What's that like?

For those of you who don't actually know us, my (Sean's) family moved to Japan when I was in high school so that my parents could teach at an international school. My parents' experiences are where Heather and I got the idea to move to Colombia. What is curious to me today is the extent to which other people react to us upon learning that we are moving.
I remember being very frustrated in high school when I would tell someone in the US that I lived in Japan. They would usually ask "what's that like?" but not have any other questions. I kept thinking, jeez, this should be so interesting, why aren't you more interested?!
Now when I tell someone that we are moving to Colombia, they will most likely be overflowing with questions...what will you do there, how did you learn about the job, where will you live, what will you teach, who are your students, is that dangerous, what about your dog, etc, etc, etc. With many people, we could sit down for hours answering their questions.
So why does this dichotomy exist? Have we surrounded ourselves with people who are more open to this type of travel, or who are more envious of our decision to move? Is it the difference in culture between growing up in the Midwest, and now living on the west coast? Is it because I am an adult now, and so people think that they will get a better answer from an adult than from a teenager?
Any other ideas out there? Post a comment, let me know what you think. - sean