Want to be notified of new posts? Get the RSS Feed or Register by Email
Different living standards
This post has 243 views
Hi everyone! I’m Isa.
Anyways, i was wondering if anyone had any reactions thoughts on the different standards of living in different parts of the world?
What made me think of this was the other night, i was out with some friends and one - we shall call her S. said “I’d like to do the Taikiki tour.” I did not know what that was and so i asked her (i thought it was something to do with Hawaii.) what it was and she said it was a European tour that you go on to see the major landmarks (or whatever) throughout Europe with about 20 other Australians.
I scoffed and said “Why would i want to go on a European tour WITH 20 other Aussies? I go to Europe to meet other Europeans (broad, i know and i cringed when i used the term) not to stay with other Australians. I go to Europe to escape. ” I apologised for being perhaps too harsh, adding that i had been in this country for too long and needed to leave.
To which S. said that If/when i left i would find the move hard because the “standard of living in other places isn’t as high. That Australia is cheaper, that eating out is cheaper…etc.”
All i know right now is that i need to move to a place with good public transport and weather. One is a necessity, the other a choice.
I am scared about moving. I went overseas for the first time by myself on exchange to France when i was 15 for 3 months. I stayed with a family .. we did not get along.
I was mixed up about a lot of things at the time, but especially how i was supposed to represent a country that i didn’t feel a part of.
I came back… thinking that it was a failure in some ways, but not in others. It was a maturing experience and i would not erase it. I was mixed up because i had considered myself at least partly-French (well, Mauritian but hey) and so expected the transition to be relatively smooth. It wasn’t.
With regards to Australia, as (i think Warona said?) passport countries are for visiting and nostalgia but not to be lived in. I understand the ‘pull’ there is to live here, the laid-back-ness, the weather… but i have never been truly happy here. I have never truly belonged and so i know that when i leave, i shall feel the ‘pull’ to come back (due to friends and family) but that the leave will be a permanent one. I know that i cannot be happy here.
What i don’t know is the place that is ‘home’ - where i can be happy.
Does anyone understand?
What do you think of this post?
(2 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)
Loading ...
Related Posts
Comments
12 Responses to “Different living standards”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
-
Top Commentators
- Ayako (781)
- Cynthia (554)
- miyon (505)
- Uncle Dan (500)
- mairabay (368)
- kristine (363)
- MsMerising (279)
- mmmmmm (249)
- marie (229)
- Isa (223)
Polls
Loading ...
December 6th, 2007 at 5:39 am
As usual, I have a big comment to add to this discussion too…
But I promise it’s not such a dramatic one.
So here it goes:
When I went to Montreal last year on a 1-month French immersion program, I was put in a family that had very different living standards than mine. Here in Brazil I live with my family in a spacy appartment quite close to the waterfront. We have a maid that comes twice a week and keeps everything clean and tidy. The host family lived in a place that (for me) seemed like a bad neighbourhood (La Salle). Their house was messy and dirty all the time, and kids would start screaming at 7 AM.
I tried to keep an open mind about them (the “not better nor worse, but just different”), but when I had an allergy crysis (due to the dust), I just wanted to go somewhere that I felt “at home” - I found out that shopping malls and parks are places that I feel at home. Malls because they are so similar whichever country you go (so they don’t really represent a country’s culture) and parks because I just love nature and the ones in Canada remind me so much of the UK (my “host” country).
I think there was some cultural shock going on too. But what I realized was that they had very different habits/behaviours than I have. I think it had more to do with the way they saw the world/life than with money. Which made me conclude that if I were living there by myself (and not for a french-study program) I would rather spend more money and live in a nicer place and I’d also spend more effort/time to make it clean and tidy - because that’s how I like to live.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that it was also hard for me to live in a place and with a family that had different living standards or living habits than mine.
Like Warona, I still want to move to Canda, because I’m not happy here. I don’t feel comfortable living in my “home” culture, I’m also tired of having people assume I’m one of them when I actually am not. The Hidden Immigrant box is really hard to live in, I would much rather be a Foreigner.
I know I won’t be able to keep the same standards I have here, but I’ll try to find something in between, something acceptable.
When my parents lived in the UK, they preferred to spend more on expensive rents so that we could live in nice neighbourhoods and go to good British schools, unlike the other Brazilians who would just live in the cheapest neighbourhood to save as much money as they could.
When we came back to Brazil we couldn’t afford many things that the other Brazilians could (like having a beach house or a new car), but we had had a really good experience overseas. I had made friends with British kids and I just love the Birtish people (unlike most Brazilians that hate them and think they are “cold”).
My point is that I learned from my parents that spending money to have a good living standard might pay off in other things. And that’s the direction I’m going to take (I’m already saving money for that).
Of course my situation is different from Warona’s because I work in IT (so I won’t be a starving artist! lol). So please don’t get me wrong, Warona, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t live in the neighbourhood that you do! (by the way, which is it?) I’m sure you know what you’re doing with your finances
And I also know that it’s easier said than done. So after I move to Canada I’ll tell you if I was sucessful in following my parent’s steps or not!
And Isa, despite everyting I said, I AM also scared of moving and not being able to keep a good standard of living. But when I think about staying here for the rest of my life, it’s VERY worth the try! So I hope I was helpful by sharing some toughts and ideas.
(Is this spam?)
December 6th, 2007 at 7:14 am
Your life will always be a bit more social if you keep your place clean and nice enough that people might actually want to come over. If it’s crappy and dirty, they won’t.
This pretty much goes for anywhere you live, so it’s worth getting a nice place so that people would feel comfortable there.
And if you don’t or can’t afford it, go and visit people instead. Or meet somewhere. Either way, effort gets expended, but I think it’s worth it if you want it.
(Is this spam?)