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OK so over the weekend I had some relatives visit me and was astonished that a number of them (under 40 years old) did not know how to swim.
Which gave me an idea for a great new City-Data thread!
Do you know how to do the following things? And in your opinion, do most people in your country know how to do these things?
Feel free to answer, but also to add new questions.
Some examples:
swim?
ice skate?
downhill ski?
ride a bike?
shoot a gun?
drive a car with a manual/standard transmission?
fire a bow and arrow?
make a fire in the woods/in nature?
Swim: I can get by in the water but I have very bad technique and I am exhausted after about 5 minutes of active swimming. I hate swimming pools but I love going to the sea. Unfortunately the sea in Italy looks like a giant swimming pool.
Ice skate: I have done it but it takes me about 30 minutes to ride 5 meters so I figured it would be more effective not to. It really hurts my feet and I fall if I don't hold anything. Same thing for regular street rollerskate, it takes way too long for me and it is too dangerous. I did some skateboard when I was 10-12 but I don't think I could go very far now.
Downhill ski: No problem, done it since I was 7
Shoot a gun: Never did, don't think I know anyone who does
ride a bike: I learnt when I was very little, do it super regularly, most days of the week.
drive a car: Started at age 16, manual transmission all the way. Automatic is for lazy people.
Fire a bow and arrow: I can use a bow and arrow but not with fire
Make a fire in nature: I can keep it alive at least
Read maps / a compass / the sun: Sure yeah I do hike and I am a geography major. Love maps.
Cooking: Yeah, I do quite a bit of stuff, although nothing especially fancy. I can make cakes, pizza, vegetables, pasta, bread, etc.
Changing a car tire: Yes.
Fishing: I don't like fishing so I am not sure I'd be good at doing it.
Cut wood: I have done it with some tools but I can't think of when I would do it. Some members of my family worked on wood / made furniture though. My father still makes art with wood when he has free time. I'm not a really manual person at all.
I live in a hunting fishing, camping area that has access to four different ski mountains. That might affect my answers
swim? Swimming is a mandatory class in school for several years.
ice skate? I think that the number of Americans who can ice skate is rather limited, but there are ice rinks in almost every big and mid-size city.
downhill ski? A very expensive sport. Many in this area can ski, but most of the younger people snow board instead of downhill ski. There is a lot of cross country skiing and snow shoeing.
ride a bike? Almost everybody. Towns all have bike lanes for the bike riders.
shoot a gun? Just about everyone not only shoots, but owns guns. People shoot safely and responsibly. An estimated 50% of families in the USA owns guns (usually multiple guns)
drive a car with a manual/standard transmission? Everyone over the age of 16 drives. I've heard that the younger generations can't drive a stick shift. Everyone I know can drive a stick, but a lot of people drive pickups in this area and they are more likely to have a manual transmission.
fire a bow and arrow? A lot of people. I had archery lessons in high school
make a fire in the woods/in nature? Just about everybody in my area and probably almost everyone in the country,. I suspect that it is shown so often in movies and on TV that even if a person has never been out in the woods, they could get a fire started if they were desperate enough.
Something that too many people think they have the skill for and they don't is to go out into the woods, or climb mountains, or float the rivers with no training at all.
Our search and rescue teams are out in the woods often, searching for lost and injured people who have come in from out of the area and think that walking up a mountain is no different than a stroll in their city park. Or that believe everything they learned about wildlife in a Disney movie is all they need to know and they get themselves killed by doing something stupid around wildlife.
I manage most of the skills abovementioned (even tried bow and arrow!), but here are very common -or less common- skills I am not able to manage (or just not interested, so never really tried) :
- light a fire in the woods
- play cards
- play videosgames outside of level 1
- dancing
- use a Smartphone
- fast driving (over 120mph)
- ride a galopping horse (ambling horse is OK with me)
- roll a joint (lol)
- dress up fashionably (I dress fine, just not a fashionista)
- memorize a long poem (a short one is OK)
- cooking outside of basic (I can make pancakes but not elaborate pastry)
- DIY outside of basic (paint a room is-about - ok-depending of the state of the walls-, not bricklaying)
- parachute jumping/ jump in water from more than 5 meters height/bungee jumping (I have a fear of height)
- running fast (not anymore since I've got hip replacement)
- swimming in 17°C water (manage 18°C though, depending of outside weather)
- staying awake 24 hrs. (the last time I tried it I ended up pretty dizzy)
- fire a gun (accurately, that is)
I think I would have been of no use back in the Far West!
Swim: yes
Ice skate: not very well
Downhill Ski: no
Riding a bike: yes
Shoot a gun: no
Drive a car: no
Fire arrow and bow: no
Making a fire: yes
Cooking: yes
Reading maps: yes
Reading compass: yes
Making a shelter: no (never tried)
Fishing: no
Reading the sun: yes
Dancing: no
Rolling a joint: yes
Play an Instrument: no
I forgot to mention on the list of my inabilities :
- I don't know if I can change a car's tyre , for I never did it. I managed though to change a tyre once on a bycicle-barely-
- I don't know how to play a musical instrument
- I can draw , sure, like a 5-yo, but I'm slightly better at making a sketch
- fishing : no (and I find that activity utterly boring)
- hunting : no (I'm not into blood sports)
- tennis, volley : yes and no. I do play, but my level is hopeless
- read while in a car : no, it gives me motion sickness
-riding a loop at the fair: no, makes me feel terrible , a mix of fear and nausea
- arithmetics : I'm okay with simple arithmetics, hopeless at higher level mathematics
- social skills : I'm no "party animal" , I don't even attend -
OK maybe basic life skills is not the best choice of words. I struggled to find the right heading.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina
I would not call them life skills. Most of them are not necessary for daily life.
Poland/Germany
Swim - yes I can. Most people can. Its taught in school.
Bike - yes. Coming from non-car depended country its an useful skill. Most if not all people can. Pre-schoolers learn to drive in traffic alone. No school busses.
Make fire - yes I can. Most people can.
I will add some others that are common in my country:
At least basic cooking - yes, I can. Most people can.
Basic cleaning, sewing, ironing, home/car/bike repair - yes, I can, most people can.
Budgeting/banking - yes, and most people yes.
Communicating and common sense - yes, and most people yes.
Basic safety and surviving skills - yes and yes.
Read paper map and basic navigation without gadgets - yes, and most people yes.
Hand writing and basic math without calculator - yes and yes.
Shooting a gun - everyone can pull a trigger, but its not a necessary life skill.
Skating/skiing/archery are not life skills.
Driving a car - skill of choice. Most people learn manual transmission, automatic is no brainer.
Using common home/office equipment, computer, cell - yes, most people can to a certain degree.
Life saving/first aid - yes, some people know, most will try.
Living alone and managing daily tasks - yes, and most people can.
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