What IS this world coming to?

[Gringo]

I dunno. maybe it's just me, but the world is starting to look kinda strange to me lately. At first I thought maybe it's because I am getting older, and turning into a cranky old fart or something.

Then I thought, well, living in a small tropical third world island nation for four years now, I probably have a changed perspective.

Here's what I am talking about. We just got back from the boat a few minutes ago ( installed a new washdown pump) and I checked in the internet news sites I always check. I tend to look at CNN, BBC and Fox several times a day.

And I am thinking, No, it's NOT me. The world is getting stranger. This is the kind of stuff I am seeing:

"Wrestling Midgets Killed by Fake Prostitutes"

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529935,00.html?mrp


"Blind man sees wife for first time after having tooth implanted in eye"

http://www.foxnews.com/index.html

does this seem like an alien planet to you?

[Burnin 1]

If I can ask....Where are you located? Ex-American? etc....The reason I ask, if this country keeps going down the tubes we are looking a getting off this sinking ship. Thanks......

[Gringo]

not an Ex-American, nope. Never. Still a US Citizen. A fifth generation Texan. Does that count as dual citizenship?

Heck my first ancestor in North America came over in 1649. One of his descendants fought alongside Washington against the Brits. I had ancestors fight in Texas against the Mexican. And then more of us fought against the yankees...

hmm..seems we fight with everybody...just the other day I insulted a Frenchman...but I digress..

Wife and I (and a small dog) cleaned out our lives four years ago and moved to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Before that she had been living in NJ for fifteen years, and I was living on Cape Cod. The NE USA is home to a lot of fine people. We each met many of them. But we are not of that tribe.

We are now on our third boat, built a house, etc. We are residents here, not citizens here. Still US citizens.

There are a bunch of photos here on SFC on another thread:

Gringos in the TCI Photo Blog

[Hatterized]

yup u been in the sun too long...wear a hat.....

nope u right.....amazing what networks will do for ratings......

MEDIA SENSATIONALISM...

just like cooking....8 zillion ways to make a dish....everyone has their own method/recipe past down thru the generations....whether it taste good or not.....we normally will at least sample the dish...

yup the networks want us to take the bite...some chew and enjoy and others spit it out.....

well i'm a spitter and dont swallow.....well unless its of the high octane/proof variety on ice....

[Burnin 1]

Cool thanks....Should have been a better phrase of words. Thanks again.

[Gringo]

There's a British term that has caught on, especially here but and elsewhere, that I don't feel quite right with but I looked it up and it's accurate.

That's 'expatriate' or the common term used amongst themselves, is 'ex-pats'. That is sort of an all-encompassing phrase that includes all the foreigners living in a specific country. Unless they are refugees or illegal aliens. I have not yet heard illegal aliens referred to as 'ex-pats'. If that helps. I guess the ex-pat community is more of a productive group in the eyes of small governments. The Brits here like the term, and call us ex-pats in a cameraderie....an inclusive, affable sort of way.
Members of the same club. Something definite in common. So we let it ride. It's not THAT offensive. And it's obvious. Being called a "Yank" gets me short tempered, but not ex-pat.

Our observations have been that us 'residents' do tend to have some specific traits and ideas in common with others like ourselves. We all chose this type of life for one thing. We all chose this specific place, for another. The backgrounds are all over the place, though. We've met Russians, lots of europeans, canadians, australians, kiwis, and even a few Americans though not many. There are only a few hundred here as full time residents.

But we also have friends who are bahamians, haitians, cubans, people from most of the islands in the Caribbean, some Mexicans, Filipinos, and I am not sure that we fit the ex-pat mold a lot of people would think of first. Our best friends here are local TC Islanders. Most ex-pats probably wouldn't say that.