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Reacting to Foreign Places
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 10:35 am    Post subject: Reacting to Foreign Places Reply with quote

I just saw a film and was struck by one character and how she reacted to being in a foreign culture. She reminded me of how some people react to being in the Middle East. KSA is not India, but I have certainly seen new arrivals react in the way the character JEAN does in this film


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Exotic_Marigold_Hotel
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 11:33 am    Post subject: Re: Reacting to Foreign Places Reply with quote

scot47 wrote:
KSA is not India, but I have certainly seen new arrivals react in the way the character JEAN does in this film
.
Ah, yes...
Quote:
(Jean) hates everything about India; the perceived noise, poverty, smells. It is for this reason that she stays indoors often, and wishes to return to the UK.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_Exotic_Marigold_Hotel)
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Mushkilla



Joined: 17 Apr 2014
Posts: 320
Location: United Kingdom

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 11:33 am    Post subject: Re: Reacting to Foreign Places Reply with quote

scot47 wrote:
KSA is not India

Indeed, the Magic Kingdom is not India. Section of the UK population do not retire in the Magic Kingdom, they retire in Spain, Malta, and Poland.
And the other way around, some poor UK expats (ie. English teachers! ) retire in the North of Scotland or Wales. Laughing
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MixtecaMike



Joined: 19 Nov 2003
Posts: 643
Location: Guatebad

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 12:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stage one: Love it (new and exciting)
Stage two: Hate it (everything is done incorrectly)
Stage three: Whatever (getting used to it)
Stage four: Love it (isn't this the way it's done everywhere?)

Based on 32 years (out of 52) of being a foreigner.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 12:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

"A Stranger In a Strange Land" For 50+ years I have been hooked on travelling and living in exotic places. At long last I have settled down in a truly weird destination - on an island in the Estuary of the River Clyde !
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LPKSA



Joined: 02 Mar 2014
Posts: 211

PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2014 2:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love it when I see UK citizens who come from some real dumps, all the way to KSA, and think they are suddenly Gods gift to the Earth because they can say 'oh my cleaner is coming by, I only pay him 20 SAR," or when they sit out by the pool in front of the no smoking sign, smoking, and yapping about how "these eggs are cold, waiter take them away, AND BRING ME MY COFFEE!" It's pathetic.
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plumpy nut



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 6:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LPKSA wrote:
I love it when I see UK citizens who come from some real dumps, all the way to KSA, and think they are suddenly Gods gift to the Earth because they can say 'oh my cleaner is coming by, I only pay him 20 SAR," or when they sit out by the pool in front of the no smoking sign, smoking, and yapping about how "these eggs are cold, waiter take them away, AND BRING ME MY COFFEE!" It's pathetic.


I've seen very few of those here. The only exception was one guy (hard to know if he was British, Australian or a New Zealander) but the guy had a bona fide personality flaw or something of some type.

The most meanness that I usually see is when they deal with Taxis. Ten Riyals for something that would be thirteen on the meter.
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cmp45



Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 7:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In my opinion, humans share more similarities than differences; yet so many choose to focus on the differences. So sad.
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Makkah



Joined: 08 Oct 2014
Posts: 113

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 12:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LPKSA wrote:
....... and think they are suddenly Gods gift to the Earth .


Even more cringing when they start commenting 'I can't teach this', and ultimately emailing DOS or whoever else stating that all tests should be reviewed or whatever nuance popped into their head after a month, thus giving the DOS an idea to load up teaching staff with additional work.
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LPKSA



Joined: 02 Mar 2014
Posts: 211

PostPosted: Fri Dec 12, 2014 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Or when they say 'oh you're a Yank, what the bloody **** you doing teaching this language?'

I don't know dude, my pronunciation is more intelligible than yours, though. Ooohh, gotta love them haaaaaaahd northunuhs. Go back to ya cid now.
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plumpy nut



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LPKSA wrote:
Or when they say 'oh you're a Yank, what the bloody **** you doing teaching this language?'

I don't know dude, my pronunciation is more intelligible than yours, though. Ooohh, gotta love them haaaaaaahd northunuhs. Go back to ya cid now.


very good Laughing
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fledex



Joined: 05 Jun 2011
Posts: 342

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The foreigner who can go home is sweet.
The foreigner who can make any place home is strong.
The foreigner anywhere and everywhere is perfect.

-- from some monk somewhere
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Gerund



Joined: 09 Feb 2003
Posts: 80
Location: Amerika

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

LPKSA wrote:
Or when they say 'oh you're a Yank, what the bloody **** you doing teaching this language?'

I don't know dude, my pronunciation is more intelligible than yours, though. Ooohh, gotta love them haaaaaaahd northunuhs. Go back to ya cid now.


I tell that the world over, even in Europe, the overwhelming majority of ESL students want to learn American English.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you made the decision to go to Saudi Arabia solely for the money and subsequently, find yourself miserable and hating any and everything Saudi, don't blame the country for not adjusting to you---blame yourself for making a bad decision.
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Mushkilla



Joined: 17 Apr 2014
Posts: 320
Location: United Kingdom

PostPosted: Sat Dec 13, 2014 11:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gerund wrote:
I tell that the world over, even in Europe, the overwhelming majority of ESL students want to learn American English.

Really?
Are you saying that the Hillbilly English is better than British English? Laughing

George Bernard Shaw one day said:
“The United States and Great Britain are two countries separated by a common language.”

But the problem now is that the USA and UK are separate by two version of English! This is all the fault of Noah Webster, who wanted the Americans to distant themselves from the British English, and he established the American English dictionary which was described by the British as the "wrong spelling" of English!

I see the difference between American English and British English like the difference between gas and petrol! Laughing
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