Originally Posted by
lotalota
I have no idea what you mean by "the ambiguity" or "what a "correct" answer is". I'm traveling from X-Y and so are you. I'm genuinely curious about the person next to me and would like to know who they are. Where you are from, IMHO, is a big part of who you are. Perhaps you are a fan of a sports team, a type of regional cuisine from your background, or we share some experience in common there that we can both learn from. I'm interested, and that's why I ask!
There is no ambiguity or "correct" answer. I'm just curious about where you live. I can't possibly think of what a "wrong" answer would be?
Your post just demonstrated exactly where the ambiguity is. You just said you want to know something about where I'm from because it's a big part of who I am, something about my background. I would assume a big part of who I am is where I grew up. Yet then you go and say that you're curious about where I live.
For many of us, where we live and where we grew up are very different places. Neither of which may have anything to do with our looks or accents or cuisine we like, for that matter!
I also think being curious about the person next to you may or may not make that person uncomfortable. Many people are quite private, and while I'm much less so than most, there are things I don't like to talk about, some of it having to do with one of the meanings of "where I am from".