Where are you from?

December 29, 2015 at 02:02 AM · Just a fun little thread, as not everybody's name always gives away their country of origin...

I would prefer if everybody would go with their ethnicity, as it makes the thread more open to discussion and interesting points about other parts of the world! :)

I'll start it below.

I'm from Turkey, though I live in Canada and English is my native tongue, so don't be makin' me mad aboot the Middle East or beavers and the like, eh? :D

Replies (32)

December 29, 2015 at 03:10 AM · Hi A. O.! I am from the Los Angeles, California. I have not had the opportunity to live anywhere else but I have been to Canada and Mexico. I've also visited several other states. Arizona and West Virginia to name a few.

December 29, 2015 at 04:22 AM · Hi Julio! I didn't know Cervantes was an American last name. :D

December 29, 2015 at 05:20 AM · Its a Spanish one but my family and myself are from the U.S. Also thank you very much for all of your advise on my post. You have been a huge help.

December 29, 2015 at 06:47 AM · @Frieda: Postcard Americans are the ones with white skin and Yankee caps that say "'Muria! F*** yeah! :D

@Julio: No problem. I love helping others if I know how to (and watch that left thumb, my friend)! :)

December 29, 2015 at 10:11 AM · Greetings A.O! I'm from Greece, Crete. My actual name is Agelos (wich means angel). I have been leaving yo many places in Greece (Rethymnon, Heraklion and Xersonisos) and capital of Cyprus. Now I'm stated at Kritsa, a traditional village of saint Nicholas, and I'm studying Orchestra Conducting at the Ionian University in Corfu, or "Kerkyra" as it's called in greek.

December 29, 2015 at 10:23 PM · I'm an expat Brit living in France for "wine, women and song". Well, one woman actually, who's a great cook (and mum!) Regarding the "song", I do miss English madrigal groups, though.

December 29, 2015 at 11:30 PM · Italian, born in Italy, living in Italy (north eastern small town)

:)

December 30, 2015 at 05:07 PM · I'm from the USA -- born in Chicago, grew up and went to school in Chicago metro area and Lower Peninsula of Michigan, now a 15-year resident of north-central Alabama. I have driven through each of the 48 adjacent states -- 42 of them at least twice -- and have crossed to Canada twice; but I've never left the North American continent.

My British name suggests one of my European lineages but not all that I can name. My European forebears were from Ireland, England, Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and France.

December 30, 2015 at 05:27 PM · I was born in South Korea, moved to Canada in 2002. Back when I was growing up in Korea, teachers could and did beat you if you did something wrong. I had an evil piano teacher, I still have a pencil lead inside my palm.

Also, I still dislike maple syrup.

December 30, 2015 at 06:59 PM · Ok I'll bite. :-) I'm 2nd generation from the USA. Born and raised ~30min from NYC. My ancestry comes from Europe - Germany, Czech, Ireland, Scotland.

I'm so fortunate to have traveled all over the world growing up. My parents took us to Japan, and Australia one summer. Another summer my family drove from Germany down to the bottom of Italy and back up west to France. I also lived in Paris for a college semester, worked as a maid in Scotland for a summer, and after college worked/lived in Helsinki for a year.

I've been married for 13 years with 3 kids and despite all my travels, I found it so much more difficult to move from Manhatten to living in rural Vermont area of the USA. Its taken me 10 years to adjust.

December 30, 2015 at 07:15 PM · I was born in Michigan, US but have lived in California since I was two. I have traveled a lot throughout the US but have only hit the Canadian and Mexican borders. Some travel around Europe. Ancestry-wise I'm a mutt, although I know a lot about the town my name comes from (village near Trento, Italy) and have even visited it. In fact, I named my viola Leila after the legendary mother of our family, who supposedly came to the Tyrol from the middle east with our family's namesake, who fought in the third Crusade (and no, I'm not proud of that).

December 30, 2015 at 07:48 PM · Born to Czech, later British parents in Wales and from age 3 reared in London.

Julio, have you ever thought about taking up viola so you can play Sancho Panza (or 'cello, so you can play that other guy, whatever his name is)? After all, do you know for certain that you're not descended from some novelist or other that might have introduced him to the world?

December 30, 2015 at 08:02 PM · I grew up in a south ("Downriver") suburb of Detroit. We had easy access to lots of music, museums, and culture in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Toledo (Ohio), and great Chinese (dim sum) restaurants just across the river, in Windsor Ontario. I schooled in the Midwest and met my wife while post-docking in Evanston. My ancestry is German.

December 31, 2015 at 05:34 PM · Thanks for the replies! :)

December 31, 2015 at 07:35 PM · I am British - grew up in England with an English mother & a Scottish father. I now live in England with a Glaswegian husband - a Scot, with Irish Catholic ancestry. McCabe is actually now an Irish name, mainly, though it originated in the Hebrides (Skye) from Viking raiders; but most of the McCabes went to Ireland in the sixteenth century and became mercenary soldiers there ('kerns & gallowglasses').

Although I speak with an English accent and identify most closely with York, the city I grew up in, I am passionately fond of Scottish music and culture and 'feel' Scottish in character.

Great thread!

December 31, 2015 at 07:41 PM · Mostly of Welsh descent, but have lived all my life in the West of England, only a short distance from Wales. Have very strong family connections in Belgium.

January 2, 2016 at 02:36 PM ·

January 2, 2016 at 02:43 PM · I was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; lived in Chickasaw, Alabama (just outside Mobile) until I reached the ripe old age of nine. Moved to New Orleans, Louisiana and stayed there until moving to my present location in McMinnville, Tennessee at the age of thirty.

January 4, 2016 at 05:11 AM · I'm from Minneapolis, Minnesota. My family is from Central Pennsylvania.

January 4, 2016 at 03:15 PM · I live in Han(g)over, Germany. My mother is from Finland, my father is german. I only speak german and english though.

January 4, 2016 at 04:26 PM · I'm from Spain and France. :)

January 5, 2016 at 10:57 AM · Randy, even if, as Groucho said, in Alabama the Tuscaloosa, do please take warning from Discussions like http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=27453.

February 5, 2016 at 10:59 PM · I'm from Teruel (Spain ), I studied at Madrid anda at Madison-WI and then flamenco at Granada. I'm very happy because (I don't want to brang but I'm going to do it ;) ) I was the first-and only by now-violinist who was semifinalist as flamenco instrumentalist in the most important flamenco world competition.

I was proud of me because I wasn't a child prodigy, I not use to play competitions and I studied very hard for this. :)

February 6, 2016 at 12:52 PM · As to nationality and ethnicity, I'm American and Jewish. As to the "pre-Raphaelites", my father was born in St. Louis, MO and my mother was born in Canton, Ohio. Their respective parents were each from a different corner of the world: Russia, Roumania, the Old City of Jerusalem and Liverpool, England.

Back to me, I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and currently live in New Jersey. That combination gives me plenty of attitude - f'gedaboutit!

February 7, 2016 at 09:05 PM · Raphael, I feel bad for you when your kids will (have?) asked you: "Hey dad, where are we from?" :D

February 8, 2016 at 02:46 AM · I'll always have my handy rejoinder, "f'gedaboutit"!

February 8, 2016 at 06:41 PM · I was born and raised in South Chicago. Now I live in Crete Il. thirty miles south. If I could afford it, I would move farther into the countryside.. "If you can hear the neighbors dogs bark, their too close!

I have been to Canada many times and would love to live there. The only problem is that Canada only has three seasons; July, August, and winter!

February 8, 2016 at 08:10 PM · Merhaba! I'm actually half Tatar on my fathers side and English, Irish, and Danish on my mothers :D I was born and raised in Southern California.

March 30, 2016 at 01:18 AM · I'm Half-Filipino, a quarter Filipino, an eight Spanish, an eight Turkish... but I live in Sydney, AU.

March 30, 2016 at 02:49 AM · Melting pot of Central/Eastern Europe meets melting pot of North America. Spent my time here and there.

March 30, 2016 at 06:34 AM · Any other Australians?

March 30, 2016 at 08:44 AM · I'm from the deep south, as in South Africa. My violin is handcrafted from an old oil can (1964 "Castrol GT") by renowned luthier Anton van Straad. After completing Toyota Book 10 I hope to become an aspiring Soloist (on the corner of Republic and Church street) or concertmaster of the Johannesburg Polymorphic Orchestra (you never know what you're gonna get).

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