Living in Europe for a non European

Maciamo

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The following article compared the experiences of various expats (not immigrants) from Turkey, India or Peru in Western European countries.

Expatica : Non-EU expats adjust to life on the continent

A few excerpts :

Pinar Saglam said:
"Daily life is very similar. It doesn?ft really change."

"I still miss Istanbul. I miss the colour," she said. "Sometimes it?fs too quiet here. It?fs too boring for me, when you compare it to the eastern style. The most difficult thing for me is the weather. It?fs always rainy, grey or cold. But I like Amsterdam, there are people from everywhere."

Surya Kumar Bose, also from India, found his cultural shock to be relatively mild when he first arrived in Germany in 1972. Now based in Hamburg and working as an IT consultant, the Calcutta native credits the easy transition to his cosmopolitan upbringing. Bose, 55, said he grew up eating western food, speaking English frequently and having a diverse group of friends – all of which prepared him for living abroad.

"You don?ft have to give up your own culture to adopt another," he said. "Integration doesn?ft necessarily mean giving up your own values."

Also from India, Parmar Manjit relocated to Barcelona in 2000 because he had been impressed by the city when it hosted the Olympic Games in 1992, he told El Pais newspaper. Since arriving in Spain, Manjit has faced less discrimination as a Sikh than he did in India.

"Nobody persecutes me here for being Sikh. Everyone wants me and there aren?ft many racists," he told the newspaper.
 

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