Imagine that you are in a new country. You just arrived with a one-way plane ticket. The weather, language, and culture you find are entirely foreign. The more you try to integrate into your new community, the more isolated you feel.
I moved temporarily to a new country to pursue more career and educational opportunities. First, I want to establish that my story is hued with privilege; I am a white person who relocated to a primarily-white European country. I have citizenship in the US, generally protecting me as I travel. When I moved, I had a steady source of income and support system. Therefore, my experience moving abroad is nowhere close to the lives of many undocumented or impoverished immigrants and refugees, and I do not seek to speak for people living in these tense situations.
Nonetheless, I, like many other people, had never traveled outside of my native country. I am not fluent in any language other than my mother tongue. When you become so comfortably, deeply embedded in your way of life, uprooting yourself can feel like leaving a warm bed to take an ice shower. When I came to my new home, even the simplest things required much more time and energy. Going to the bank to make a deposit stole an entire hour even though I had made every effort to come prepared with a translated transcript and all of my documents. For the first time in my relatively young life, I felt stupid; not knowing how to conduct certain tasks, locate directions, or ask for help (things I could easily navigate in my home country) embarrassed me. Buying groceries or paying rent were their own ordeals. Despite this, I had the privilege of making myself noticeable and interpreting each of these difficulties as opportunities to grow and learn about a new culture. Every time I went out to sightsee or tried to practice snippets of the language, I knew that people would likely recognize my foreign accent and awkward gait; however, I was confident that I would not face discrimination because of my country of origin. Unfortunately, many immigrants are not guaranteed this safety.
More people face displacement now than at any other time in recent history. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) recorded an astonished 65.5 million people around the world who were forced from their countries. These people find new homes for a variety of reasons and through myriad methods; no matter how they arrive, these immigrants encounter bizarre languages, traditions, and responsibilities. While these immigrants face an already overwhelming period of culture shock and adjustment, they are not always welcome in their new communities, as evidenced by the increase in hate crimes in the United States and throughout the world. Some may argue that immigrants should become more involved in their communities by finding jobs and learning the country's language; nonetheless, these privileged approaches ignore the fact that simply living and navigating in a foreign land bring their own risks. Some immigrants are targeted for violent crime or theft because the predators trust that such people will not be able to communicate with police or will be too afraid and overwhelmed to file a report.
However, not all is bleak in the future of cultural exchange. No matter how kind-hearted we believe ourselves to be, we will never be able to understand and advocate for our immigrant neighbors until we move from our comfort zones and, perhaps for the first times in our lives, force ourselves to be the minority in a room. We all can take an active role in making our new community members safer and happier when we meet immigrants in our hometowns such as:
1) Spend a day with people who do not speak your native language. One of the strangest sensations of my life was first experiencing the silence of traveling to a country where I could not speak or understand the words around me. This silence is humbling and, at times, lonely; thus, I have become much more proactive about helping and interacting with ESL (English as a Second Language) speakers. Whether you are going to a Latino church service, a language learning class, or hanging out in your local Chinatown, you can cultivate a greater appreciation for other languages and the struggle of not comprehending all of the stimuli that surround you.
2) Seek out minority writers, athletes, and artists. By supporting entertainers from other cultures, you will learn more about the world.
3) Read international news to become more familiar with how your nation's policies are impacting the world at large.
4) Be patient. If you are standing in line behind someone who is struggling to ask a question or purchase an item, take a deep breath. Recognize that the person is probably trying their best. In fact, maybe you can offer a helping hand!
5) Support immigration policies that are fair and reasonable.
6) Consider sponsoring or hosting an exchange student through your local school, church, or Rotary club.
7) Stand up to hate crimes, racial slurs, or jokes against someone's language or country of origin.
I look forward to the rest of the time that I have left in Europe, and I am expanding my experiences each day thanks to the kindness of good Samaritans who have welcomed and assisted me. How will you choose to be one of those good Samaritans for a wandering stranger in your community?
