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I first moved to the US in the late nineties and stayed there for 4 years. I thought I would learn a lot about American culture which I did.

But what I didn't expect was how much I learned about my own (Danish) culture.

I also learned who where my friends, who did I miss, who I could live without.

I swam across the pond from one culture to another and learned that the water might be different but the fish are more or less the same.

I have to say I liked the new pond better than the old one.




I did the opposite swim and have had the exact same experience. I miss some of my friends but found my family to be much more reliable.

I try to avoid having preference of one pond over another. I now understand how each system is different and see the advantages and flaws in both.

One thing I try to avoid is "immigrant guilt". I don't know if there is a word for it but when you move to another country some try to over compensate for fear of losing their identity, ie. being extra British, or extra American (this is the one people tend to meet it seems), or extra French. These people tend to celebrate the national holidays even if they never did before, wear patriotic or national shirts, or go extra thick on the language.


>compensate for fear of losing their identity

My experience is the same as both of you except I don't really count where I was born as my identity. It informs and effects my actions but I try to choose where I live based on where I can have the best quality of life.


Unitarians do this, but with religeon. Few are born into it; most are disaffected from something else. There are said to be 3 phases

1) Boy those {what I used to be} are full of it.

2) So, what's all this Unitarian stuff about?

3) {long delay} I see, I will always be {what I used to be}


I agree with you.

When I say I prefer one over another it's not based on good vs. bad.

It's more "when all comes to all"


I think my Boston accent thickens when I leave New England.




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