Living Abroad

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When I am abroad, I am more aware of how American I am than when I am here. Now that I am back again, I realize how much of an internationalist I have become. I am grateful, and feel blessed, that I have lived on two other continents, and have, with some success, learned a few languages. I do not feign to be fluent in any language, especially my mother tongue. Nevertheless, I have managed to make utterances in a number of different languages, and I believe I was understood on those occasions when I clumsily expressed myself. At one point I was reading German so well that I was able to translate nineteenth-century humor magazines. Boy, those were the days. I have tried to keep up on reading German newspapers because it provides such a different perspective on foreign affairs, and writing this post has reminded me that I need to continue with that daily exercise.

I have also been tutoring a young Mexican man in English, and that has been pure joy. I realize I understand far more Spanish than I previously thought, and it has been delightful to dip back into that language. (I also have a friend and professional acquaintance who likes to chat with me via Facebook in Spanish. I miss doing that). In fact, because of the student and my Spanish-speaking friend, I am now determined more than ever to become fluent in it. That is one of many reasons why I am thinking about going abroad again for work.  I also want to believe that the politics of everyday life is still possible, and I don't really see that here. That is not to say that it won't change, but it is dormant, and I find that suffocating. Incidentally, I didn't say that people here are dormant. That would be condescending and also absolutely false. It borders on being nihilistic too, and reminds me of nineteenth-century German images of a snoozing  spießbürgerlich man in his cap and nightgown. This metaphor, that Americans are not awake politically, has come back in fashion, and I find it both nauseating and intriguing to hear people pronounce similar things that were suggested in Germany during the nineteenth century. To be clear, there are great differences between the two, but it immediately comes to mind when I hear people proclaim that their fellow Americans are "asleep" or "have their eyes closed."

Deutscher Michel 

But what is like to live and work abroad? Would it be possible for you to give it a go? Likewise, would it be possible for me to try it again?

Many of you have expressed an interest in knowing what it was like for me to live and work abroad (see the comments to this piece). I think this is a great topic, and I have been delighted to read that many of you are not only considering work abroad, but that you have begun the process of applying for jobs overseas. In some cases you are already gone. Since I have a number of friends who are currently living abroad, or have already done so, I have asked if they would be willing to share their stories, too. 

I think we should begin a series on AEM about living abroad. So with that said, first thing is first, and that means a return to 2009 when I was living in D.C., more precisely Springfield, VA, and considering a job in Korea . . .