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arko5
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01 Aug 2011, 2:32 pm

A bit random this, but I thought I'd post a poem by Philip Larkin that struck a chord with me:

Quote:
The Importance of Elsewhere
Philip Larkin

Lonely in Ireland, since it was not home,
Strangeness made sense. The salt rebuff of speech,
Insisting so on difference, made me welcome:
Once that was recognised, we were in touch

Their draughty streets, end-on to hills, the faint
Archaic smell of dockland, like a stable,
The herring-hawker's cry, dwindling, went
To prove me separate, not unworkable.

Living in England has no such excuse:
These are my customs and establishments
It would be much more serious to refuse.
Here no elsewhere underwrites my existence.


I like the idea that status as a 'foreigner' could allow others to accept your differences/ social faux pas. I think AS can be hard to understand for other people because there's no obvious disability, if you have a leg in a cast people make allowances to help you out, rather than get annoyed at the speed you walk. If you have an accent that suggests you're from somewhere else, it may allow people to make an incorrect, but harmless excuse for the way you act.

I'd be interested to know if aspies who have moved to other countries find it easier, or I guess the opposite could be true and there's just new social rules to learn.


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Your Aspie score: 146 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 51 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie (confirmed w/ diagnosis)


wefunction
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01 Aug 2011, 3:38 pm

I'm an American and very much enjoyed Europe. I lived in Germany but the overall European sensibility really fit the way I think and how I prefer to live my life.



Tequila
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01 Aug 2011, 4:02 pm

wefunction wrote:
I'm an American and very much enjoyed Europe.


It's interesting, as many people would paint my political alegiances as being hostile to Europe when that couldn't be further from the truth. I frequently feel more at home in mainland Europe than I do in either the UK or Ireland.



OJani
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01 Aug 2011, 4:32 pm

arko5 wrote:
I'd be interested to know if aspies who have moved to other countries find it easier, or I guess the opposite could be true and there's just new social rules to learn.

Being a foreigner here, as WP is primarily for English speaking people mostly from the states, I quite enjoy myself. Although it is not the same what you ask here since I'm not living there (I would if I could btw), I feel better here on WP than on any other autism related forums or blogs in my country, and I'm serious.

Perhaps relating to people, finding friendships in a foreign country is more challenging for everyone though, and it's even more so for an Aspie.



AngelKnight
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01 Aug 2011, 4:38 pm

For as strange as I am, I find that the Irish tend to be reasonably comfortable and friendly with me when I stop for a pint or two somewhere. The other nice thing is that in Dublin, being very-obviously-non-Caucasian raises no eyebrows at all.



the_curmudge
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01 Aug 2011, 7:06 pm

I'm an American who lived in the UK for a year, and it was the best year of my life. For the very first time I was treated with respect; it may have been because I was a foreigner or it may have been that the British are more tolerant of individual differences in general. Anyway, I came home feeling like a human being.

By the way, I was there attending the university where Philip Larkin worked, though I'm not aware of having met him.