The Internationals

I think there comes a point when every American studying/working/living abroad asks themselves this question:

“Did I come this far just to hang out with Americans?”

Most people who go to foreign countries imagine themselves bonding with the locals and experiencing their lives (or at least doing shots with them). I know that when I first left for Armenia, that’s what I thought I’d be doing. And of course, that did actually come true in some regard, mostly through my homestay. (Although I didn’t really think that I’d be doing shots with my fifty-seven-year-old host mom and her brother...but that was a good evening.) We were also incredibly lucky to be introduced to Gevork, a great friend and our unofficial guide to everything Armenian.

Still, I spent the majority of my time with fellow Americans Steven and Patrick, bumming around the Yerevan and speaking English all day long. This ended up being extremely fun and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything...but it wasn’t what I expected to be doing when I left.

In Russia, we American students were extremely lucky to meet some very awesome, very культурные (cultured) people our age, and so I actually spent a pretty decent amount of time hanging out with Russian people in Russia! What a phenomenon! It was great, and I left with a really positive impression of Russians my age, who in my experience were very open and outgoing (and patient with our Russian).

Here in Moldova, I thank constantly thank God for the Peace Corps, because without them we Fulbrighters would be so bored. Just having a few extra Americans in town really makes a difference. It’s nice to be able to relax with some fellow countrymen. There’s times when you just need to talk with an American, dammit. (Like when your university changes the dates of three of your finals without telling you...) Plus, they have the hook-up with all sorts of nice freebies: space heaters, American medicine, coats, textbooks, etc. Plus, they actually get decent language and teacher training, so they’re a great help when you are confused/out of ideas/need to find a language tutor. The only danger is that Peace Corps tells them about every possible safety and health hazard, so talking to them has the tendency to make you extremely paranoid.

There’s also the interesting phenomenon of the international community that springs up whenever a few foreigners meet in a strange land. You’re all kind of bored, trying to meet people, and having difficulties with the culture and the language. So, of course, you hang out. In Armenia, I was friends with people from Israel, Russia, Poland, and Iran. (Armenia: the only place in the world where Iranians, Israelis, Americans are allies.)

I notice pretty much the same phenomenon here. One of my students asked me the other day, “Did you think when you came to Moldova you would be spending so much time with Turkish people?” The answer: no, but I probably should have guessed. It’s been pretty fun meeting the other internationals in Moldova. We Americans teamed up with the European volunteers (from Spain, Lithuania, France, and Germany) to party and go to the disco last night, and I have to say it was pretty awesome.

At any rate, my own international experiences have made me skeptical of those typical travel narratives where people go to a foreign country, integrate with the locals, and spend the rest of their time their living natively ever after. In my experience, it usually doesn’t work out like that. But, that’s not always a bad thing. Hanging out with other foreigners helps you to process the massive task of fitting in to another culture, and can even teach you about a new one (see: my Turkish language lessons). At the very least, it definitely keeps you sane, even if it doesn’t fit in with the romantic conception of living abroad.