tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post7794686314206623487..comments2023-09-23T11:16:00.352+02:00Comments on The Franco-American Flophouse has moved: The Diversity of Americans AbroadVictoria FERAUGEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-80980918858236938042017-04-26T23:57:27.803+02:002017-04-26T23:57:27.803+02:00Monique, Thank you so much for reading here at th...Monique, Thank you so much for reading here at the Flophouse. I am very glad that what I said resonates with you. This has been for me one of the great joys of living abroad. I have met so many other Americans abroad who have enriched my life. Gave me a whole new vision of my own country and compatriots. And I hope my own stories and experiences have done the same for others. Victoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-50032499761988562802017-04-25T00:35:14.975+02:002017-04-25T00:35:14.975+02:00"Broadening your horizons in a foreign countr..."Broadening your horizons in a foreign country can be as much about meeting Americans you would never have encountered at home as it is about integrating in the host society."<br /><br />Victoria, this statement is one of the most powerful I have read in the context of this topic of conversation. Brava! About Beauford Delaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12819799928238815197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-43931375143218282942017-04-24T11:48:40.072+02:002017-04-24T11:48:40.072+02:00Ellen, Yeah, I saw it. Not the first time I have ...Ellen, Yeah, I saw it. Not the first time I have heard that and that it was time I thought to say something.<br /><br />Maria, Good point. The state of foreign language training in a lot of countries leaves much to be desired. My spouse had a very high level of English grammar but he couldn't speak English when he came to the US. I had a similar problem. 5 years of French at the high school and university level and I had trouble ordering a baguette. <br /><br /> It would be interesting to see how many migrants learn the language before they leave the home country. A lot of information about jobs in other countries comes through migrant networks. They know because they have a cousin or a neighbor or a friend who has been there. And, of course, there is social media and stuff like that. English takes you some places and locks you out of others. I'd say (and I've seen) that really high level professionals and executives can get by, do their jobs and such in foreign countries without ever learning a word of the local language. If you are not in that class with special skills/experience and you have to compete in the job market with the natives, you either have to find a niche (often an occupational ghetto with precarious employment) or you have to learn enough fast to find a decent job. Most of us learn. :-)<br />Victoria FERAUGEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16319699673885400472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-23762207078467499232017-04-24T10:27:42.193+02:002017-04-24T10:27:42.193+02:00Perhaps one of the reasons economically strapped A...Perhaps one of the reasons economically strapped Americans don't bother to leave to better their lives is also the language barrier. While the perception of the US being the country EVERYONE wants to get into for a decent life is overwhelming, someone who might know about opportunities in another country that would help him move his life forward, will be hindered by the fact that he doesn't know the language. <br /><br />Too many Americans feel that by knowing English, they have the keys to the world. Yes, they do, but to the temporary world of travel or professionalism where they contact others in their field elsewhere. But they can't function on a daily basis in a foreign country without knowing the language. The Spanish, also with a bad system of learning languages, understand this. Many soon-to-be expatriates go to intensive language classes to learn German, French, or English. Offers of good jobs in other countries require fluency in the local language. <br /><br />It's no surprise that the immigrant community in Spain with the most job placement is that from Latin America. We share the same language. Those with the most problems are those who do not speak Spanish. An American who would want to work here needs to speak Spanish, or be on a par with the lowliest migrant who just crossed over on a boat. Of course, there are those who move first and learn the language later, but they go through rough times before they can communicate well.<br /><br />That would be another instance of an ugly American - one who feels that they are superior to the locals simply because he speaks English. Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249273119777270679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2424131704277823220.post-48509161057830909802017-04-24T07:13:20.019+02:002017-04-24T07:13:20.019+02:00Again, thank you. A comment on my post on Facebook...Again, thank you. A comment on my post on Facebook, yesterday, left me speechless. I preferred not to reply immediately, so as not to get into a useless discussion. (Also, between my knitting and then going back to the polling station to count the votes, I didn't have time for an argument.)Ellen Lebellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01929639076042070115noreply@blogger.com