Life as a Local and the Consumer Market

Now that the concept of being a foreigner has been tackled, living life as a local should also be discussed. Life as a local could be interpreted in different ways depending on the context and the outlook of an individual.

Ways to interpret it:

1. You befriend locals, speak their language a bit, and eat their native dishes.

This is also known as the superficial type. It is not YOU who is superficial; it is your status as a foreigner living like a local that is superficial. If you have tried to fit in within the best of your abilities, you cannot be blamed if you cannot completely fit the mould.

This is only to be expected when you have grown up and lived in a completely different surrounding for decades. You live like a local but only on the surface. You get to mingle with them, enjoy what they seem to enjoy, laugh at their jokes, converse properly.

This does not mean you share their identity as a people. It does not mean you conform to their culture and accept their beliefs. It only means that you had taken your respect for them as a people to a higher level - by showing them that you could be one among the crowd. Anyone who looks closely, however, will see that you blend in but still stand out.

2. You adapt their culture and beliefs and speak their language fluently.

It will not be strange if you happen to fall in love with your host country's language and culture. Sometimes, when Western visitors get to experience the life in a land rich in culture and tradition, they tend to get attracted. Of course, not all end up as enthusiasts.

Actually learning the language and conforming to the society's laws completely, but some will be. And those few are the ones who almost completely lose their status of being "different". Completely embracing a culture that is not yours might pose some internal conflict some time in your lives. For instance, some face identity crises - lost in thought about who they really are and to which culture they really belong.

However, you would learn to live and embrace both your own culture and the culture that you have fallen in love with in due time. You might find that one cannot exist without the other and that the presence of the two is what brings balance into your life.

Consumer Market

When you have just moved from your country or even if it has been some time since then, it cannot be helped if you start missing products from your own country. The most you will miss perhaps is food. You might find that your favorite brands are not available in your host country. When the market is generally different from what you are used to, you could either start looking for alternatives or have whatever you want imported.

Looking for alternatives is best for the long run, but you could indulge yourself at first (or every once in a while) with imported brands you prefer. Importing goods would be, of course, expensive so do not do this too often unless you can really afford it.

There are times however, when you simply want something not offered in your host country. In this case, when you buy imported goods, make sure to set aside some for the times when you just can't help but satisfy the urge for a particular product.