Change is always difficult. We need to reiterate this phrase in our minds for as long as it takes to digest, if we are to take the most out of living abroad.
The concept of “living in a foreign country” was the main theme in the last Talk Show classes which fortunately provided a groovy ground for an engaging discussion among the participants.
First and foremost let us contemplate about some of the quotes in this regard:
"There's villainous news abroad."- William Shakespeare
"I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad."- George Bernard Shaw
"It is the bold man who every time does best, at home or abroad."- Homer
"Man is a venerating animal. He venerates as easily as he purges himself. When they take away from him the gods of his fathers, he looks for others abroad."- Max Jacob
"Saint abroad, and a devil at home."- John Bunyan
"The crow, when travelling abroad, came back just as black."- English proverb
"When I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to criticize or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come home."- Winston Churchill
"When the man is at home, his standing in society is well known and quietly taken; but when he is abroad, it is problematical, and is dependent on the success of his manners."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
At the beginning of the classes, I initiated the discourse by asking the students to provide a graspable distinction between visiting a foreign country and living in one.
The answers were quite expectable ,and the majority agreed upon the fact that a mere visit to a country is simply for leisure and the tourists are in contact with the thin surface of what that destination has to offer,and almost never concerned about the issues such as economic situation, job market, real estate and so forth; the same cannot be said about the immigrants who wish to make a living in an alien community however.
After the brief introduction, the students talked about the various aspects of living in a foreign country from a critical perspective; hence, individual elements were chosen and various elaborations concurred.
Homesickness, culture shock, employment and settlement issues, potential racial discrimination, witnessing different climate, values,and language are but a few consequences of living abroad.
It’s nearly inevitable for an immigrant not to feel a longing to return home at one point during the stay in a foreign country to the point where the little things, even things that seemed problematic as Dr.Ali Reza mentioned, seem so delighting yet out of reach.
Nevertheless, the most prominent challenge faced by the bulk of immigrants is the infamous phenomenon known as culture shock that includes subcategories of identity crisis, different language, different climate and environment, and most importantly different values. All of the aforementioned matters, especially the theme of different value which emphasizes on the sole fact that a behavior which is deemed socially acceptable[if not essential] in one community could be concieved as a moral sin or even a capital crime in another.
While the contemporary world has seen less and less racial profiling and discrimination over the years, this by no means omit the fear of being segregated in a foreign guild due to a distinct accent , a darker tone of skin, or dissimilar way of dressing .
Towards the end of the class, I asked the students to classify the consequences of living in a foreign country into pros and cons, the result were as follows:
Pros: Widening the perception of the world, more freedom of choice, higher standards of living, better education, globalization and international employment, a secure future, sense of progression,A fresh beginning , and new opportunities.
Cons: Homesickness, culture shock, higher cost of living, dealing with possible racial problems,loneliness and depression, adaptation to the new environment.
In the end; we all should consider that living abroad, for what is worth, can get us closer and closer to other people of assorted tribes and backgrounds; for Saadi has beautifully said:
Humans are of limbs to each other
Having been created of one essence
Having been created of one essence
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