I have lived in a country different to the one I was born in for many years now, and It seems to me that the experience of acculturation is a very individual on

I have lived in a country different to the one I was born in for many years now, and It seems to me that the experience of acculturation is a very individual one. How much a person seeks to integrate into a new society is a function of how much the valued integration before they moved there. There are some people who have the chance to integrate with a mini diaspora community, and so not feel like an outsider. There are some 'middle class' people who want to recreate the comforts and social position they expected for themselves. There are people who were always outsiders who are fine to stay that way. Being an outsider helps you see through some of the self-deceit that goes unexamined in a society, and it gives you an opportunity to reflect on your own blind spots. It also gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the wilderness and develop a real connection and understanding of the land I was living in. Maybe far more so than people who have lived there for generations, but are caught up in the Human world, for who the landscape is just a destination/backdrop/resource.