How to define where I’ve been?
This came up a while ago and I’ve been thinking about it off and on. How do you define where you’ve been? Let me explain.
This all started because another WorldTeach volunteer claimed that she had never been to Europe. On our journey here, she had a 10 hour layover in London, left the airport and went shopping downtown. I can understand not calling that “Europe” but I would say she’s been to England. That got me thinking about what it takes to have “been to” a place.
I’ve stood in Angola, three times, I have photos. But I’ve never gone through a border crossing, never had my passport stamped. The total time that I’ve been to Angola is probably 15 minutes. So have I been to Angola?
While I was living in South Korea, I took a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas. As part of that tour, you enter a room that crosses the border. I’ve stood in the North Korean side (I have pictures to prove it). So, have I been to North Korea?
Technically, yes, to both, but really, no.
So what does it take for you to have been to a country? I spent a day at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Have I been to Zimbabwe? My passport says yes. Flying to Namibia, we had a four hour layover in Johannesburg. Have I been to South Africa? My passport says yes.
But what does it take to say that you’ve been to a country? I spent a night in Fukuoka, Japan for legal reasons (needed a visa for South Korea renewed). I’ve had four refueling layovers in Hawaii but I’ve never left the airport. I've spent more than 12 hours there. Have I been to Hawaii (I know it’s not a country, but its still a highly desired destination)? I’ve been to Beijing – spent four days there – but can I really say I’ve been to “China?” China is a huge country. I’ve seen one city– Three if you include Hong Kong and Macau. I don’t. They were each very different, with their own currencies.
Which brings up the next criteria. So have you been to a country if you’ve used its currency inside its borders? Then I have been to South Africa even though I never left the airport (and I’ve been to Hawaii by this definition, too, even though I don’t consider that I have.).
I don't have any answers except to say that you will know when you've been somewhere. I haven't been to Hawaii, but I have been to Zimbabwe, even though I've spent more time in Hawaii.
For the record, using the softest definitions of both “been to” and “country,” these are the countries that I have been to, in the order that I’ve first visited them, as of April 2008: Canada, USA, England, Scotland, Wales, Belgium, Luxembourg, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, South Korea, North Korea, Saipan, China, Hong Kong, Spain, Andorra, Macau, Japan, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
And out of curiosity I looked up to see what’s the furthest south I’ve been. Wellington, New Zealand is much further south than Adelaide, Australia or Johannesburg, South Africa.
— SGP
