Dangers Abroad
Many people dream of living life abroad or travelling the world. It is a common thing that has been romanticized in film and literature like the movie “When in Rome”, the story of a woman travels to Italy for a wedding and then falls in love herself. Romance abroad is an overused theme in pop culture, and rarely exposes the dangers and effects of living abroad. When in a foreign country many things can go wrong. If the person does not fully understand their language, culture, and citizenship, the person has the potential to be portrayed an outcast by the culture abroad as well as suffer harsh consequences from the foreign government.
The first example of language and culture abroad can be seen in “My Shape” by Joan Silber. Silber describes her marital relationship with her husband Jean-Pierre who is from France, Silber herself did not speak French. When Silber met the family of Jean-Pierre she struggled to be able to express herself, and most times Jean-Pierre would translate for Silber. After Jean-Pierre took another job on a ship, Silber was left by herself in a country where she did not speak the language, which made it hard to get a job or communicate effectively with Jean-Pierre’s family. At this point, Silber’s language skills were basic conversational. Silber stated after Jean-Pierre left and no longer had a translator that “I was no longer a novelty to his family and they had conversations I could not follow… I told Jean-Pierre’s mother she was so cheap that she fed up horsemeat. (19) Silber was not able to use the language correctly, and it greatly affected her ability to live in France, and it affected her relationships. Silber was deemed an outcast by her husband’s family. Silber then moved back to America to try to achieve her dream as a dancer and singer. Although Silber enjoyed her dance classes, she moved back to France to be with Jean-Pierre. Silber talks about how this affected her relationships by saying “Later he was less kind. His family never treated me with any warmth after I came back.” (29) It is important to know the language and culture of the country when living abroad because language is the epicenter of human interaction. If a foreigner goes to another country and can not speak the language, the immigrant will not be able to form any relationships until they are able to find someone that speaks their native language. Immigrants are treated as if they are ignorant if they do not speak the language, and the society treats them as second-class citizens. This attitude can be seen in America, where some Americans take extreme prejudices towards Spanish speaking immigrants, and go as far as judging their economic situation and citizenship status. Often, the Hispanic immigrants are the scapegoat for America’s problems. This can be seen in many other countries as well. That is why it is important to know the language and culture, so the immigrant can properly enunciate their ideas, as well as being able to thrive in the foreign society. Luckily, as Silber spends time in France her language skills begin to flourish, and she overcomes the language barrier. Silber eventually finds a job as a dance teacher, and no longer relies on having Jean-Pierre there to translate for her. But, Silber illustrates why it is important to first learn the language and culture of a country in order to become independently successful abroad and to be treated as an equal in society. Before she relied on Jean-Pierre, but afterwards Silber was able to open her own business and was able to afford to live in Paris. Silber was able to overcome the challenge of the language barrier and became successful in France.
Another possible of danger in living abroad is citizenship. Different countries have different rights and privileges allotted to their citizens, and knowing the rights and privileges is extremely important. It is also important to know the correct procedures on obtaining citizenship. If the proper citizenship is not obtained, the person could face criminal charges, time in prison, of even deportation. Many people believe that in order to travel to a foreign country, all that is needed is a passport and a plane ticket. This simply is not true. If a person plans to stay an extended amount of time, they are required to get a visa, which allows the holder to live, work, or receive an education in the foreign country. Although Silber did not list any experiences in “My Shape” about applying for visas in order to stay in the country, many people have shared their stories. One experience is “My Experience With the Broken Immigration System” written by Ricky Walters. Walters talks about the difficulties of obtaining a citizenship and visa in America, as well as the racial prejudices he faced along his journey. Walters’ journey to citizenship took a total of twenty-three years, and during this journey he was arrested on many occasions by the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency, who was bent on having Walters sent back to his home country. This is a large danger for anyone that chooses to live abroad. The process of renewing visas or applying for citizenship can be a lengthy process, as well as expensive. Also, if a person abroad does not have the right visa, it could prevent the person from working a job or receiving an education as well as many other mundane things citizens have the privilege of doing such as voting and driving. This can be dangerous, especially if someone does not know how their visa restricts them. If an immigrant gets a job on a visa that restricts them to only travel or education, the person can risk major imprisonment time. It is important that someone fully understands what the visa and citizenship grants them. If someone receives a criminal record abroad it could potentially restrict them from getting to visas to any other countries.
Another important thing immigrants and travelers should know is the common laws of the country they are travelling to. Many countries treat their prisoners differently, and an American abroad might not have as many rights in prison as they do in their home country. Many crimes have different sentences than they do in America, and often will not be extradited back to their home country to serve the sentence unless the home country appeals to have the person sent over, or if the foreign country deports the criminal. A recent example of this is the student Otto Warmbier who was imprisoned in North Korea for breaking a law, for allegedly trying to smuggle a propaganda poster out of the country. He was sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor in a North Korean labor camp and was subject to extreme abuse by the North Korean government. He ultimately was released back into American custody where doctors had discovered he suffered significant neurological damage, and he died days later. It is important to know all of the laws of a country. This is extremely dangerous when travelling abroad. If a person does not know the laws and the consequences, they could ultimately end up paying with their life.
Although there are many reasons why travelling to a foreign country could be dangerous, there is also many beneficial effects of travelling to a foreign country. Travel is the best way someone can broaden their horizons, and help develop understanding for a different culture. In “My Shape” by Sibner, it is clear Sibner travelled abroad because it was her dream, and it challenged her. She was able to create strong friendships abroad and learn a whole new language by experiencing the culture. Sibner was able to pursue her dreams, and remain motivated even in times of doubt, and setbacks that she was not expecting. In the article “Here’s Why You Should Live Abroad At Least Once In Your Life” written by Ginny Copestake, the author talks about some of the benefits that can be seen in Sibner’s narrative. Copestake believes that travelling abroad is one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences. Copestake writes “Not to get too philosophical, but the only way we improve as human beings, is to do the things we’re most scared off. Your instincts will tell you not to leave the safe environment of your home country, but your heart tells another story. Follow it, trust it, and you’ll never look back.” Sibner conquered her fear of leaving the life that was familiar to her and ended up living in France, which ultimately became her new home.
Although there are many dangers in living abroad in foreign countries, there is a great chance they can be prevented. If the traveler learns the language and culture, the laws and consequences of breaking the laws, and obtaining the right visa, the person has the opportunity to live a safe successful life abroad. It is important to research the country before travelling there, and to be prepared for potentially anything that could go wrong. While in another country, no one wants to experience being an outcast and judged by the society, nor does an expatriate want to pick up a criminal charge and having to serve the sentence in a foreign country for being ignorant of the common laws. Travelling to a foreign country is not as romantic and easy as film and literature makes it out to be. Travelling to a foreign country is scary, and challenging, and there are people out in the world that live off of exploiting tourists. It is imperative that every expatriate educates themselves about the dangers abroad in order to achieve their dreams of living abroad.
References
Clark Mindock, Mythili Sampathkumar New York. “Otto Warmbier dead: American student imprisoned in North Korea dies after being returned to US in coma.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 19 June 2017,
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/otto-warmbier-dead-north-korea-prison-us-student-dies-death-coma-kim-jong-un-ohio-latest-news-a7798241.html.
Copestake, Ginny. “Here's Why You Should Live Abroad at Least Once in Your Life.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Nov. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/ginny-copestake/heres-why-you-should-live_b_8682674.html.
Silber, Joan. “Ideas of Heaven: A Ring of Stories.” Google Books, books.google.com/books?id=CnOULf_LXQUC&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=my%2Bshape%2Bjoan%2Bsilber&source=bl&ots=Y7bN-rr53p&sig=QwGc3tMssbma1m_RzVnAmTwpxKY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiwuYba-M_XAhWGYd8KHVBQCPIQ6AEIVDAH#v=twopage&q&f=true.
“Unexpected Side Effects of Three Years Living Abroad.” Paper Planes, 21 July 2015, www.paperplanesblog.com/unexpected-side-effects-three-years-abroad/.
Walters, Ricky. “My Experience With The Broken Immigration System.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 June 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/ricky-walters/my-experience-with-the-br_b_10616646.html.
