Greetings,
Here's the thing.
You go off to a foreign country somewhere, knowing full well you are going to be up against it.
After all, you will be an outsider - right?
You'll have to 'fight' for everything.
Fight to get a job
Fight to stay in the job.
Fight for fair wages.
Fight to keep wages fair.
Fight to raise your family.
Fight to educate your children.
Fight to be accepted.
Fight to be accepted.
Fight for justice. Fight for survival.
Fight, fight, fight...and the combat goes on.
Battle worn and weary, but not defeated, the years roll on. Many an Autumn and Winter has made you shiver. Too quickly Spring and Summer have come and gone.
Suddenly, that light bulb goes off in your head, and says:
"You know what, it's time to return from whence I came."
So, you make plans, and more plans.
This time it's more than a suitcase you'll be packing, it's your whole life story.
Fast forward - you are home, really home, at last!
The walls, and the guard, comes down. No need for this anymore you say to yourself. You meet and greet -
The walls, and the guard, comes down. No need for this anymore you say to yourself. You meet and greet -
"Hello"
you dare to utter, and get a quizzical look.
Who are you? It says.
The eyes assess you with an up, down motion.
All of a sudden, you feel like a stranger, an outsider, an alien.
You wonder what's wrong. Is it something I said? Or did?
The look continues. The mouth opens, and a voice is heard and catches you off guard.
"You are from England?"
"No", you say, " I'm from _______".
"Yes", comes the response, "But you were in England?"
"Yes", you reply in exasperation, as it is clear only the 'foreign' aspect of you has sparked interest. So, after being asked a deluge of questions, while trying to 'justify' your presence in your own country, you seek a quick getaway to mull over this mind bending event.
You speak to others like yourself, and find they are in the same predicament, and have a story to tell of their acquired 'foreign status' in their own country. A 'foreign status' acquired by those who proudly walked tall and 'waved' the flag of their homeland while residing overseas, and choosing to be upstanding members of their communities and in society at large, contrary to the negative images so often depicted in the public space.
With all of that dedication to the land that made you all that you are, astonishingly, you have to 'fight' once more, but this time, to prove you 'belong' to the land of your birth, because you - wait for it! -
Look different, talk different, walk different, act different, dress different, speak with a different accent, and practise unabashed etiquette, decorum, and good manners. All of this enables your own people to distinguish you from them. What a life!
The sad thing about all of this, is that all of the good virtues, values and attitudes you have, you learnt them in your beloved homeland.
At the end of the day though, such views will always pale into insignificance, as it will never change you within, a true son or daughter of the soil of your homeland.
So, when the 'go to foreign' spirit sets in the hearts of 'thine accusers', I hope they will consider the possible outcome of a decision to live in a foreign land for an extended period.
REMEMBER, a son or daughter of home soil, but a stranger in a foreign land, will NEVER, EVER, be a stranger within the land of their birth.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
Peace
Grace
you dare to utter, and get a quizzical look.
Who are you? It says.
The eyes assess you with an up, down motion.
All of a sudden, you feel like a stranger, an outsider, an alien.
You wonder what's wrong. Is it something I said? Or did?
The look continues. The mouth opens, and a voice is heard and catches you off guard.
"You are from England?"
"No", you say, " I'm from _______".
"Yes", comes the response, "But you were in England?"
"Yes", you reply in exasperation, as it is clear only the 'foreign' aspect of you has sparked interest. So, after being asked a deluge of questions, while trying to 'justify' your presence in your own country, you seek a quick getaway to mull over this mind bending event.
You speak to others like yourself, and find they are in the same predicament, and have a story to tell of their acquired 'foreign status' in their own country. A 'foreign status' acquired by those who proudly walked tall and 'waved' the flag of their homeland while residing overseas, and choosing to be upstanding members of their communities and in society at large, contrary to the negative images so often depicted in the public space.
With all of that dedication to the land that made you all that you are, astonishingly, you have to 'fight' once more, but this time, to prove you 'belong' to the land of your birth, because you - wait for it! -
Look different, talk different, walk different, act different, dress different, speak with a different accent, and practise unabashed etiquette, decorum, and good manners. All of this enables your own people to distinguish you from them. What a life!
The sad thing about all of this, is that all of the good virtues, values and attitudes you have, you learnt them in your beloved homeland.
At the end of the day though, such views will always pale into insignificance, as it will never change you within, a true son or daughter of the soil of your homeland.
So, when the 'go to foreign' spirit sets in the hearts of 'thine accusers', I hope they will consider the possible outcome of a decision to live in a foreign land for an extended period.
REMEMBER, a son or daughter of home soil, but a stranger in a foreign land, will NEVER, EVER, be a stranger within the land of their birth.
THINK ABOUT THAT.
Peace
Grace
