25 Signs that You’re a True Citizen of the World
July 29th, 2009 by KatieYou may think you’re a seasoned, worldly traveler but are you really? Check out these 25 signs that you’re a true citizen of the world!
I’d love to define myself as a citizen of the world but, frankly, I’m a long way off.
Some people, on the other hand, roam around the planet identifying not with any one nation but with the world itself.
Are you one of these people? Test yourself on these 25 signs that you’re a true citizen of the world!
1. You know about global disasters within minutes
2. Your National Geographic collection is taking on a life of its own
3. You never enter a country without at least 5 phrases in the native tongue
4. You have a good friend on every continent
5. You’ve eaten the same animal you once had as a pet
6. You rarely stay in any one country for more than 3 months straight
7. You don’t use guide books but just figure it out when you get there
8. You make friends in the street
9. You make friends in the sea
10. You make friends on top of mountains
11. You’ve worked for at least one international NGO
12. You’ve taught English to kids somewhere in the world at some point
13. When you see tourists from your native country abroad, you hide
14. You’ve been bitten/stung by at least one scary insect/animal
15. You’ve feared for your life on several occasions
16. You’ve never been to the Hamptons
17. Your lucky sandals have holes in the soles
18. You’ve been invited for dinner in families’ homes all over the world
19. You sleep best under the stars
20. You know that couch surfing has nothing to do with waves
21. Your iPod has songs on it from every UN member state
22. Your favorite author is not from your native country
23. You take photos… and print them
24. When people talk about celebrities you feel dazed and confused
25. You sometimes forget where you came from
How did you score?? Are you a true citizen of the world? Post up your comments below and let us know!!
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Tags: adventure travel, backpacking, budget travel, fun, funny, world travel, world trip
July 29th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I didn’t score so well…I guess living a life of constant travel means you’re too disconnected for 1 and don’t have storage space for 2 and don’t really plan enough for 3 … Oh well, another day, another quiz.
July 30th, 2009 at 6:30 am
I taught adults, not kids, I never ate an animal I once I had as a pet:) Actually, come to think of it, I’m not that high ranked either
July 30th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Hmm, not so bad. With regards to point 3, my 5 phrases in the native tongue always consist of ‘Hello’, ‘Goodbye’ ‘Please’, ‘Thank You’, and ‘Beer’. And these are sometimes mixed together!
July 30th, 2009 at 6:39 am
Thought I was going to rank poorly when I read the first two but then pulled ahead with the rest of the questions. Like the Travel Tart, I focus on a few key phrases, although “where is the bathroom” and “I need water” are a lot more important to me than knowing how to say beer in 50 languages!
July 30th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Barbara — I find that I learning to say ‘beer’ in any language is quickly followed by learning to say ‘where is the bathroom’!
July 30th, 2009 at 9:22 am
I agree with Barbara… didn’t do well on the first two but made up for it with the rest. I just made some friends in the sea this past weekend, in fact, although it happened to be in my home state!
July 30th, 2009 at 9:39 am
It’s been many years since I spent 3 months continuously in one country.
July 30th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I’m about middling on the list though I always like to learn a few phrases and can still count to ten and say “thank you” in a great chunk of languages even if I can hardly speak another word of them. Entertaining list – I particularly like the point of eating something you once had as a pet (though I’ve never had budgerigar).
August 4th, 2009 at 10:59 am
hehehe
I’ve to look after my small hotel….nothing globetrotting and scoring low oh so low: 9 out of 25?
August 4th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
hmmm i don’t do a few of these….damn…i’m not a citizen of the world…yet!
August 13th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
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August 16th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
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August 27th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Hmm, I didn’t score well either. I love seeing other Canadians when I am on the road. I haven’t eaten anything that I have had as a pet and I don’t collect National Geographics. I actually don’t own any. But I love your post! We all have our own experiences while traveling and I love to hear how others go about their travels. Great fun list, cheers!
August 29th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
#26 you are a pretentious idiot, and your “friends” from other countries are really just being polite because they know you are trying, but when you leave, they probably just think that hanging out with you is awkward.
November 19th, 2009 at 5:32 am
5. You’ve eaten the same animal you once had as a pet
How does this make you a “Citizen of the World”? More like “Citizen of Alabama”. Being backwards isn’t the same as being globally minded.
19. You sleep best under the stars
Once again, being a hippie doesn’t equate to being a global citizen. I also rolled my eyes at the mention of sandals. So the fact that I am much more interested in exploring foreign cities and enjoy my tennis shoes makes me more… what? non-global?
16. You’ve never been to the Hamptons
Who has really ever been to the Hamptons? It’s on the same level as Mt. Olympus to me. This one just seems to be there to exclude rich people. Shallow.
20. You know that couch surfing has nothing to do with waves
It would be a really undereducated person indeed who didn’t know what couch surfing was.
24. When people talk about celebrities you feel dazed and confused
What if your friends are from countries where they really care about celebrity? Personally, I am totally uninterested in it, but you cannot walk two feet in Taiwan or Japan without having a tabloid in your face, often depicting as many American celebrities as Asian.
“boner doner”’s suggestion for 26 is rude but it does make a point about the “world traveler archetype” that I’ve noticed. The lot can really be pretentious. Never lose your nationality, that’s my advice. It’s how the rest of the world will define you when you travel so you may as well take the good and the bad that that implies. I find myself explaining a lot that, yes I’m American, but NO I don’t drink and I don’t like to hook up with lots of women. The moment you resent the country of your birth is the moment you truly fail at everything in life. I’m not patriotic, but I’m American. I’m not interested in the politics of my own country as much as I am the politics of the world, but I still care about my country and am proud of my own culture, even with its gaping flaws (made all the more obvious when comparing America with other countries).
I like lists like this, I really do, but I hope we all keep our heads here. I really like to consider myself a global citizen, but I wouldn’t put that before my nation, simply because the world wouldn’t give me the same courtesy. To them I’ll always be an American, and I’ll always be vilified no matter how many countries I volunteer in, how many times I vote independent or democrat, how much money I donate, how many languages I speak… I’ll still be the party-seeking undereducated white supremacist American. I am not what they say I am, but I am American, and I truly can’t change that.
November 19th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Much food for thought there @Moji, thanks for sharing.
November 19th, 2009 at 9:54 am
No, thank you, for taking my criticism like a champ. I got your e-mail, I’d love to help if I could.