Home » Opinion » Foreign Views
Illusions of life in West: not all it is cracked up to be
Print Edition
THROUGH my 14 years of teaching in China, I discovered that most of my students, influenced by most American television shows such as “Friends” and “Sex and the City,” social media such as the Facebook and Twitter and the endless selfies, and the majority of romantic comedies, had acquired unrealistic views about life in many Western countries.
That prompted them to have the illusion of being able to lead a life filled with wonders if their circumstances permitted them the opportunity to establish a life in the US or Canada, or European countries such as Sweden, Germany, Denmark or Norway.
Some of my students believed that the life portrayed in the American movies is a true reflection of the actual existence in Western countries.
While watching American movies, they admired the freedom that is granted to young people to choose their paths in life. They were awed by living in the fast lane lifestyles in the Western world. They were intrigued by the sexual freedom that young people seemed to enjoy.
During a discussion about the ways in which my students saw life in the West, I was listening in shock to the misconceptions they had acquired. I realized that their visions had nothing to do with the life I experienced it in Canada and the US.
To be frank, I had the same illusion of chasing a wonderful life in Canada when I was in my early teens, which prompted me to take the necessary measures to realize my dream by immigrating to Canada from Egypt.
As I settled in Canada, my fascination with the superficiality of the Western lifestyle wore off, discovering that my expected wonderful life was nothing but a figment of my idealistic and vivid imagination.
After I arrived in Canada, I found myself facing many obstacles in my endeavor to establish a life in my new country. First, I found out that finding a suitable job was a tedious challenge that needed to be handled with a great deal of effort and patience.
Secondly, I faced many obstacles in my struggle to be respected as a contributing member in the development of my chosen country. At work and everywhere I went, people made sure to emphasize my origin of birth as if they were adamant about making me feel that I didn’t belong there. My children were born and raised in Canada yet they are perceived as foreigners by their Canadian peers, which causes a great deal of pain for them.
Pros and cons
Finally, I had to deal with many frustrating incidents of racial and religious discrimination.
Of course, I must stress that there were individuals who showed a generosity of spirit to welcome me into their homes and help me in the process of adapting to life in my new country.
To be objective, I must emphasize the fact that living in a Western country has its merits as well as its shortcomings.
To begin with, ambitious individuals have ample opportunity to climb the ladder of success if they are willing to make the effort and the necessary sacrifices. And education systems in the West are well-developed and logically structured. Finally, there are many entertainment venues. Needless to say, there are other advantages.
As for the shortcomings, living in any Western country could have a negative impact in one’s social and personal life, but the same could be said about living in other countries. However, it might be safe to say that dysfunctional families caused by the high rate of divorce is more noticeable in the West than in China. Personal relationships are far from perfect. People suffer from loneliness and isolation. Addiction to drugs and alcohol are major problems.
The intention of my article is not to paint a dark picture of life in Western countries but rather to give a realistic view of what you may face if you venture to relocate to one of them.
To my fellow Chinese who are considering emigrating, I must emphasize that I was fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity to live in several Western countries including Canada, the US, Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Norway.
Without any reservations, I can state that life in China is reasonably comfortable, bearing in mind that securing a bright future in China is definitely possible for anyone willing to make the efforts.
The author is a Canadian teacher in China.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
