i wonder what makes a person a 'local' in an environment. does one need to be an official resident or does that not matter? i am a resident in the tiny island south of the Malay Peninsula, but i don't feel any more local than the visiting tourists whenever i am back for a visit. exactly, a visit. while i am getting to know a few more places and the livelihood of people here and in europe, i don't think i will ever be considered a local. i don't speak Scottish dialects, nor do i actively take part in the politics of things except the occasional recycling trips to help keep the city green --- quite a futile attempt really thanks to the thousand other inconsiderate people who lack civic-mindedness. moreover, i don't actually look or feel local. it doesn't help even if you speak English... everyone's speaking that language these days... (although perhaps one day everyone will be speaking Mandarin...)
weird isn't it? to be an alien everywhere.
posted by ~overacuppa~ on Sunday, 19 September, 2004 at 11:22 hrsIt's hard to say what makes a person "local". Is it the length of time you've stayed there? Perhaps. Is it when the locals accept you as a local? Or when you feel that you're a local yourself? What lets you make a claim of localization? I think it has to do with time and knowledge/intimacy with the location. Some people say you have to be born there though. I don't know. Sorry, I'm raising more questions than answering your question!
Posted by: monoceros on Wednesday, 22 September, 2004 at 03:18 hrsmonoceros... you are right and i agree with the exponential growth of questions related to an apparently 'simple' question... in fact it's not an easy 'concept' to define. to describe someone as 'local' can also be rather segregational... yet sometimes it's hard to get a good politically correct 'label'.
in fact, if one thinks of colonisation, more mind-boggling questions pop up...
Posted by: hrm on Wednesday, 22 September, 2004 at 09:23 hrs*Note: in case you were thinking of leaving a comment and the option isn't here anymore... it is because the comment section of each entry is closed after sometime to prevent malicious comments... if you are looking for the actual entry, type in the keyword(s) in the little box on the main page http://overacuppa.com where it says "fossicking pebbles & seashells" and press *search*... thank you for popping by and happy browsing!