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Photo by Erik Odiin on Unsplash |
In the last few years, there has been quite a noise about the situation of immigrants around the world, you would hear comments like “they should go back to their country”, that “they have no place here”, and a bunch of other stuff
in addition to the incomers in any country due to the conditions of their own country that do not allow them to return, immigration did not remain confined only to this situation, people migrate now for several reasons
due to the constant movement of the world today, people started looking for more reliable alternatives to where they want to live and how they want to live, especially when they have a specific vision for their life, a dream they want to chase, but that can’t be achieved in the country they were born in
in the united states for example, people immigrate from one state to another every couple of years, CPS data records show, on average 6.5 percent of Americans migrated from one jurisdiction to another each year
And according to the pew research center, more than 40 million people living in the U.S. were born in another country, accounting for about one-fifth of the world’s migrants
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| Photo by Andrew Schultz on Unsplash |
Although it’s a hot topic on today’s global agenda, it actually has deep roots in human history dating back tens of thousands of years.
Movements and migration between geographical regions mainly were related to natural factors depending on whether nature fulfilled the needs and requirements of a proper living
The lack of political borders made it easier for ancient man to move around, as most regions were divided based on natural features such as rivers, mountains, and deserts. With time's passage, war and colonialism started to fuel migrations, As well. The ancient empires expanded their dynasty with a list of colonies with the expansion of their borders
But the political boundaries we know today were not formed until the end of the nineteenth century
the movements allowed great interaction between people, creating cultural exchange and societal influence through mixing with different races, which had a huge impact on the rise and fall of civilizations
Without these movements, many of the things we see today wouldn’t have existed
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| Photo by Miko Guziuk on Unsplash |
Is man a global?
a question that crossed my mind after living abroad.. is why we limit ourselves to a specific geographic area.
here’s my theory
although the idea of inhabiting a particular geographical area made people more connected together, in facing the same life and having a community that understands their struggle, It also made people more withdrawn into themselves focusing their interests based on a specific race or a community, with a claim that a person should belong to one geographical area, one tribe, and one culture, which is impossible today unless you want to live in a cave isolated from the world
This causes people to see themselves and their race as superior to others, with a constant desire to benefit only those who are similar to them, which make a room for racism and discrimination
we should pause a little and ask ourselves an honest question, do the slogans of freedom and democracy belong to a specific people, or are they for humanity as a whole?
Answering questions like that will determine a lot of what we are facing today, and help you understand that people are meant to be living in a place where they can thrive and benefit the most, without losing the importance of their culture, their roots, and who they are
I always appreciate anyone who confidently embraces where they come from without hiding their culture to fit in.
So to answer the question of whether a man is global or not? I think it’s a two-way answer.. yes and no
at last, we came to the main question.. the choice to live abroad or return?
I can’t answer on your behalf everyone is different in their desire, thinking, hopes, and dreams, but I can tell you this…
Traveling to another country at least once, meeting people from different nationalities, and seeing various cities and their cultures, helps you measure if this is the right living for you or not, travel enables you to have a new perspective, a new overview about life and a different way of thinking
I’ve always wanted to live abroad, always saw new opportunities in traveling, meeting new people, and knowing new cultures, and When we decided to live abroad 9 years ago (well technically we didn’t decide, we had no choice but to leave because of isis in 2014 ) it was to me the best decision we made my family and I, for some reason all my life never felt connected to the country I was born in (Mosul- Iraq), never had that feeling of homesickness or a sense of belonging except for my childhood house and my stuff
And let me tell you, my siblings have the opposite idea of mine about living abroad forever, unlike me, they have always a hope to return.
but living away has its challenges, as you gain some you will lose some, and as a person who used to live in the eastern region we used to the human connections, from family meeting every weekend to meetings with friends regularly, I found it very hard to rebuild relationships after moving outside of the eastern region, especially since I work online it’s harder to make friends
although I’m not that social person and I love having my own Bubble, my own self-time, but also I love being around the noise and chaos of people once in a while
so how can you adapt and not feel isolated?
- Having your little society in whatever country you are living, certainly helps you a lot to adapt and interact and build new relationships
- Especially if you know the language of the country you are in it will be a lot of help to you
you have to remember living outside means you must rely on yourself for almost everything, there are a lot of things that will seem new to you, but you just have to get used to it and ask the neighbors the local markets, and even the city municipality for any quotations or official inquiries, And honestly, this is the only thing I saw as a downer in living abroad
- try to go and mingle, introduce yourself to people, attend any social event that happens, and participate in any courses you love to take, it really helps you to know more people plus have a common interest with them
But some people have faced some difficulties in immigration more than others like Mohammed Abdullah who migrate 9 years ago talked about the hardships of living abroad
Alienation is a feeling that I really can’t describe, But if you live with your relatives, the situation is a little easier, because moving away from home and family is not easy
When I immigrated from my homeland at the beginning of 2014, I passed through more than 11 countries and saw all the miserable people of life after long and hard trouble. I settled there in one of the countries, but I started from scratch in terms of adaptation and equipment
As for racism, there is only a small percentage, and they do not show that because of the laws of the country, but most of them have a good impression, and we did not see it from them unless we see it in our homelands.
while most incomers struggle with finding the balance between their own culture, own rules, own beliefs, a new culture, and different principles, trying to see where they fit in
many questions arise about identity, who I am and how can I balance between the two, especially when someone has known his entire life the foreign country in which he was born, as he becomes caring tow completely different cultural identities, and for some families can own multiple nationalities
having this identity mix creates a lot of confusion if it is not handled well.
Abdul Rahman Al-Shazly, a medical student who used to live in Saudi Arabia says about how he handled adapting
it took me several months… What a tragedy I was going through, but at the end of my experience, it made me a completely different person
What made adaptation so difficult for me is that I am very attached to places, people, lanes, and very small details
Deadly loneliness also shocked me because I am not in my nature, I am not used to it, and I do not prefer it at all. Most of my time was talking to my friends, about how much I missed them
In the end, I made many friends there, and we are still in touch after my return.
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