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I've lived a large fraction of my life as a foreigner. One stint was on a US military base as a civilian. I worked with someone who talked about being there as an "adventure." This person talked down to most of the local staff, who were afraid of her. In conversation it became apparent she didn't know any of the most obvious landmarks right outside the base. She had been there for years, and she'd spent more or less all that time inside the American bubble. There are so...goddamned...many of these people. I have to imagine the Raj was like this. People thinking they're so motherfucking worldly having only experienced an easier version of their life back home.
The expat bubble in China is just as bad. People talking about their ayi , where can I find a good ayi , because I'll be damned if I'm going to have a salary higher than the local norm and still wash my own underwear. Not understanding that the term "*ayi*" is a form of address derived from a familial relationship. Total commodification. An aunt who's willing to put up with your shit, cook meals with you, pick up after you, do your laundry, is a thing you acquire with money, not a fucking person. Not everyone is totally dehumanizing about it, but that's the default starting position.
I'm a cultured world traveler. I've bought coffee at Starbucks on multiple continents! I had to use a translation app to find the same Ikea furniture I had in my home country. Boy do I have opinions on the government of this country I've never seen outside of a 1 kilometer radius from the nearest McDonalds. I travel not to be changed by travel but to witness how the world changes itself to accommodate me.
I'm sorry I've got a lot of unfocused rage and disgust here. Fucking make an attempt. Travel without a guide. Learn the language. Take a motherfucking walk.