Has living abroad helped you become a better person?

Khalida.UNC wrote:

finnbo wrote:

Of course! You pull yourself out from the root and plant yourself again in a different soil, that's what basically living abroad is. Now the quality of your harvest or the outcome of you depends on what kind of soil you have chosen to plant yourself. Sometimes the soil you choose is better and sometimes not. And sometimes even harder the plant and the soil don't match which can lead to a very vulnerable plant.

Why do I have a sudden craving for tomatoes?

Oh sweet Israeli chutzpah  love it

Well allow me to suggest for both of you Khalida and Cynic to start new expat custom, to grow own tomatoes!

finnbo wrote:

Khalida.UNC wrote:

finnbo wrote:

Of course! You pull yourself out from the root and plant yourself again in a different soil, that's what basically living abroad is. Now the quality of your harvest or the outcome of you depends on what kind of soil you have chosen to plant yourself. Sometimes the soil you choose is better and sometimes not. And sometimes even harder the plant and the soil don't match which can lead to a very vulnerable plant.

Why do I have a sudden craving for tomatoes?

Oh sweet Israeli chutzpah  love it

Well allow me to suggest for both of you Khalida and Cynic to start new expat custom, to grow own tomatoes!

Tried it, crashed and burned.  Thank goodness for grocery shops. 

I've been pondering a little more on this question, realizing the vast majority of my pre-expat disgustingly fun behaviour was really very naughty indeed - Much of that was down to imbibing vast quantities of beer and meeting girls with really cute bums that also happened to be biker chicks with a lot of enthusiasm for being a lot like nuns aren't.
No booze means I no longer suffer hangovers that feel like a large digger is sitting on my body with it's main scoop digging out my brain, and the rashes I used to get are no longer an issue.
However, I still miss the soothing creams.

Since I'm now a Muslim expat, all those pleasures have been defenistrated, just as water flowed under hardy's three bridges and disappeared as surely as Michael Henchard's good life as mayor did when his wife returned.

Living abroad does not make anyone better or worse. Sure, you acquire more experience, new skills and accumulate information. In essence, you generate potential for change. There are a lot of people who go out there only to confirm their bias, while the others find new worlds. In other words, many people do not change. The are who they are and then with more information and experience. You tend to find what you're looking for.

"In terms of self awareness, tolerance, growth, whether personal or spiritual, how have you matured?

Do you see yourself as more tolerant (other cultures, beliefs, etc.)?

Are you more grateful for what you have now or what you had back home?"

I was always curious, tolerant and open-minded as well as open to experience. Comparing the past to the present, I have more facts and personal experience to lean on. Suppose it's safe to say that I have matured and gained confidence due to more knowing and less guessing. This frees a lot of energy for doing and there's a better view of the people and all the things happening around you, a bigger chance to understand the what and the why.

Back "home", or where I started, compared to now... The only thing that has changed is the contents of my brain. I've invested in experiences and knowledge, and this road still continues. No anchors tossed, no material stored. Thankful for the opportunity, no doubt.

Somebody mentioned education or being educated... that's just a proof that you can sufficiently repeat what other people have told you, is it not? It is not necessarily the truth or can even be all lies. In South Korea, some educational facilities teach that they invented golf and many people "know" that fans kill you, if you leave them on for the night. One of the people I know was educated by his teacher that there are birches with white sides only in one country. The war and nationalist history tends to be just a pile of lies edited to serve a specific narrative, everywhere. And so on and so on. Being educated is the same as a computer software being programmed. It does what it has been programmed to do, but it is also a prisoner to the limitations of the program. Luckily people can opt to go out and see for themselves, to fact-check.

Cynic wrote:

Khalida.UNC wrote:

finnbo wrote:

Of course! You pull yourself out from the root and plant yourself again in a different soil, that's what basically living abroad is. Now the quality of your harvest or the outcome of you depends on what kind of soil you have chosen to plant yourself. Sometimes the soil you choose is better and sometimes not. And sometimes even harder the plant and the soil don't match which can lead to a very vulnerable plant.

Why do I have a sudden craving for tomatoes?

OMG, why did you do that, I haven't finished breakfast yet and I have a sudden craving for a tomato, onion and cucumber salad (with a bit of garlic and olive oil of course).  Suddenly my cornflakes look a bit boring.

Everything is better than corn flakes.

finnbo wrote:

Khalida.UNC wrote:

finnbo wrote:

Of course! You pull yourself out from the root and plant yourself again in a different soil, that's what basically living abroad is. Now the quality of your harvest or the outcome of you depends on what kind of soil you have chosen to plant yourself. Sometimes the soil you choose is better and sometimes not. And sometimes even harder the plant and the soil don't match which can lead to a very vulnerable plant.

Why do I have a sudden craving for tomatoes?

Oh sweet Israeli chutzpah  love it

Well allow me to suggest for both of you Khalida and Cynic to start new expat custom, to grow own tomatoes!

I live in an apartment with precious little sunlight and a small laundry balcony. I cannot imagine where I would plant such tomatoes. Rosemary, perhaps, but not tomatoes.

Willem de S wrote:

Somebody mentioned education or being educated... that's just a proof that you can sufficiently repeat what other people have told you, is it not? It is not necessarily the truth or can even be all lies.

My education is in medical research. If I simply repeated what others have told me, I would be useless. Had I been taught lies, the deaths of my patients would have made those lies obvious.

In some ways, yes. It has opened my mind more and definitely made me more tolerant of people who are different than me not only in appearance but also beliefs. It challenged my tendency for solipsism so that's a good thing as well.

Living abroad has certainly made me a more tired person.

Yes, your activity level does ramp up quite a bit doesn't it?

travellight wrote:

Yes, your activity level does ramp up quite a bit doesn't it?

Especially when working under 60 hours is considered a slow week.

Not sure if it applies to everyone and there is some subjectivity in definition of "better" - BUT I can vouch that it definitely makes us much more open and broadminded , ready to accept and accommodate many view points and cultures.

Having lived &  worked long enough in 4 different countries in 4 different continents  ( Asia , Europe, North America and South America) as well as multiple business trips to > 30 countries on regular basis ,  I can say it did change me for better.

It helped me with more exposure to the world and more open to accept other's view point , develop better understanding on different cultures and made me appreciate the many positive things across the world much better. 

Unfortunately, politicians and new media everywhere try to project a very strong stereo types of every culture / country - but in reality, most of us across the world are much more simple at heart, no different from each other & looking for a good life. 

I made many great friends in almost all the countries I lived in and truly feel part of all of the communities.  I strongly feel it makes us much better human beings and more empathetic to each other. 

As I am heading to live in another new country (Italy), I am equally positive and looking forward to generating many new friends and enjoy another lovely country and culture....

Currently, open-minded and confident people worldwide are the most likely to choose to become expats. But it is those who are afraid of new people and places that would benefit the most from international and intercultural experiences. Having said that, I believe that change only comes if you allow. Many people will actively fight new impressions to hold on to old perspectives.

If you are open to it, intercultural experiences can blow your mind on a fairly regular basis. And yes, I believe that makes you a better person.

Welcome aboard Mr Pontus,

Excellent points. People are often afraid and overwhelmed with all the propaganda about living abroad and they are terrified of change. The what-ifs sometimes outweigh common-sense, research, and just finding out. It leaves them with a very limited viewpoint.