I'm a diplobrat. Ask me anything.

[TheSlothOverlord]

So, how DOES diplomatic immunity work then? What purpose does it serve and in what situations is it applicable? I know that I could just google it, but I wanted to hear it in your words .

 

[sky pies]

First off, I am also a "diplobrat", although this is the first time I've heard of the term. I've lived in five different countries, have two nationalities and speak four languages. I know where you come from.

Accidental triple post? Admin?

I understand you're not living abroad anymore, so I had some questions.

1. Are you afraid of being perceived as pretentious? Sometimes, I won't tell anecdotes to friends, because they involve a minister or a princess who was at my home, or something of the style, and I realise that it may come off as boasting. Or is everyone you know used to you having lead a completely different life than them?

Absolutely not. Pretension doesn't exist in my philosophy. There are so many other things to worry about and concern yourself with, why bother yourself avoiding a label that only people who live off comparison and competition care about? I just live my life for me, and my close ones: it simply doesn't occur to me that I should water down or modify my " self " to meet the requirements of some people who have probably got completely different ideas about the concept of the "individual".

Real friends are selfless and generous, zealous not jealous, quick to praise and slow to take offense. Anyone with a less stable outlook is going to have trouble becoming a close and warm friend of mine.

2. Do you have trouble having meaningful relationships? I know I don't have any friends who I can talk to about everything. Or any childhood friends, for that matter. Does it get better once you stay in one place?

I have some long term friends scattered around the world, who I don't rely on but who will always share instant warmth with me. I am close with people in the states, all around Europe, Israel, Palestine, Africa, India, China, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, and more besides.

As for talking to people about everything, I probably don't have that either but I keep it for my girlfriend, or family. I don't need many close friends, one or two does me fine I think. I prefer this I think because it allows me to be genuine and comfortable. This doesn't mean I'm antisocial, I find being friendly easy, I just don't have much riding on the size of my friend pool.

Ultimately it will get as good as you want it to be. My formative years were spent in a city where I was isolated from western people (Beijing) and as such I am uncomfortable around then to this day, but if I really wanted to have a blast with everyone in my current place I could. It will depend on your enthusiasm for expanding your social horizons.

3. How is it to not travel? You said you 'felt horrible' when not travelling. Is it like that all of the time? I feel like I would be the same.

I hate not traveling. I also hate holidaying, if I move I want it to be for years at a time. I'm a caged animal currently, passing my fifth year in one place, it's killing me.

I feel alive in alternate cultures, alive making friends with people who actually engage with you instead of engaging with their own set of preconceptions and stereotypes.

Once again though I assure you, this is just me, your feelings will depend entirely on how enthusiastic you are about where you find yourself after you leave the expat life.

I for one am just dying to get back out there.

 

[sky pies]

As an architect, have you ever designed a seriously awesome structure? Outside of the world of starchitecture (eww!), everyone seems to be designing toilet blocks, kitchen extensions and park benches.

I still haven't done anything as cool as the kunsthal, or the Beijing monoliths, the construction of which I grew up watching, so as such no I'm not yet satisfied with anything I've yet achieved. It's early days yet.

So, you lived in BELgrade, niGERia, CzecH republicaN, INDiana, and the United States of Antarctica?
Which was your favorite place to live?

Belgium, Germany, China (nice effort lol), Indonesia, USAmerica. My favorite was definitely China, followed by Indonesia, Germany, Belgium. Then USA, which was great but not as good as the others. China is just fantastic and in many ways vastly misunderstood.

 

[sky pies]

So, how DOES diplomatic immunity work then? What purpose does it serve and in what situations is it applicable? I know that I could just google it, but I wanted to hear it in your words .

Well it depends, really. I think it just applies to laws where countries differ on their punishment and the expat is subject to their home country's standards rather than those of their host country. Might be something along those lines. Needless to say I never actually experimented with how far I could push the law in my host countries.

The anecdote I posted further up the page (in my first round of quotes and responses) confirms that this is a subjective, case-by-case thing - to some extent at least. All I know is those little shits got what was coming to them and I'm glad their embassies didn't try to save them. Maybe their humiliated parents let them be carted off to jail.

 

[chocolate pickles]

What are your bank account details?

What was it like selling your soul to the devil?

 

[Adeptus Aspartem]

Could you bring me in contact with that poor Nigerian prince who needed my bank account? It seems the bank messed something up and i can't seem to get a hold on him.

Thanks!

 

[sky pies]

What are your bank account details?

What was it like selling your soul to the devil?

Could you bring me in contact with that poor Nigerian prince who needed my bank account? It seems the bank messed something up and i can't seem to get a hold on him.

Thanks!

I believe you two are looking for each other

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Diplomat's kid? Are you, in fact, Damien from The Omen?

[small]Also, there's a good reason why you're an isolated Tool fan, and it's not having to travel.[/small]

 

[Wiggum Esquilax]

I won't ask which places have the best food, since it's so subjective. Rather, who has the cleanest food? Not just the meal itself either, also food prep, bathrooms, et al.

Conversely, who has the worst safety standards? Are there any cities/quarters wherein you really just do not want to go out for a meal?

 

[Prepare Your Keyhole]

Why was Belgium your least favorite place to live?

 

[sky pies]

Why was Belgium your least favorite place to live?

it wasn't, the USA is behind it and I would add that Australia is too. It's really just to do with how old I was when I lived there, I wasn't able to enjoy and explore it as much as Berlin and Beijing. It's a magical place.

I won't ask which places have the best food, since it's so subjective. Rather, who has the cleanest food? Not just the meal itself either, also food prep, bathrooms, et al.

Conversely, who has the worst safety standards? Are there any cities/quarters wherein you really just do not want to go out for a meal?

Hard to say really. Probably Germany. You never really know. I would say Indonesia has the worst standards, but on the other side of the coin it had some of the nicest food ~ just quite a big gap, if you will. Beijing has the best food for me, but not the cleanest, on average.

 

[sky pies]

Diplomat's kid? Are you, in fact, Damien from The Omen?

[small]Also, there's a good reason why you're an isolated Tool fan, and it's not having to travel.[/small]

I'd like to believe that man but when I went to their concert I felt like such a dumbass for actually "feeling" the music, for the first couple of songs.

Lawl those movies ~

 

[The Almighty Aardvark]

Any stereotypes of people in places you've lived that you found to be totally off base?

What's the most dangerous situation you've been in, and where?

 

[G96 Saber]

Why is China so nice?

 

[bdeamon]

What is your favorite video game?

 

[The Bucket]

If you had to give one piece of advice to a younger version of yourself about the diplobrat lifestyle, what would it be?

 

[sky pies]

Ah some great questions here...

Any stereotypes of people in places you've lived that you found to be totally off base?

What's the most dangerous situation you've been in, and where?

Hmm. I have to say that the Chinese people are the ones who consistently confound smug colonialist stereotypes. People say they are impolite: no. People say they are greedy: no. People say they are unclean: no. People say they are below average in intelligence: no.

And on the bigger scale of things. People say it's nothing but corrupt, broken totalitarian hell: certainly not. That people are miserable and downtrodden: no. That the US, Australia and the rest of the west have better functioning leadership systems: Give me a break. That it is uber polluted and an eternal pea-soup of fumes and dust: No way. That it has no natural beauty: Utterly incorrect. That the cities are just giant expanses of polluted communist-era apartment blocks: No way. Beijing is beautiful.

Why is China so nice?

The people, the nature, the history, the products, the entrepreneurs, the art, the food, the culture in general, the multiple economic tiers... I don't know it's all just on a different level, and it clicks with me much better than anywhere else. In some ways Indonesia is even more amazing and interesting, but in other ways it's just a bit too mired in second-world realities.

What is your favorite video game?

Ahhh tough question. Going by time played it's probably Vanilla WoW, then the Football Manager franchise, then Age of Empires II.. But in terms of my favourite games, that's quite tough. I think Deus Ex: Human Revolution is the best PC game I ever played, and I think Metroid Prime, Civilization III, SSX 3, and many other games are all really great as well. If you want games that I am drawn to because of my upbringing I think Age of Empires II, Civilization III and Rome: Total War count~~ among others. Morrowind and Arx Fatalis both appealed to me strongly at a time~

No one favourite.

 

[sky pies]

If you had to give one piece of advice to a younger version of yourself about the diplobrat lifestyle, what would it be?

Take full advantage of international schools. Take full advantage of the chances to study really complex things in a disciplined way, to participate in traveling school sports teams all year 'round, to join EC activity groups, model UN, everything. I spent a bit too much time playing games in those days, I was lucky to get as much out of my teen years as I did. Also, hard work pays off, so do it.

Also, most importantly, don't wait for the last two years of your time in Beijing to start exploring the city and making friends with locals. You won't have a chance to learn and laugh so much again for a decade.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Do you prefer the satisfying crunch of a hard taco, or the easy handling of a soft taco?

Do you prefer black or green olives?

How do you like your eggs?

Can you tell that I'm hungry?

 

[sky pies]

Do you prefer the satisfying crunch of a hard taco, or the easy handling of a soft taco?

Soft! Hard tacos just make no sense to me! Why add risk of crumbs to the equation? And sauce falls out. And anything else that isn't perfectly packed. And sometimes even if it was perfectly packed. And corn is yucky, it distracts from the flavor, whereas flour based wraps are delicious in their own right. And taco shells gets soggy. Ain't nobody got time for that! Ain't nobody got time for dat! Ain't nobody got time for dat. Ain't nobody got time, ain't nobody got time, ain't nobody got time for dat.

Do you prefer black or green olives?

I said oh lord Jesus it's a fahr. Said oh lord Jesus it's a fahr.

... I hate all olives I'm afraid, have yet to find a form of them, a preparation, that I do like.

How do you like your eggs?

And I thought someone was barbikuin', barbikuin'~

Over and cooked, I don't like them runny. Cooked placenta is nice, actually runny placenta that still tastes like it could breed a baby? Nay, sir.

Can you tell that I'm hungry?

Ah I knew it was you, hungry! I'm sky pies pleeezta meetcha