cannot vote for individual candidates for deputies or senators, which is why I really dislike blanket lists.

Our judicial power is not elected by the people, but by the president. Yes, our president has too much power. However, judges can't be replaced until they retire (short of political trial, which is very uncommon), so the president has to deal with the judges chosen by the former president.

The president also chooses the ministers, and each province chooses its governor and legislators. Each city has a mayor and a city council which are also elected. Buenos Aires is a special case because it's the capital, so we have a head of government instead of a mayor but as far as I know it's the same thing with a different name.

The main goal of our politicians is to get as much power as they can for as long as they can, so they'll do whatever it takes to achieve it. That should give you an idea of what our political situation is like.

Oh, and elections are compulsory, but you can always make a null vote if you don't want to vote for any of the candidates. I personally prefer to choose conciously rather than throw my vote away, but it's very common for people to make null votes out of anger.

[Dark-San]

@Gabi~ Well I think Roar is no longer active here anymore. Is he still the TCG moderator or did you guys dumped him for someone else? Or would it be still appropriate to mention him here?

As for your questions,

What language(s) is/are widely spoken where you live? Are there any particularities about the way your language is spoken there in comparison with other areas?
English is widely communicated in Singapore. Our education usually emphasizes on English first policy. So majority of the citizens here speaks English fluently or at least at a basic level. But since we are a multi-racial society, we too are also taught on our Mother Tongue. The Mother Tongue consists of Tamil for the Indians, Malay language for the Malays and Mandarin for the Chinese. We also have a localized version of English, which most of the locals and foreigners refers it as 'Singlish'. In my opinion, linguistically it has no remarkable difference with English. Except that Singaporeans often add their mother tongue words with the English communicated.

How long (for how many generations) has your family lived in your country? Where did your ancestors come from?
Three generations. My ancestors of course came from China, Fujian province. My great grandfather uprooted his entire clan and migrated over here.

What are the most common wedding traditions in your community?
We have a lot different version of wedding traditions for the different races. I will not talk about the Malays or the Indians, since I do not have a very good knowledge of their customary wedding procedures. For us Chinese, we usually have two weddings. After signing off your marriage certificate with the Registry of Marriage, couples will usually proceed ahead with the usual church wedding. But the differences is that for us Chinese, IT IS A MUST FOR THE MARRIED COUPLE OR AT LEAST THE BRIDEGROOM to hold an extravagant dinner in a five-star hotel or a famous restaurant, inviting his friends and relatives to it. I am not very sure of the reason for this must, but all I know the entire dinner will cost your limbs.

How's the current political situation in your country?
I don't like to talk about politics here. The last time we chatted about politics, almost the entire board went against Singapore, dissing it as an authoritarian state. So I will skipped this question for now.

[Lady Vulpix]

Welcome back! It's nice to see you again.

Luckily this place isn't Misc. We're not going to bash you for your political views, let alone for describing your country's political structure. But you're not forced to talk about anything you don't want to.

Has Roar left TPM for good? He's no longer a mod, but I was thinking that he might return at some point. Suzie said she would watch over TCG, and so far there's been no trouble there.

OK, new question, back to the old topic of misconceptions.

Have you ever realized you had a misconception about another country? If so, why, and how did you find out you were wrong? What other common misconceptions from other countries have you heard of?
There was a time when I used to think everyone in the USA was loaded with money. I thought their concept of poverty was what we call middle class here, and that the average family lived in luxury. That matches the general idea mjost people here have of the US, and it was reinforced by my first 2 visits to the country, where I stayed with wealthy families. Then one day, when I was 18 and got started with ICQ, I started talking to a guy from the US he who used the nickname Buckshot. After we'd met online a few times, he asked me what my home was like. I thought he wanted to brag, so I told him every detail about the size of my house, the number of rooms, TV sets and everything I could think of that could show him that my home was almost as comfortable as his was and that I was happy with it. Then he told me he lived in a trailer. I wanted the earth to swallow me. I couldn't understand how he could live in a trailer and have Internet access, which was a luxury here, but then I learned that libraries in the US provided free Internet access. So there.

As for other common/ridiculous misconceptions, I've heard people say that all Germans and Chileans are evil, that all British are pirates and/or invaders, that all Galicians are stupid, that all Swiss live a happy and trouble-free life, that the Chinese eat only rice - or that they steal dogs to eat them, that Bolivians and Peruvians never study or do legal jobs... and I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones that I can recall now, mostly because of how stupid they are.