Lessons From Living Abroad
0 Comments Published by Svetlana Zhukova on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 1:21 PM.
It was an interesting and insightful evening today.
1. I had a chat at a work function with my also foreign boss about how sometimes/some australian people are actually close-minded towards foreigners (excluding UK people). Even when speaking correctly (mind you, many foreigners speak better english than locals), you are asked to repeat what you say because people don't expect to hear things in a foreign accent. Or worse, people try to correct you - and while meaning perhaps well, aussies are not precisely the most polite people, so this can be quite annoying.
And especially those people who have never lived overseas (majority), are quite set that their white australian way of life and thinking is the right way. My company, for example, is very homogeneous. The whole sales team is anglo-saxon, and apart from the finance department and ground operations, we do not have asians. I think I'm the only one employed with non-australian/UK passport - which is not a bad thing in itself, it just represents quite certain points of view.
Foreign experience is not as much appreciated in Australia as it should, in my opinion. I was lucky enough to start my job in Sydney in a team that respected diversity and I had the opportunity to present my opinions. But in so many cases I know the companies do not leverage the experience of their staff who represent different cultures.
Lesson #1: when moving overseas/living in a different country, for your own happiness at work try to choose a company or team that will leverage, appreciate or at least acknowledge your overseas experience
2. When I got a cab to go home, I got a driver who was Russian, from Baku (Azerbaijan). Of course, he asked where I'm from - I do sound eastern-european, Russian to be precise :) My theory is that if you started living overseas after 18, your accent will never go away, but I'm actually proud of it now - different story. He told me that he has lived in Australia for 26 years, and before that in Europe and US, but he still misses Russia. The old one. He says Russian people of Soviet generations are most intelligent - over 60-80% would have university education as it was free. This cab driver used to be a marine engineer. So many scientists, engineers, sportsmen from ex-USSR are now in other countries earning their living in their field, because they have their brains to offer. But the nostalgia never goes away. For small things that are ingrained in memory - songs, movies you grew up with, childhood memories of ice-cream for 10 kopeeks, summer camps and grandma's preservatives for winter...
But that taxi driver, even though he misses Russia a lot, doesn't want to go back. Which is smart actually. He doesn't want to go and see his memories of good old days be shattered by a new Russia. Yes, I believe in a bigger picture life there is better that 20 years ago, and will keep getting better, but the thing is it's very different. People are very different. Even to how I remembered from my own - very early - USSR childhood. You can be killed for 1,000 dollars, because money and material status matter so much now.
And that cabbie, he doesn't want to see that, because then he would loose his place in life - it's hard to accept when you are 50 that your motherland as you know it doesn't exist anymore. And at the same time you are never a part of your new country's life, because you miss the old one, which is no more... Vicious circle.
Lesson #2: Protect your memories. Or be brave to face the changes and be brave to adapt to a new reality.
3. And finally, I read an article in The Economist about how living abroad gives you a creative edge. The most interesting part is actually the comments, some really really cool thoughts there. One of my favourite comments:
READ THE ARTICLE
The key thought is that living overseas makes you more flexible and adaptable to change (given open mind and curiosity). And you also actually need to live abroad, not just travel - a key difference.
Lesson #3: Reflect on how your overseas experience has changed you. And once you understand your strengths, leverage on them. Be proud (but not arrogant) of your diversity.
1. I had a chat at a work function with my also foreign boss about how sometimes/some australian people are actually close-minded towards foreigners (excluding UK people). Even when speaking correctly (mind you, many foreigners speak better english than locals), you are asked to repeat what you say because people don't expect to hear things in a foreign accent. Or worse, people try to correct you - and while meaning perhaps well, aussies are not precisely the most polite people, so this can be quite annoying.
And especially those people who have never lived overseas (majority), are quite set that their white australian way of life and thinking is the right way. My company, for example, is very homogeneous. The whole sales team is anglo-saxon, and apart from the finance department and ground operations, we do not have asians. I think I'm the only one employed with non-australian/UK passport - which is not a bad thing in itself, it just represents quite certain points of view.
Foreign experience is not as much appreciated in Australia as it should, in my opinion. I was lucky enough to start my job in Sydney in a team that respected diversity and I had the opportunity to present my opinions. But in so many cases I know the companies do not leverage the experience of their staff who represent different cultures.
Lesson #1: when moving overseas/living in a different country, for your own happiness at work try to choose a company or team that will leverage, appreciate or at least acknowledge your overseas experience
2. When I got a cab to go home, I got a driver who was Russian, from Baku (Azerbaijan). Of course, he asked where I'm from - I do sound eastern-european, Russian to be precise :) My theory is that if you started living overseas after 18, your accent will never go away, but I'm actually proud of it now - different story. He told me that he has lived in Australia for 26 years, and before that in Europe and US, but he still misses Russia. The old one. He says Russian people of Soviet generations are most intelligent - over 60-80% would have university education as it was free. This cab driver used to be a marine engineer. So many scientists, engineers, sportsmen from ex-USSR are now in other countries earning their living in their field, because they have their brains to offer. But the nostalgia never goes away. For small things that are ingrained in memory - songs, movies you grew up with, childhood memories of ice-cream for 10 kopeeks, summer camps and grandma's preservatives for winter...
But that taxi driver, even though he misses Russia a lot, doesn't want to go back. Which is smart actually. He doesn't want to go and see his memories of good old days be shattered by a new Russia. Yes, I believe in a bigger picture life there is better that 20 years ago, and will keep getting better, but the thing is it's very different. People are very different. Even to how I remembered from my own - very early - USSR childhood. You can be killed for 1,000 dollars, because money and material status matter so much now.
And that cabbie, he doesn't want to see that, because then he would loose his place in life - it's hard to accept when you are 50 that your motherland as you know it doesn't exist anymore. And at the same time you are never a part of your new country's life, because you miss the old one, which is no more... Vicious circle.
Lesson #2: Protect your memories. Or be brave to face the changes and be brave to adapt to a new reality.
3. And finally, I read an article in The Economist about how living abroad gives you a creative edge. The most interesting part is actually the comments, some really really cool thoughts there. One of my favourite comments:
Living overseas also forces you to accept alternate viewpoints and opinions and think about things very differently to how you would normally look at them.
READ THE ARTICLE
The key thought is that living overseas makes you more flexible and adaptable to change (given open mind and curiosity). And you also actually need to live abroad, not just travel - a key difference.
Lesson #3: Reflect on how your overseas experience has changed you. And once you understand your strengths, leverage on them. Be proud (but not arrogant) of your diversity.
Labels: living overseas, philosophising, thoughts and feelings
