| Having lived in the United Kingdom for over 40 years, | | | | generally they complain frequently about the |
| I saw wave after wave of immigration from Asia, | | | | Portuguese language, the Madeiran way of driving, |
| mainly India and Pakistan in the early days, followed | | | | and the fact they can’t get certain products |
| by Europeans coming as the barriers for movement | | | | they used to get in their previous lives, and for sure |
| within Europe were relaxed and new member | | | | they are not going to try and learn to speak |
| countries entered into the European Union, often | | | | Portuguese. It is not my intention to be disrespectful |
| facilitated by new innovations in cheap travel and | | | | to these people, as they have made their own |
| vastly improved communications, and information | | | | choices, as they have every right to do. |
| resources available through internet developments. | | | | So I made a conscious decision to integrate, followed |
| In the UK I had several Asian friends, partly through | | | | by an enormous effort to do so, starting with |
| the oddity that we used the same swimming pool | | | | learning to speak Portuguese. It’s probably the |
| and sauna at the same times and days, and I had | | | | hardest thing I have ever tried to learn in my life, and |
| other friends from ethnic minority groups, mainly | | | | long after those initial encouraging comments like |
| through the fact that I made the effort to speak to | | | | ‘it takes 10 years to learn’ and ‘you will |
| people I saw often or passed on a regular basis. | | | | never speak like a Madeiran’, I still don’t |
| The British government at some stage realised that it | | | | speak the language very well and I am now realising |
| was necessary to do something to help these people | | | | that those comments were absolutely spot on. |
| integrate into society, of course much too late, but | | | | However, I will add that I am learning and progressing |
| at least it was something. | | | | very slowly, and am able to have some mostly one |
| So by the late 90’s, I could pass by immigrants | | | | way conversations with the locals, and I can feel |
| who had access to resources in education, the health | | | | some friendships blossoming, partly thanks to that |
| service, and the welfare and benefits systems, but | | | | great leveller called ‘football’, having ditched |
| by enlarge they still kept all their life activities within | | | | my English allegiances for clubs at both club and |
| their own families and ethnic groupings. Probably the | | | | national levels. My website at madeira 4u will tell you |
| exception was in the workplace where through racial | | | | some of the difficulties us Portuguese students face. |
| discrimination legislation different groups were forced | | | | Unlike the British Government (albeit for selfish |
| to mingle and liaise, whether through working | | | | reasons) the Madeiran government does nothing to |
| together or through a business to customer interface. | | | | encourage the mere existence of foreigners on its |
| Fine, but the integration plans just never succeeded, | | | | soil, other than to spend money and pay tax. Aside |
| and with certain ethnic groups the barriers to | | | | from its EU obligations that it cannot escape |
| friendship grew instead of shrinking, partly through | | | | undetected, it provides nothing special for foreigners |
| traits and trends in crime attribution and sociability | | | | whatsoever. We don’t have our gas bills available |
| issues, and also partly through the fact that many UK | | | | in 22 languages; we have to struggle to do our tax |
| taxpayers perceived the immigrants as actually | | | | returns with requests for help ignored (which is a |
| having better resources and benefits than they | | | | good reason why many of the immigrants living on |
| themselves had and were paying for, as well as new | | | | Madeira have never filed a tax return). We don’t |
| legislation to protect them from any unpleasant life | | | | get schooling laid on to help us learn the language, we |
| experiences which in itself was perceived as racism. | | | | don’t get offered jobs because the Madeiran |
| Whether these are valid issues that hamper social | | | | employers only employ their own kind, and if there |
| integration is not really the issue here. The issue is | | | | are any racial discrimination laws nobody here is |
| that given equality in every respect, is it really | | | | aware of them. |
| possible to coerce people to come together as one | | | | The people of Madeira are mostly kind and friendly, |
| race? | | | | and I can walk around any time of day or night |
| By the early part of the new millennium, politicians | | | | knowing I am safe, and should I suffer a heart |
| were becoming openly more concerned about the | | | | attack on the street someone will arrive very quickly |
| issues or integration, or rather ‘non | | | | to help me. The Madeirans by enlarge are deeply |
| integration’, and what is obvious to me now but | | | | catholic with many regular church goers; however, |
| was just a suspicion at the time, is that they really | | | | like all religions, the rules are there to guide other |
| don’t understand the complexity of the issues | | | | people and rarely apply to oneself. The trouble with |
| and the difficulty involved, probably through having | | | | being a foreigner is that it does imply a certain |
| never been in the same situation themselves and | | | | financial affluence whether it’s true or not, and it |
| certainly through not asking the people being asked | | | | is rather sad that some shops, bars, taxis, hotels and |
| to integrate about the difficulties. Moreover, politicians | | | | other businesses will see you as a tourist, ready to |
| want integration to happen for different reasons than | | | | be short measured, overcharged, and underchanged. |
| if the people want it to happen, namely in that it | | | | Even the mosquitoes prefer my white soft skin to |
| reduces social problems, government expenditure at | | | | that of the locals, whilst normally quiet dogs who let |
| local and national levels, unemployment and crime, and | | | | locals past without bother, bark at me from one end |
| that’s just for starters. | | | | of the street to another, and even the stray cats I |
| OK, so now it’s happened to me, and the shoe | | | | feed run a mile if I get too close. |
| is on the other foot. | | | | I now accept that I can never fully integrate into the |
| In 2003 I went to live on Madeira Island, part of | | | | society that I choose to live amongst, but I can |
| Portugal, a few hundred miles of the west coast of | | | | keep trying to make inroads if I make the effort, |
| Morocco, isolated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. | | | | and that takes me back to the beginning of this |
| I have not lived there all the time, and so I have still | | | | account, reinforcing my now firm belief that if you |
| had plenty of time with my own people. | | | | cannot integrate people who want to integrate, what |
| Now the difference between me and the situation I | | | | chance do you stand with those who show no |
| have already described is quite different, as I knew I | | | | interest in blending into the alien society in which they |
| would be pretty much alone, living in a small town | | | | live. Add to that the point that in most societies it |
| (about 5,000 people) with very few of them able to | | | | would be near impossible to get two different |
| speak any English … my one and only language skill. | | | | cultures to a point where they could say they had |
| There would be a few English speaking expats, who | | | | equality in all respects, as religion, political bias, and |
| might pressure a friendship on you under the umbrella | | | | personal and family beliefs, to name just a few, are |
| of ‘us and them’ and the ‘we Brits stick | | | | huge stumbling blocks |
| together’ syndromes, when you probably | | | | And maybe even more relevant is the fact that you |
| wouldn’t normally have anything to do with them | | | | can’t teach or force a feeling of trust and |
| even if they lived next door back home. | | | | respect on someone, when they have difficulty |
| You can easily identify them, as when talking about | | | | trusting and respecting those around them, and |
| anything to do with the Madeira, they refer to | | | | that’s exactly what a culture barrier does. |
| ‘them’ rather than ‘we’, and | | | | |