Bilingual post, em português na segunda metade.
Due to some discussions happening lately among other fellow bloggers living in the NL about the cultural shock, I decided to summarize here the phasis that someone arriving in a new country may go through. IF you are not planning to live abroad but you have friends of family members who have done that - then I recommend you to read it, anyway. As always, plese forgive my occasional mistakes in English - thanks !1) Cultural shock on arrival to your new country. (Actually, the cultural shock can last years - and not only immeditely after you arrrival.) Basically, you do not understand precisely why people do the things the way they do. Why the toothpicks and matchsticks are different. The sun is different and the air too. What the heck - even the barbecue is different: and may not have red meat at all ! Okay, being the conscious traveller you are probably you have already read the most important books in order to grasp some of the country's past history and become aware of cultural differences - but still... Then you build up a blog to share your surprises, revolt and contentment with other fellows. Pheeew ! You are not alone, taking part on the local blog community you see there are other people that also find absurd the way people react and things work (or do not work, depending the point of view or the country, haha !) in the adopted country.
And then after a while you start idealizing you home country (the same one that had some characteristics you were fed up about when you left f.o.r.e.v.e.r.) and start planning you vacations to see old places and friends. Aaaah, you just cannot wait until you step H.O.M.E. !
That's when probably your are going to experience...
2) A reverse cultural shock. This happens when after some years living in your adopted country you go for a vacation in your country of birth. Oddly, upon arrival, you find strange that certain things in your country of birth are the way they are. Yep, you enjoy lots of things, your favorite foods, the people - but things do not seem to have the same taste. You do not know how to explain that. Strangely, sometimes during your vacation in your home land you even miss certain things from your adopted country. How strange.
And then there is the third phasis:
3) A big crisis for realizing you do not really belonged to your previous country but still do not feel (maybe never will) at ease with your adopted one. Maybe you should look for thereapy - but believe me: blogging is cheaper though.
Below, a video featuring Titans - a Brazilian rock band from the 80's. It is called "No where".
Oldie but good.
I am not Brazilian
I am not a foreigner
I am not Brazilian
I am not a foreigner
I belong to nowhere
To nowhere I belong
I am not from São Paulo, neither Japanese
I am not a carioca, neither Portuguese
I am not from Brasília, neither from Brazil
No nation conceived me
I do not care about there
I do not care about here
In another video, Titans sing about the refusal of adapting into circumstances/routine and the world in general. Why do we have to fit in a scenario and fulfill others expectations ?
I do not fit in the clothes
I used to
I do not fill the house
with joy
Years have passed by
While I slept
And the one I loved
Forgot about me
Did I say
what nobody listened to ?
Did I listen to
what nobody said ?
I am not going to adapt myself
Adapt myself...
I do not have the face
I used to have
In the mirror this face
is not mine
When I realized it
I found it so strange
My beard
Was so big
Did I say
what nobody listened to ?
Did I listen to
what nobody said ?
I am not going to adapt myself
Adapt myself...
I am not !
(Going to) Adapt myself !
I am not going to adapt myself !
No way !
I am not going to adapt myself !
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Devido aos últimos posts que ando lendo em blogs de brasileiros que moram na Holanda (e de estrangeiors que foram viver no Brasil) eu decidi fazer um post psico-antropológico-sociológico dando um panorama do que se passa na cabeça de um expatriado. Mesmo que você não planeje ir morar no exterior, provavelmente tem um amigo/conhecio ou parente que já o fez - e por isso seja interessante dar uma lida nas fases que um estrangeiro passa.
1) Choque cultural. Você leva sustos diários (positivos ou negativos) por perceber como os interiores do prédios e táxis são, as estradas, a burocracia, o molho da salada, o palito de dente, o fósforo, o adubo, a água de beber, a paquera (ou a falta dela). Até o que eles chamam de churrasco é diferente e pode até não ter carne vermelha !!! Com mil morcegos Batman !
2) Choque cultural ao reverso. A Beth do blog Noites em Claro já levantou esse tema há pouco. Ela está há 17 anos vivendo na Holanda e há 12 anos sem visitar o Brasil. Está cheia de expectativas de ver e visitar coisas nessas férias. Não posso esperar para ela compartilhar as conclusões quando voltar. Negócio seguinte: você está vivendo tranquilamente no seu país adotado, se livrou daquela bagunça e calor infernal do Brasil, mas anda pesando passar umas férias lá - afinal ninguém é de ferro, neam ? Vai ver coisas lindas, e comprar umas coisinhas que te faz falta (CD's ? alicate de cutícula ?
Isso te leva para a terceira fase...
3) Crise por estar entre duas culturas, sem pertencer exatamente a nenhuma delas. Você execrava coisas do Brasil quando vivia lá, mas ainda acha estranho no novo país chamarem de churrasco um frango mirrado no palito com molho de amendoim. Solução ? Vai relaxar vendo os vídeos do Titãs, Legião, Barão Vermelho ou banda que o valha ou vai relaxar blogando - custa beeem mais barato que fazer terapia. Eu não tô nem aí !
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