BS: Foreign living experience

Subject: Foreign living experience
From: Auxiris
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 05:01 AM

Hello, everyone. Originally from Michigan, I have been living in France for the last 14 years. What I'd be interested in discussing is: how many Mudcatters have lived in or are now living in countries other than their country of origin where they have had to learn another language (such as French, Spanish, Chinese, Arab and so on) and adjust to another culture? Was this a good or bad experience for you and how did it affect your musical activity? If you had to do it over again, would you still choose " the foreign experien

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Amergin
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 09:22 AM

Well, I'm originally from the great nation of North Idaho....am now living in the States, if I hadn't been forced to leave my country (by my parents when they moved), I might never have took up the pen.....

Amerginwhothinksthisisaworthwhilethreadevenifnooneelsedoes

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: sian, west wales
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 10:02 AM

Well, I'm living in Wales although born 'n' raised in southern Ontariariario. I didn't *have* to learn Welsh, but I did, and I'm sure that it helps to get further under the skin of the nation. Some might argue that it wasn't a huge cultural shift and, indeed, I didn't expect it to be, given that I was raised in the North American Welsh community. But - bloody 'ell - the cultural chasms were still there, albeit camouflaged.

I read recently that a quantum leap, in science, was actually a shift so miniscule that it could hardly be measured, but with huge repercussions. That's what living here's been like - and I've been here 20 years!

Musically, yes, it's had an effect. Particularly in terms of wanting to know about the history of songs rather than just enjoying them as performance pieces.

Would I do it again, knowing what I know now. mmm. Don't know. The grass is always greener ...

sian

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 10:06 AM

I was born in the States, and my family moved to (francophone) West Africa when I was 5. So I started school in a language I didn't speak, French, but frankly don't remember it being any stranger than starting school at all. So I learned French as a native speaker, really, since I was so young and was so totally immersed. Wouldn't trade growing up overseas for anything, but also wouldn't trade being an American for any other passport!

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Mbo
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 12:09 PM

I lived in Japan for 3 years. Lots of fun!

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: MMario
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 12:24 PM

You don't have to move to a foreign country to undergo culture shock. I went from a town of under 2000 people to a college where my biology lecture had over 2500 in it. and the people talked real funny too.

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Morticia
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 12:28 PM

Well, both my father and my first husband were in the forces so I've lived in lots of countries......and tried to learn the language in each although cantonese was tricky and I only really learned to curse effectively in it.
When it eventually came to settling down I noticed that I had to be very careful not to start a sentence with " When I lived in such and such a place" as people automatically turned off either because they thought it was deliberate swank or that it would have no bearing on what they were interested in.
I learned that you don't have to travel to be broadminded..I met lots of narrow minded people in other countries as well as at home.
Can't comment as to whether I would do it again, it was my whole life and I can't imagine another.
As for music....well, I was exposed to lots of different kinds and enjoyed most....although the atonal chinese stuff never sounded comfortable to my ear.

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Mrrzy
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 02:04 PM

I should have specified that since I was so young when we went overseas, and I didn't really come back till college (and still went "home" to Africa in summers and $mas), the culture shock came from the US, not the overseas experience. I am still not "American" in most of my instincts, and tend to refer to other Americans as Americans, as if I weren't one. I think of myself as a white African American. I am certainly more African in cultural heritage, if you will allow me to "herit" non-genetic stuff, than American.

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Rana who SHOULD be working
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 02:13 PM

I moved to Edmonton, Alberta from England for graduate studies. It was 1975. Didn't think there would be any problems, but after 3 months I told my supervisor I was going back to England. He spent 2 hours talking about culture shock. When I did go back for holidays the following summer, I realised I had moved on a year. Not as dramatic a change as some of the above examples but it did have an effect.

Music wise - the South Side Folk club was going - introduced me to Tanahill Weavers, Dougie MacLean, Stan Rogers and much more

Spent 5 years in Edmonton - so obviously didn't mind it in the end - including the winters.

Rana

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 02:26 PM

Was in the armed services and stationed in Central/South America. Knew Spanish before I went so it was a fairly easy transition...plus I got a lot of requests from my buddies to translate their amorous feelings to the local young ladies. It also turned some friends into enemies as those same young ladies dumped them in favor of me because I was easier to talk to. All's fair in love and war....

Capitalism has its faults to be sure, but one thing in its favor is the relative efficiency it engenders in delivery of services by competing companies. That made me appreciate the comparable ease here in the U.S. with which we establish telephone service, for example. In those countries where the utilities were owned by the government, demand often exceeded supply, and you were put on a waiting list or expected to grease someone's palm to make things happen a little faster.

Living in Central/South America influenced my taste for salsa music. Before that I had not much appreciation for bands with brass sections. They always sounded too loud and harsh. But being exposed to salsa on a daily basis forced me to notice its redeemable qualities. Intermingled with the inevitable, bastardized pap cranked out for mindless consumption were compositions that had all sorts of jazzy chords - minor ninths, flat sixths, seventh chords with sharped ninths - which demanded you pretzel-twist your fingers in order to execute. And sizzling underneath it all were those erotic, syncopated rhythms. No wonder the dancing focuses on a lot of hip and pelvic action.

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 01 Sep 00 - 03:11 PM

I grew up in Cyprus in the 1950's/1960's where unfortunately the natives were trying to kill us so we came back to England. I thought my Greek was pretty good until I went back to living in the greek islands for about a year and realised I had forgotten everything. 10 years on and my Greek is again pathetic. One thing I did learn is tht no matter how distateful, how nsophisticated and unwordly it may all seem -I became part of a Britpack when I was abroad and although had a few Greek pals I can hold my hand up and confess that I pretty much hung out with an expat mob - is that other people's experience?

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Auxiris
Date: 04 Sep 00 - 04:50 AM

Lots of interesting food for thought (oops--must be the French influence) here and strangely comforting to know that others have had such similar experiences in other parts of the world. When I first came to France, I remember thinking that once the language barrier came down, everything would magically get better, but wasn't the case until my move to Nancy. Once away from the Parisian region, life slows back down to a reasonable pace. With its one-fifth or more--about 10 million people--of the entire French population, l'Ile de France (Parisian region) isn't an easy place to live! At least here in eastern France, I now have a few friends and have the opportunity to play out once in a while during storytelling evenings. I very much appreciate everyon's comments. . . anyone else?

cheers,

Aux

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Lady McMoo
Date: 04 Sep 00 - 05:20 AM

I'm originally from Ireland, grew up in London and am now entering my 10th year in the Surreal Kingdom of Belgium.

Certainly the culture shock was more than I expected here in Belgium. Not just learning new languages but the way of life, overt bureaucracy, driving and major cultural differences, not to mention the highest general level of taxation in the world! Now I'm used to it I like it because there are very many good things about living here.

Musically, it's somewhat disappointing although there is a fair amount of local Walloon and Flemish music. It's been fairly hard to keep informal sessions going as most expat and local musicians seem to expect to be paid. Nothing wrong with that of course but it makes the odd "for the love of it" session harder to organize. I have done plenty of paid gigs myself but I do like to meet new musicians of all shades (Irish/Scottish, folk, blues and jazz) and informal sessions are an ideal medium.

Luckily, in Brussels there is one exceptional "acoustic music" venue, the Centro Gallego (Galician Centre) "La Tentation" which has gigs every Friday and sometimes other days. These range from Irish/Scottish/Breton/Galician/Welsh (I have played there myself) to Eastern European, African and South American music. Most concerts are free although there is a very modest charge for some top groups (the Centre has funding from the local communities).

If anyone is coming to Brussels and fancies meeting up, don't hesitate to send me a personal or e-mail - [e-mail]

Peace

mcmoo

Subject: RE: BS: Foreign living experience
From: Letty
Date: 04 Sep 00 - 05:53 AM

I'm from the Netherlands myself, lived in Cork (Ireland) for a year, and I'm moving to Germany in about a month.

Living in Ireland (as an exchange student) was great - no trouble with the language (I'm an English student) at all. Also learnt some Irish, which I had done on occasion before. I already liked Irish music, but living there inspired me to take up fiddling (unbelievably, I found that I couldn't get violin/fiddle classes at my local music school, because at 22 I was too old and automatically placed at the bottom of waiting lists every year...but I found a private teacher, which is much better).

The majority of foreign students in Cork tended to stick together. This was partly due to the fact that the College stuck them all together in the same flats. I found a private flat and had Irish flatmates, which is great for integration. People from France, Spain and Italy definitely stuck together much more than Germans, Americans, Scandinavians and Japanese, but I think this was mostly because they preferred to talk in their own language: English was rather difficult for them.

Now that I have to move to Bochum, Germany, I'm planning on taking German conversation classes. It's so long ago since I learnt it...

BTW, anyone know of any good sessions in the Ruhr area?

Letty Groningen, The Netherlands