I can go literally anywhere. where should i go

[twylyght]

Sis started out in Australia, ended up in New Zealand. Loved the hell outta New Zealand.

[jackson113]

NOLA I heard there's a great landlord down there... Nah it would be nice to go to Ireland or to the Highlands of Scotland.

[jackson113]

It's kinda sad that commercializm has killed the identity of alot of places...Wendy's, Micky D's ,and box stores in just about every town or city you go...like they are all different but kinda the same.

[Rise of The Hive]

Spain

[Ivan The Awesome]

I would say Samoa.

[Seal (SmittyIsOurSavior)]

Places in Southern Africa could be interesting. Zimbabwe (the historical memory thing being related to Cecil Rhodes and the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe), Angola (although it might still be a little dangerous, the post-independence from Portugal and the impact it has had), Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho.

[Rise of The Hive]

Hawaii

[PhillyB]

Places in Southern Africa could be interesting. Zimbabwe (the historical memory thing being related to Cecil Rhodes and the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe), Angola (although it might still be a little dangerous, the post-independence from Portugal and the impact it has had), Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho.

 

i've thought about africa quite a bit. mainly because i desperately want to go to africa and this would be an awesome excuse lol

 

but it's damn near a foregone conclusion that i'll end up in vietnam.

[Bronn]

It isn't exotic or anything, but my suggestion would be:

Somewhere with a historical context as being "frontier" in the western US.

You could draw on the historical aspects of expansion and the displacement and oppression of indigenous peoples. Not only that, but you could draw parallels and differences between frontier living and the lifestyle that technology has afforded us today. You could then compare your lifestyle as a European American in typical American society to that of Native Americans' lives on reservations.

 

Again, it isn't the most exotic, but I think it would be really interesting. You could really rough it for the full experience on most of the trip, and you'd probably save a lot of money too.

[bdwork]

i've thought about africa quite a bit. mainly because i desperately want to go to africa and this would be an awesome excuse lol

 

but it's damn near a foregone conclusion that i'll end up in vietnam.

 

I spent two months in Vietnam, generally traveling south to north. It's a challenging place - more so than anywhere else I've been. But for your line of work/study, at least it will present a ton of ideas for a thesis. 

 

I'd consider Turkey or more specifically Istanbul. Besides being a great place to visit, it's at a fascinating crossroads. One of the few secular majority Muslim nations, Turkey's long been lauded as a progressive model for the Muslim world. But it's future as such is uncertain. Sex and alcohol remain hotly debated topics. Certain neighborhoods even in Istanbul have banned booze recently. If I recall correctly, the male-female literacy rate is something like 95/80. Think about that; this is a fairly modernized, non third-world country and 20% of women can't read! 

 

Another more general thought is to go to any of the MIST countries. 10+ years ago, the BRICs (Brasil, Russia, India, China) countries were supposed to be major economic success stories; the results have so far been mixed. Now the new acronym owes to Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey. From a social science standpoint, it would be interesting to investigate what impact, if any, this optimism has on the general psyche. Up or down, they're all in transition that can make for a hundred ideas. 

 

Just thinking aloud. PM me if you end up heading to Vietnam and are looking for any insight. 

[Davidson Deac II]

It isn't exotic or anything, but my suggestion would be:

Somewhere with a historical context as being "frontier" in the western US.

You could draw on the historical aspects of expansion and the displacement and oppression of indigenous peoples. Not only that, but you could draw parallels and differences between frontier living and the lifestyle that technology has afforded us today. You could then compare your lifestyle as a European American in typical American society to that of Native Americans' lives on reservations.

 

Again, it isn't the most exotic, but I think it would be really interesting. You could really rough it for the full experience on most of the trip, and you'd probably save a lot of money too.

 

I went to Wyoming a few years ago.  After a ten hour drive from Cheyenne to Rock Springs, I wouldn't complain if we gave it back to the Native Americans.  The Western edge of it is pretty neat though. 

[PhillyB]

it's officially vietnam. i've gotten departmental approval to pursue it, i'll be there over the summer in 2015, and until then i'll be completely immersing myself in the language as much as is possible without actually being there. downloaded rosetta stone today, spending work drawing up flashcards, drowning myself in histories and ethnographies of post-war vietnamese society.

 

should be a great distraction from shitty panthers football.

[bdwork]

it's officially vietnam. i've gotten departmental approval to pursue it, i'll be there over the summer in 2015, and until then i'll be completely immersing myself in the language as much as is possible without actually being there. downloaded rosetta stone today, spending work drawing up flashcards, drowning myself in histories and ethnographies of post-war vietnamese society.

should be a great distraction from shitty panthers football.

good deal. if they have produced one for Vietnamese give Pimsleur a shot. I'm normally a visual learner but have found the audio-only lessons very effective. Best of luck.

[PhillyB]

good deal. if they have produced one for Vietnamese give Pimsleur a shot. I'm normally a visual learner but have found the audio-only lessons very effective. Best of luck.

I downloaded pimsleur yesterday... it's pretty good so far. I'm using it on commutes to school and then Rosetta Stone for everything else, plus flash cards at work.

Are you fluent? What were you doing over there?