Living in a Foreign Country: Language and Cultural Differences
Hee (Hailey) Baker
ESL 053
October 9, 2013
Living in a Foreign Country
People migrate to a different country in hopes of improving their life style. It may be to provide a better life for their family or to accomplish one's dream. Whatever the reason may be, one brings dreams and hopes to the new world hoping to have a better life than what they already have. When people just think of visiting a foreign country, curiosity and excitement comes to mind. That is because you will be experiencing a whole new world: different people, scenery, food, and its culture. However, it may be a different experience when you actually live in a foreign country. It could bring anxiety, confusion, and maybe even a disappointment and many challenges to the new comers. On the other hand, living in a foreign country can also be a great opportunity to learn a new culture and language, and it can also be turn into a great experience of the lifetime like the flipside of coin, if you keep up the positive attitude for it.
First of all, the language barrier maybe the greatest challenge to be faced with. If you cannot speak the local language, even simple tasks can be difficult and complicated. You will have problems buying something, talking on the phone, paying rent, taking care of a business and so on. This language barrier, however, can be seen in a positive way. If you are interested in learning a different language, it will be a perfect environment to quench you thirst for learning.
If you are a parent of children, you can also provide them a wonderful environment to be a bi or trilingual speaker for better career opportunities in the future.
Next, like language, cultural difference can be one of the most significant problems to people who are living in a foreign country. The social rules and etiquettes may be very different from those where you grew up. For example, cars are drive in a left lane, and driver’s seat is also on
ESL 053
October 9, 2013
Living in a Foreign Country
People migrate to a different country in hopes of improving their life style. It may be to provide a better life for their family or to accomplish one's dream. Whatever the reason may be, one brings dreams and hopes to the new world hoping to have a better life than what they already have. When people just think of visiting a foreign country, curiosity and excitement comes to mind. That is because you will be experiencing a whole new world: different people, scenery, food, and its culture. However, it may be a different experience when you actually live in a foreign country. It could bring anxiety, confusion, and maybe even a disappointment and many challenges to the new comers. On the other hand, living in a foreign country can also be a great opportunity to learn a new culture and language, and it can also be turn into a great experience of the lifetime like the flipside of coin, if you keep up the positive attitude for it.
First of all, the language barrier maybe the greatest challenge to be faced with. If you cannot speak the local language, even simple tasks can be difficult and complicated. You will have problems buying something, talking on the phone, paying rent, taking care of a business and so on. This language barrier, however, can be seen in a positive way. If you are interested in learning a different language, it will be a perfect environment to quench you thirst for learning.
If you are a parent of children, you can also provide them a wonderful environment to be a bi or trilingual speaker for better career opportunities in the future.
Next, like language, cultural difference can be one of the most significant problems to people who are living in a foreign country. The social rules and etiquettes may be very different from those where you grew up. For example, cars are drive in a left lane, and driver’s seat is also on