I'm sure you're all tired of hearing that I'm a Preacher's Kid. But, it did have big effects on me. We tended to move every 3-5 years when I was growing up, and every year we'd take two weeks to travel. I've met lots of different people in many different situations, and localities.
I was born in Kentucky, lived all around Eastern Ohio, went to college in Illinois, and ended up in Wisconsin. I'm basically a Great Lakes guy. But, I'm also very familiar with most everywhere along, and east of, the Mississippi River.
We also had a little tiny house out on Cape Cod, for 30yr. The only house we actually owned. It was rented out more than we were there. It afforded me an extensive experience of getting to know New England. I also know the Atlantic Coast from Newfoundland to Florida.
My travels westward have been "hop scotch". I've spent weeks in Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego. All the rest was "fly over".
The U.S.of A., and Canada, is like a network of different countries, but not like Europe in that regard.
The longest I've lived outside the U.S. was a month in Ireland. We were on a ministerial exchange. The Irish guy took our church in an Ohio River town, just south of Wheeling, West Virginia, on the Ohio side. We got to live in their house in a beautiful coastal village just north of Belfast. (Totally "unfair".)
On that trip we landed in Glasgow, and drove to Edinburgh to spend a few days, before hopping over to Belfast. After our month, their youngest son took us on a tour of Southern Ireland, for a few days. Then we took two weeks to retrace Dad's WWII tour of duty, at the end of the war.
His dad was a Quaker Minister. So, Dad signed up as a Conscientious Objector. He made it to corporal as a radio man, and driver. His nickname was "Rabbit".
We flew to Paris, than drove to Munich, and flew into Berlin. The Wall was still there. I could write a novel about that ...
Dad had some part in the airlift into Tempelhof. I'm guessing communications.
He had also been stationed just a few miles from Dachau. I don't have words for that ...
I don't remember the order, but we were also in Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, then back to London for a few days, before flying back to New York.
Second trip across the pond was by boat, on the Italian Line's "Raffaello", to Naples. Drove to Rome, flew to Nice, drove to Grasse, Monte Carlo, Genoa. Eventually, after other destinations, we ended up back in London, where Mom and Dad were attending The World Family Life Conference, and we kids were shipped over to Ireland to stay with the minister we had exchanged with 3yr. earlier. Can you say, "Ironic?"
The three of us didn't mind spending another week in "our" Irish Manse. I can't say the same for Bob and Doris, who were old enough to be our grandparents.
So, yeah, I think I can claim that I've lived in another country, even if for a brief time.
Would I think of moving out of the U.S., or even away from The Great Lakes? With retirement calling, it is a thought. Will I actually do it?