Sunday 31 August 2014

Living abroad

I have always been fascinated with how people from a country live in another country but continue to congregate in certain areas, do their same rituals as if they are still living back home, eat the same food, wear the same cloths, speak the same language, marry in the same way, carry on with the family traditions and continue to exercise the same cultural practices in the same way. I can imagine how the immigrants build a glass wall that will separate and isolate them from those that live in the new country.  How long will it take the new comers to build that wall? I guess it will take them as long as getting acquainted with the new country and finding out its ways and habits.

Well, who am I to talk about this? I am one of those that traveled around the world and lived extensively overseas, I do look for my type of food, I try to find people that carry with them similar beliefs and practices, I cook our food for my kids, and shop in eastern shops for our spices, beans and pulses;  If I don't find what I need, I call those that I just got acquainted with and ask them about the places that I have to go to to find what I need.  Similar to life in general, certain dishes will not tastes the same if it doesn't have all the correct ingredients. 

Still, I do want to complain about certain things that people traveling and living around the world do not get, I feel that we must learn from others and try to acquire certain attributes and maybe behaviours that are different to ours, after all, what is the real benefit of going abroad? some people travel for safety and security reason, some for business, some for studies, but many travel just for the heck of it, in any way we must learn from those that lived in that country and have great expertise in it.  We mustn't lose the opportunities that will be open to us out there just because we are stuck to what we know.  Keep a friend or two from that country, praise its government, learn a dish or two from its cuisine, buy some of their daily wear or traditional attire, have some of their tea or coffee, you never know, you could discover something that you will bring back to your country and maybe you are on onto a new business idea.  Poeple are made with differing tastes, we must explore to find what we like. Also they could have better ways in talking to their kids, or a nicer way in treating their wives and husbands, we could learn a lot from that.

My advise, don't just be there, live there.

2 comments:

  1. Traveling has opened up my world. There is an old saying that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" I live by that when I am traveling and try to immerse myself into the culture. I return home a better person.

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  2. I love that saying Velva, and that is what i do too, most of my friends were acquired during my trips abroad.

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