Hi there, I’m American living in French Switzerland.
Because of my nationality and my family here, we’re trying to fit-in to our local area and being a family there is a lot of adjustment for what we have to do and it’s a process. I’ve noticed that Swiss-Germany, the Nordics, Germany and the Netherlands people are a lot more serious when you meet them and just kind of live a normal, steady and stable life without a lot of flexibility. And they hope that us foreigners that will kind of ‘fit-in’ to this lifestyle…which I think is more or less fair as I’m a guest in their country and trying to fit-in. But…at the end of the day…are they happier in this normal, steady and stable life? No criticism, genuine question.
I mean I get it, with a crazy, chaotic life we left in America, which has its fair share of problems…which is not the point I’m trying to make…we all know them. But there is more flexibility, more openness and acceptance of other social norms but it leads to these problems if unchecked…in my opinion…what do you think?
Thoughts? Experiences? What do you think?
It does help!
It’s weird as a parent because you really have to speed ahead to understand the culture, the nuances of everyday life before your kids. But then for them to go to a public school and understand it at a lot more humble level and have them teach you. That of course is in contrast to…
Me, as an American I, and others of my political leanings find others that try to associate themselves as 'Merican as suspicious, and really don’t care about any sort of ‘assimilation’ to their fake American culture. They introduce ideas that aren’t ours, and that conflict on what is really 'Merican continues to this day.
Thanks for your insight. I’m always learning!