Go away...is not generally true!

allnurses Guide · Dec 24, 2008

Well, I can report that my workmates came out in force - at least four of them invited me over for Xmas eve or Xmas day for dinner with their families since they didn't want me to sit at home with my cat and no family in a foreign country - very kind!

Aviationurse · Dec 24, 2008

great post zuzi.... this is my 21st christmas in foreign land from philippines.....5 years in good old london and now USA.....MERRY CHRISTMAS.....:redpinkhe:redpinkhe:redpinkhe

Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN · Dec 24, 2008

Ghilbert glad to hear you got an invite and rocking and rolling hope new opportunities come you way.

allnurses Guide · Dec 24, 2008

Thanks Alex, yes I have a great team that I work with!

My boss' card to me said "By far the best thing to happen to the program in 2008 was convincing you to come work with us. Whatever we were before, we are far better for having you here. Even though you are far from home at Christmas, remember you are among many friends here."

Aww... isn't that sweet!?

starbin, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2008

I happened to be in the break room of a Nursing home during their lunch hours two days in a row last week.

Here is my observation:

There were four large round tables with six to eight chairs around them. In one table there were a group of spanish speaking nursing home workers sharing their ethnic food with the people around the table while waiting for the lunch trays, and enjoying the chat. Another table was filled with Phillipino employees, they also seemed to be busy chating in their own language while waiting for the lunch trays to come. Another table had polish employees (this NH is in a neighborhood of multinationality) busy talking and eating. This table had few chairs empty. The fourth table had three indian nurses chating.

I didn't know where I should sit. I don't understand any of their conversation, i don't want to look like an intruder there, and disturb their nice break. Should I just grab a chair and put it on the corner and sit alone? I didn't know what to do.

I warmed the food in microwave, and returned to my car and finished my lunch.

This is the answer to people who think foreign nurses aren't welcome here. They are more than just welcome.

allnurses Guide · Dec 25, 2008

I don't get your point, Starbin...??

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2008

I don't get your point, Starbin...??

When I lived in NYC I was often the only native English speaker in the group. I think that's the point - that we have a lot of people of different backgrounds here. I won't say "foreigner," because I don't like that word, and most of my foreign-born friends became citizens, and were as American as I even if their ENglish was sometimes fractured.

I now live in a very insular community, and I miss the different groups. And I miss my Russian group, in which I learned to complain in Russian with a Muscovite accent, which was corrected by a Ukranian's 4 year old to the Russian equivalent of a Brooklyn accent. All of my friends were falling off of their chairs and, of course, I didn't get it.

It was great, esp. once they realized that they were allowed to crack up at my Russian and I, at their sometime VERy funny English constructions.

:)

Atheos · Dec 25, 2008

I don't get your point, Starbin...??

I think her point was that foreigners ARE welcome but are not always the most welcoming people.

Quite often they keep themselves separate.

I consistently have to remind coworkers that if we are in a group talking and they start conversing in their own language that it is an insult, an affront and a direct exclusion of those of us that don't speak the language. Then, when we do things and they aren't included they get mad and say we don't welcome them. Hmmm.... Can't have it both ways.

BTW - That's the first lesson any person needs to learn when moving somewhere else. Excluding someone through the use of language is rude, whether on accident or not. Talking in a big group at say the nurses station in one language when you all know the one lone nurse or aide doesn't understand is rude and an insult.

Only socializing with your countrymen and/or language speakers also doesn't exactly engender feelings of 'being welcome.'

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2008

I think her point was that foreigners ARE welcome but are not always the most welcoming people.
Quite often they keep themselves separate.

I think that that is often from fear, Stan, of being excluded.

As to speaking in their native tongue - that's natural. I've co-workers do it and sometimes it was because one of them just didn't have the English so we would often interpret and expand for one another. But before we were able to do that they had to be very comfortable with me, and trust me. And I do mean trust, that I wouldn't mock them for their English or resent them for being here in the first place. And a gentle, "Yo, what?" would often make them realize that I was there and did not speak Russian or Tagalog. Usually Russian. They weren't excluding me - actually, when it happened I wa a little flattered because they forgot that I was different.

And then, of coure, there was programming Russian, whcih consisted of English words in Russian grammar.

Atheos · Dec 25, 2008

I think that that is often from fear, Stan, of being excluded.
As to speaking in their native tongue - that's natural. I've co-workers do it and sometimes it was because one of them just didn't have the English so we would often interpret and expand for one another. But before we were able to do that they had to be very comfortable with me, and trust me. And I do mean trust, that I wouldn't mock them for their English or resent them for being here in the first place. And a gentle, "Yo, what?" would often make them realize that I was there and did not speak Russian or Tagalog. Usually Russian. They weren't excluding me - actually, when it happened I wa a little flattered because they forgot that I was different.
And then, of course, there was programming Russian, which consisted of English words in Russian grammar.

Indeed, it takes trust. However, if they never make the effort and scare me away then nothing changes. Of course, if I never make the effort and scare them away we have the same results.

Even though I always wonder at the bravery of people to go somewhere new and unknown while being to fearful to talk to the new people. It's kinda strange.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2008

Even though I always wonder at the bravery of people to go somewhere new and unknown while being to fearful to talk to the new people. It's kinda strange.

See, given conditions in many of the places from which people come it doesn't strike me as strange at all. Sometimes the devil you know is bad enough that you'll take a chance on the one you don't.