Meet Me in France: Interculturality

Before I departed New Zealand, I really enjoyed reading about a young american girl that was heavily influenced by her 6 month stay with an affluent Parisian family.

*********************************************************************************

Here's an interesting question to ponder:

When living in another country, should immigrants/international students follow their native culture or the one in their new surroundings?

We have a lot of immigrants in Auckland. Tolerance of head covers, driving habits, cooking odours, etc is varied.

I mentioned the wall in a previous blog. It is a well-known phenomenon, and yet a difficult hurdle to overcome. Everybody overcomes it in their own way. My way of dealing with it was to talk to friends and loved ones about my feelings. This needed to be coupled with a strong belief that it is temporary; confidence that I have the strength to pull myself through it; and patience with my own shortcomings.

I am in the process of adapting to my surrounding culture.

I interact with the locals, which helps to increase my knowledge of the local culture which helps me blend in; feel included in the community; feel personally fulfilled and promote connectivity.

On the whole, the people here in Gap, have a very strong sense of community; exceptionally strong values,(that I have thoroughly enjoyed tapping into); a strong connection and respect for the land; and empathy towards others that consistently transcends themselves.

However, through 5 months of being out of my comfort zone, I have had my perceptions of life challenged. Sometimes these perceptions trickle into my consciousness, sometimes they hit me over the head with a hammer(it hurts!), and sometimes, in times of solitude clarity of perception opens with steadily increasing focus. What is very cool about all of this, is that it is always taken with a spoonful of fun and ability to laugh at myself.

I definitely will return with a newfound respect for the immigrants and international students that visit or settle in Auckland. The battering to one's self confidence as one negotiates all the unwritten rules of the community can be harrowing.

In particular, my own understanding of New Zealand's norms and expectations has been heightened. Culture shock for me seemed to be a matter of how much I hung on to my own native culture. I have adapted and, despite still being a hobbit-like oddity, I am beginning to blend in more.

Living in Europe has opened my eyes, not just to a bicultural identity, but to pluri-cultural understanding. Living on an island nation has benefits and draw backs; living in Europe with a larger geographical perspective is a daily experience: radio, TV, supermarket, cars on the road, product selection in shops and leisure time pursuits.