tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post2467908669349097963..comments2024-01-11T21:42:53.282+01:00Comments on Snooker in Berlin: WEBMU WE-BUM Whatever...Snookerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17684505561658711584noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-81382313190055873442010-10-23T14:18:23.034+02:002010-10-23T14:18:23.034+02:00"Move over Bacon; now there's something m..."Move over Bacon; now there's something meatier" took a while to explain to my German :-) Now, he uses it too. He learns a lot of cultural references through the Simpsons and Seinfeld. He is still missing the critical component of old TV commercials though.AstroYogahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17400073176867653214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-41173827597216177852010-10-16T20:20:17.437+02:002010-10-16T20:20:17.437+02:00I agree with all the comments here so don't ne...I agree with all the comments here so don't need to add much...just...I think there is a lot of comfort in a shared past environment.Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05049511202014141182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-41052804617209530872010-10-14T19:05:06.078+02:002010-10-14T19:05:06.078+02:00I can so relate to that cultural “loneliness” when...I can so relate to that cultural “loneliness” when you are partnered with someone from another culture. <br /><br />I think that having the expat thing in common is a big reason that brings expats together at first, but it seems to me that beyond that, to really have a good friendship, there needs to be common interests/connection/what have you, as with any friendship *regardless* of culture. <br /><br />Admittedly, I’ve met some expats where at first I felt obligated to be friends just because they were also Americans and they happened to be in my vicinity, but then I realized how tenuous the connection was for a friendship that was not organically there. It’s like the American guy who showed up in my latest class and practically grabbed my leg while he said, “Oh thank GOD! It’s SO good to see another Amuhrican!” I think it’s OK to be choosy about friendships, like Germans are. <br /><br />To me it’s also important to balance friendships by having friends from your host culture as well as from your own culture, but being extreme on either side probably isn’t good (such as only hanging out with other expats or vice versa). Friends from your host culture can give you new ideas about life, you can learn from them, and they can also help you to integrate. Friends from your own culture give you that familiar touchstone and can help you navigate expat life – you definitely have shared experiences with them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-29761909326371306712010-10-13T15:24:33.577+02:002010-10-13T15:24:33.577+02:00I think that you sometimes need to meet with peopl...I think that you sometimes need to meet with people that share the same cultural background as an expat regardless the other limited shared interests. Living in another country will always bring up some cultural frustrations or confusion and you need to be able to share that sometimes without the risk of insulting someone or not getting understood. <br /><br />Additionally expats are by definition forced to learn to interact with people that are quite different to them.<br /><br /><br />but I also love Heidelberg's comment about growing older and learning not to be picky about new friends. I love that we all gain the insight not to write off people so easily when we grow older.Goofballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11155032632164828945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-89896376529910655462010-10-12T16:19:25.296+02:002010-10-12T16:19:25.296+02:00As a long-term expat, I've always found that i...As a long-term expat, I've always found that it's so fun to hang around with other expats not because of a feeling of homesickness but because as an international person, I find it easier to hang around with other international people.<br /><br />I've found that I have more in common with other international people than I do with the true Brits and Swedes you'd expect I'd feel most comfortable with, considering my roots.<br /><br />Maybe that's why I felt so comfortable with such a diverse crowd of people at WEBUM, even though I shared relatively little cultural background as a non North American...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-66346563189880645022010-10-12T10:39:42.405+02:002010-10-12T10:39:42.405+02:00@ Heidelbergerin - I really like what you've s...@ Heidelbergerin - I really like what you've said. You're probably very right about making friends only within our "circle" can be limiting and reduce our perspective. <br /><br />@ Stuttgartgrl - You're right, people living abroad are more open to new people and new experiences. I've learned a lot by simply hanging out with people who have different views than my own. <br /><br />@ Jul - That's me... hanging out in those Gay Places!! Oh, and I've decided that the U-Haul rental place as a "back room" at the lesbian bars simply won't work here in Germany. They just don't move quite as quickly. But if I ever go back to America, I am going to implement one of these things immediately!Snookerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17684505561658711584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-83511804471350191062010-10-12T09:14:08.425+02:002010-10-12T09:14:08.425+02:00I want to think about your question but for now I&...I want to think about your question but for now I'm still laughing at "in gay places or wherever else I would spend my free time." It sounds like a crazy old aunt is describing you. "Snooker? I don't know where she is. Probably out at one of those gay places doing gay stuff!"Julhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08075537123043560936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-43796057886229787542010-10-11T18:30:55.534+02:002010-10-11T18:30:55.534+02:00Very interesting post and you raise lots of good q...Very interesting post and you raise lots of good questions. I definitely think we become friends with people that we never would become friends with at home since we have the expat thing in common, but I also think when we're living abroad we're more open to new people and to new experiences than we are when we are at home. I was an expat in Thailand 10 years ago and still keep in touch with quite a few people and we try and meet up all over the world every few years and we just pick up where we left off. I love that other expats share my love of travel and adventure which sometimes my Canadian friends don't, even though our backgrounds are more similar.Expat in Germanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15743639313200541303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-548998064010609443.post-37563386641537214252010-10-11T15:51:04.795+02:002010-10-11T15:51:04.795+02:00Hi! Did this come up at the WEBUM apartment? ...Hi! Did this come up at the WEBUM apartment? 'Cause the Regensbloggers just brought up this same topic when I saw them yesterday! That over time we have come to hang out with people we may have never met or even written off in the past. So I already had some time to think about it before your post. :)<br />I think there is some part of this that has to do with being an expat exposed to a much more limited number of people from your own culture.<br />I also think a big part of it has to do with getting older. Making friends now isn't as easy as in the past because as adults we aren't as often put into situations that are super-conducive to friendship like high school homerooms or college dorms or summer internships. So the pool is smaller in that way. Also, eventually experience teaches us that writing people off just because they're not in whatever circle of taste/hobbies/fashion/knowledge/whatever you're in can really limit not only your social life but your perspective on the world and your understanding of others. So we branch out more, and learn not to judge too quickly and give everyone a chance.<br />I think most people are worth getting to know. I would never have said that in high school and would still have been pretty iffy about it in my early-to-mid-20s. Too bad I can't go back knowing better.<br />I look forward to seeing what other people think!C N Heidelberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18055010902344874594noreply@blogger.com