PCKF World Tour

A general chat area, here you can post anything that doesn't belong in another forum.
Keening_Product
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PCKF World Tour

Post by Keening_Product »

The PCKF has members from many countries, which has made for some interesting dynamics in music and other arts threads.* This thread is part AMA, part interesting facts. Have something to say about your country which you think people might not know or would like to know more about? Post it. Have a question for someone from a different country? Ask!

I'll get us started: I'm Australian, and it seems a surprisingly high number of people from other countries think we're pretty much drowning in kangaroos, emus, and koalas here. I don't live in a city yet can't think of any time I've seen any of those creatures anywhere near where I live. :( I used to live in a more remote place though and there were a few mobs of kangaroos there. :)

(Also yay, 1,000th Miscellaneous thread!)

*And arts PMs. Tulip once told me many cover bands in his country play Australian band Midnight Oil's song Beds Are Burning. I wasn't expecting that!
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Roobar
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by Roobar »

Of course it should start and end with Australia because all members are Aussies.
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by Benvolio »

I am from Ireland and like most other Irish people I love to talk at length about Ireland and about how great it is even though it is a fairly ordinary minnow of a country, which once unshackled from almost a millennium of external hassle, demonstrated itself capable of governing itself only in the most mediocre of manners.

So let's talk more about Australia instead. About 10% of Australians are primarily Irish in heritage thanks to the days of transporting convicts. I gather that some Aussies are proud of convict heritage, others ashamed, and many probably weren't descended from convicts at all. Either way, like it or not, there's more crime in places of poverty and 1840s Ireland was about as poor as Eritrea or Niger is today. So plenty of us were sent over. Fast forward to 2016 and Australia is more prominent in the Irish psyche than in a long time. The recession of 2008 sent a couple of Irish people over because they couldnt get a job here, but a far greater number of Irish went there because they wanted to. This applies to most strata of society. I am a medical man myself and I took a fortnights trip to Oz a couple of years ago. I went to a house party in Cottesloe, Perth only to find literally fifty Irish doctors whom I was acquainted with. This is a rite of passage for almost half of Irish medical graduates - a trip to Australia for a year or two, often staffing the Emergency Departments particularly in Western Australia and Queensland where the jobs are less sought after by locals (thus easier to get) than in Sydney and Melbourne. Of course, New Zealand is similarly if not more popular with young medical graduates. I also believe that in nursing, temporary emigration to Australia is a massive phenomenon. A greatly superior quality of life is enjoyed due to a multitude of factors: better resourced hospitals, better weather, better pay, more respect for ones training, overtime hours actually being paid, etc etc etc. It is a fascinating time. Sadly there are reports of anti-Irish sentiment amongst Aussies, and some of this is probably justified as we drink a lot and fight a lot. But it is nice to re-establish the affinity between our two countries (three if you also include a similar relationship with NZ).
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by lemm »

I'm from Canada and there is snow outside.
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by MoffD »

I think America was covered well by the "Ask an American" thread, but if I think of anything else interesting, I'll chime in.
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by K1n9_Duk3 »

I'm from Germany and there is snow outside.
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Nospike
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by Nospike »

I'm from Czechia (apparently that's what we call ourselves now) and I try my hardest to live a non-Czech life, so that's a bit of a disclaimer.

People from other countries seem to think that what gives us life is beer, calorie-dense food and offensive humor. It's true, guys, all of it is true and even I am guilty as charged. We also have nice forests and fields (not so much in winter though) and some cool old buildings in Prague.

AMA if you'd like. :)
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by Levellass »

New Zealand. Mostly Harmless.
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by MoffD »

Nospike wrote:People from other countries seem to think that what gives us life is beer, calorie-dense food and offensive humor.
Ahhh, kinda like over here (in specific areas) :lol
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by _mr_m_ »

Illinois, U.S.A. We have a knack for electing really crappy people for governor here.
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Keening_Product
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by Keening_Product »

Roobar wrote:Of course it should start and end with Australia because all members are Aussies.
PCKF membership is a prerequisite for Australian citizenship.
Benvolio wrote:So let's talk more about Australia instead. About 10% of Australians are primarily Irish in heritage thanks to the days of transporting convicts. I gather that some Aussies are proud of convict heritage, others ashamed, and many probably weren't descended from convicts at all.
I'm yet to meet someone who is ashamed of their convict history because so many of the convicts were done for political or petty charges (as you probably know already). Also, I am always a bit surprised when someone non-indigenous says they're eighth+ generation - the convict decedents are a surprisingly small group in my experience, but it's not like they wear shirts saying they are such ha.

Some of my great grandparents are Irish, and I do know a lot of people who have Irish ancestry in some way. So while your 10 per cent figure shows primary ancestry, the wider population has, unsurprisingly, a lot of Irish connections. The Irish were a heavy influence on Australian politics until somewhat recently - the Australian Labor Party had a lot of Irish influence, not least from local Catholic leaders who became non-parliamentary political figures. I wrote an essay on Australian Catholics and politics a few years back - I'll dig that up if anyone is actually interested in reading it haha. (It's not preachy or anything - I'm not a Catholic haha.)
Benvolio wrote:I took a fortnights trip to Oz a couple of years ago. I went to a house party in Cottesloe, Perth only to find literally fifty Irish doctors whom I was acquainted with. This is a rite of passage for almost half of Irish medical graduates - a trip to Australia for a year or two, often staffing the Emergency Departments particularly in Western Australia and Queensland where the jobs are less sought after by locals (thus easier to get) than in Sydney and Melbourne.
That's really cool. What did you think of WA? Perth, as you probably know, is the most remote capital in the world. Was the mining boom still a thing when you went?
Benvolio wrote:Of course, New Zealand is similarly if not more popular with young medical graduates.
My girlfriend and I both want to go to NZ, and I know a few Australians - especially younger Australians - who have either gone or want to go. It looks like a cool place, and it's actually accessible from financial and travel time viewpoints. What is the appeal for young Irish graduates?
Benvolio wrote:Sadly there are reports of anti-Irish sentiment amongst Aussies
Wait, what? A long time ago there was, but I didn't think anti-Irish attitudes were really a thing here anymore. I guess I'm less likely to see that though because I'm not from Ireland.

What are some things which you enjoy about living in Ireland, Benvolio? Your reply wasn't terribly enthusiastic ha
lemm wrote:I'm from Canada and there is snow outside.
Which part of Canada? And I'm curious - how common is bilingualism in Canada?
Nospike wrote: I try my hardest to live a non-Czech life
Why are you seeking a non-Czech life? You don't want to be that stereotype, or are there other reasons? Also,
Nospike wrote:Czechia (apparently that's what we call ourselves now)
There was a change?
Levellass wrote:New Zealand. Mostly Harmless.
Bonus harmless points for prompt withdrawal from ANZUS.
MoffD wrote:
Nospike wrote:People from other countries seem to think that what gives us life is beer, calorie-dense food and offensive humor.
Ahhh, kinda like over here
And here. I think that's a human trait ha.
_mr_m_ wrote:Illinois, U.S.A. We have a knack for electing really crappy people for governor here.
Woah, pretty comprehensively too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Rau ... ,_2014.svg
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Nospike
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by Nospike »

Keening_Product wrote:
Nospike wrote: I try my hardest to live a non-Czech life
Why are you seeking a non-Czech life? You don't want to be that stereotype, or are there other reasons?


I guess that's the best way of putting it. I find that I'm very pro-American as opposed to most Czechs, I speak a LOT of English and I'm generally much more immersed in foreign culture than my own. I can't really imagine staying in this country all my life, I think I'd like to move one day.
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Nospike wrote:Czechia (apparently that's what we call ourselves now)
There was a change?
AFAIK yeah, used to be strictly the Czech Republic, but "Czechia" was recently accepted as an official translation. Makes sense to me, we already have a one-word name for our country but English didn't until now.
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by KeenRush »

@Nospike: Do you know what the rents are like in Prague? I'd like to know what ordinary people are paying for one-room apartments including heat and electricity (per month). Asking for a fiend... :mort

Bah, from the topic title I was expecting you were going to do a world tour and visit Keeners along the way. I would've said you can stay here for a while. :dopekeen
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Nospike
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by Nospike »

KeenRush wrote:@Nospike: Do you know what the rents are like in Prague? I'd like to know what ordinary people are paying for one-room apartments including heat and electricity (per month). Asking for a fiend... :mort
I'm not the most reliable source on this as I don't live there (yet), but a wild guess would be around 12000 CZK? That'd translate to roughly 450 EUR. Might be less, might be more, but I'd go with this as the ballpark.
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Re: PCKF World Tour

Post by nanomekia »

Midwest USA. Specifically, Iowa.

Corn. Pigs. Corn. Farms. Corn. Actually really nice people. Corn. Lots of religion. Corn. And did I mention corn?
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