Arizona Shootings and the Expat Cultural Divide

Paul Allen — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:56:49 +0000

Last weekend’s shootings in Arizona have trained the world’s attention once more on America’s attitude to guns, and its charged political atmosphere.

To many outsiders, me included, America’s fixation with its guns – and the ease with which people can buy them – is incomprehensible.

Gun advocates, meanwhile, argue their case by referencing America’s frontier past, their constitutional rights and the defence of freedom.

Bridging the Cultural Divide

This divergence of opinions on the issue of gun control illustrates the cultural divide expats often have to bridge when trying to make a new country their home.

For those heading to the US, the actual question of gun ownership is one aspect. But it is understanding and living with the underlying beliefs that support such positions which are likely to prove the bigger test.

Personally, I loved living in America. I loved the landscapes, its space, the optimism and can-do attitudes. And I met nothing but warm, generous, friendly people.

Nevertheless, the country’s political environment, its commitment to capitalist economics, and prevailing sentiments around healthcare, education, religion and a host of other factors may prove insurmountable obstacles for some.

Global Challenges

And it is not just America. Such political, economic and cultural considerations should feature in your decision, whatever your intended destination.

For example, Europe offers an abundance of cultural delights, with untold historical riches, beautiful architecture, and a culinary smorgasbord from which to sample. But can you cope with Italy’s red tape, French workers’ proclivity to strike, or the famous British reserve?

It is never easy to know until you are on the ground in a country, facing the life it offers day after day.

But if you ask yourself the testing questions on how suited you are to a life abroad before you go you will be better equipped for the changes ahead.

Immaculate Conception

Paul Allen — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:46:42 +0000

It’s a fiesta today here in Spain, the feast of the Immaculate Conception (Día de la Inmaculada Concepción). It’s a Roman Catholic holy day, which marks the conception of the Virgin Mary, a point from which she started and remained throughout her life free of the Original Sin that stains the rest of us. Or so the Catholic doctrine says.

Having been brought up in England in a Protestant household – albeit with a Roman Catholic father (although that is another topic in itself) – it’s not a holiday I was familiar with until moving to Spain. But then so much of Roman Catholic theology and practice remains something of a mystery to me, despite it’s communality with the UK’s ‘national’ religion. Which I suppose is what makes living in Spain – or for that matter any other country – so interesting.

And I have to say, I quite like the idea of squeezing another public holiday in before Christmas too …

Expat Living 101.com Blog » religion

Arizona Shootings and the Expat Cultural Divide

Immaculate Conception