# Is living abroad a mind-changing experience?



## lumierre (Jan 6, 2012)

I am wondering how expats see and understand better their own national-based or cultural-based thinking and acting errors and misconception, rooted back home... I personally believe that leaving your own country is the best learning experience for the country left back, and I am looking for people who have already thought at that, and their ideas on this...


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## Maple Sugar (May 5, 2012)

This is an interesting idea, Lumierre. I've dealt with both kinds of expats both on the Forums and in person. 

I find those who are a little more introspective and open-minded tend to look at their own ideas a little more objectively and have no problem with changing their notions. They also tend to make friends and acquaintences in the wider community and don't mind being the only one in their neighbourhood who speaks their language of origin. 

OTOH, there are those expats who expect that the rest of the world will do things, act like and be like their home country. They have problems because the administration of different countries operates in a different manner to what they are used to. They expect everyone to be able to speak their language and tend to live in pods of people from their original country rather than making friends in the wider community. They also tend not to look at their own ideas in an objective manner and assume that everyone should share their views.

MS


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## lumierre (Jan 6, 2012)

I think is very common to be frustrated on the difference, as a rule, and at least considering the difference of what you might have expected and what you got when you arrived in a new country...I am certain is pretty always like that for any expat.

-... but my question perspective is likely otherwise... in the sense that getting out of your own bowl made you more aware of your own bowl, own biases, for example, not those personal to you but merely those embedded in you by your own native-origin culture. Yes, I am questioning about small observations, but also on essential things I really never thought they were or can be different the way I have learnt and saw in my own country, or I never thought my way of doing things is not so good, or effective. 

I think *expats *have the most unique opportunity to change people left home exactly by being outside the bowl - :clap2: - it is a knowledge only for the expats, they are the only one able to really understand the local culture back in a new light, they have all the cards: they know the history, they lived with those people for a long time, etc etc - and one of the reasons<snip>


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## Maple Sugar (May 5, 2012)

I knew that you were trying to get at the idea of bringing about social change in one's native country in your original post but decided to answer you the way I did quite deliberately. IMHO, social change comes about either by evolution or revolution.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

What's the old expression? "How're you going to keep them down on the farm after they've seen Par-ee?"

The issue is that many expats either don't go back to their home countries - or when they do, they re-adapt back into the old patterns and mindsets.

Countries each have their own "personalities" and features because of centuries of history. It's unrealistic to think that you can impose the institutions or customs of one country on another, particularly over a short period of time. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## Maple Sugar (May 5, 2012)

I totally agree with Bev and would like to add that unless you have an international reputation for being a social philosopher it is likely that your ideas will be met with resentment by the native population. If you band with others in the country who have been working for social change, you are a member of a group for a cause. Otherwise, you will be a voice in the wilderness. At best you will be ignored and your ideas discounted out-of-hand as 'oh, yeah, (s)he went to Berlin for a year and now (s)he thinks (s)he can come back and tell US what to do? Not likely!'


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