Working Abroad & Immersion into Culture

This entry is kind of an appendix or a reflection of sorts to my previous entry. In my last entry I detailed the physical logistics and things that I saw and did whilst staying with my friend Craig in the Moravian area of the Czech Republic. I’ve told you about the experience from  a sight seeing perspective, but really, I think the important learnings and reflections that came from this trip were much wider, and they were the kind that I was able to really take away and use as a set of evidence,  set of information, in me trying to decide what the next stage of my life is going to involve.

I can still remember when Craig was making the decision to accept this job in the Czech Republic and we had a conversation discussing the various countries he might be able to get work in, the advantages and disadvantages of heading to a non-English speaking country. One of the things which he’d talked about was that appeal of going to a foreign country and being forced to learn speak the language, at least on a basic level. This is something that he has certainly done, and something that impresses me so, so much. Czech is not an easy language to learn, and he’s done it more or less independently.

Craig is a teacher. He teaches at a school where they teach in English – apparently this is a thing in Europe, I didn’t really know this before. Some schools in Australia offer ‘French Immersion’ which is where you study all your subjects in French, and so I suppose this is the closest equivalent. It makes sense – for someone in a non-English speaking country, if you can become fluent in English, then you will have more opportunities in life. English is the bridging language in Europe, German to a lesser extent, but most young Europeans study English. The prevalence of English in Europe is a separate issue, one which I also intend to blog about, so you can look out for that.

In so many ways, he embodies for me the ‘dream’ and I only wish that my academic background was one which leant itself toward the type of experience he’s been able to have. Teaching is, without a doubt, the best way to be able to see the world. There is a high demand in so many locations for people who are of English as a first language background for teaching roles, and not just ‘teaching English’ roles – actual classroom teaching. You’re then guaranteed holidays at different times of year which then allow you specified time to schedule trips. If I was to do a working holiday visa, the only way to get career relevant work is to apply for permanent roles. If I get permanent work, then getting time to travel is hard, unless you find some awesome employer who lets you take unpaid leave or long weekends as you desire.  

Without a doubt, as a budget traveller who travels the way I do, I’m not able to truly understand a country’s history, culture, people. I just barely skim the surface. I can make wider observations about ‘European’ culture because I have spent months of my life in ‘Europe’ but to take individual countries from within that? Impossible. The only way to develop this kind of understanding is to live somewhere.

There are obvious limitations to this experience though. In Craig’s world, he teaches at a school where there are a bunch of teachers from ‘western’ countries (Australia, New Zealand, USA etc) and they have bonded together as a social group, to be each others support network because they are going through similar experiences. Their ‘group’ does have some non-Native English speakers, but the core group of them are all English as a first language. One of the guys who Craig is friends with made the point to me that there is little incentive for them to learn Czech – they hang out together, they speak English together, they speak English all day at school. This is why it is the area of food and beverage ordering that they all first master. Craig told me that on his first night in the Czech Republic, he learnt how to order a beer. However beyond this, the ability to learn is difficult. Developing friendships, true connections, with locals is difficult, except for those in that immediate circle who are obviously fluent enough in English to teach math and science and history in it.

As Craig said to me, he can’t do more complicated things alone – perfect example was that recently he had to go to the dentist, and he had to take someone fluent in Czech and English with him. This was an off the cuff statement from him, but something which so incredibly resonated with me. It’s one thing to master basic conversational skills in a foreign language, but learning those obscure, technical things is something which is so much more difficult to master, especially as an adult.

More important than language though, is looking at culture. This is something I found myself thinking about more and more - this notion of whether you can ever truly assimilate to another culture. You can live in it and therefore come to understand it more than any backpacker passing through town will, but can you ever truly become a part of their world?  Even if you become fluent, you’re likely going to have an accent; and you’ve been raised in a country with different values, different approaches to life. It is while I am backpacking that I truly come to realise my ‘cultural’ nuisances, the things that make me ‘me’ that are a result not only of my individuality, but of my nationality. Often I find that I don’t fit into your stereotype of an Australian – if I’m talking to someone from France or The Netherlands and they make an assumption about Australians liking beer and the beach, for example. Maybe I don’t fit into those sorts of cultural ‘norms’. However if I was sitting around a table with an Aussie, a Canadian, an American, a Brit – the Aussie and I will ‘get’ each other on a deeper level. Is it growing up with Christmas in summer, with high taxes on alcohol? Is it just the fact that Australia is removed from so many global issues, geographically and culturally, so we have a more easygoing sense of freedom. I’m not sure.

The way in which Australians interact, react to meeting new people, approach social scenarios and relationships – a lot of this is cultural, it is innate, it cannot be unlearned no matter how long you spend in a foreign country. This isn’t a bad thing – but it is a barrier which can prevent you from ever completely being able to fit in or completely understand other cultures.

This is all just me musing and reflecting from conversations with Craig, his friends, and other people I've talked to who have worked abroad. It isn't an experience I've yet to have - but one which I look forward to the opportunity to tackle, despite the limitations I've acknowledged.

Have you ever worked abroad? Have your own thoughts on the matter? I'd love to hear them in the comments below!