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I think the only country where you can truly become not-a-foreigner are the young countries (US, Canada etc) because we simply haven't been around long enough t
by IIAOPSW 8y ago
I think the only country where you can truly become not-a-foreigner are the young countries (US, Canada etc) because we simply haven't been around long enough to define our national identity on ancestry. Every other country does define itself on ancestry (some more nationalistic than others).
Don't get me wrong, your presence can become very much accepted and even appreciated, but you're always wai guo ren / gai jin. I'm struggling to think of a solid example right now.
I haven't lived in Taiwan. Do they call us laowai in Taiwan or is that just a mainland thing?
- graeme 8y agoCanada is the same as the US, maybe more so. I'm guessing Australia and New Zealand are similar.
- qkls 8y agoYou can become a not-a-foreigner in many European countries if you are white and speak without an accent. On the flipside, you can be classified as a foreigner even if you'd live your whole life in the country but aren't white.
- HelloNurse 8y agoIt depends, many European countries are ethnically diverse enough that appropriately dressed people of many ethnicities can look like natives; on the other hand many immigrants, including very ethnically aligned ones, look like immigrants even after one or two generations.