"Immigrants try either to maintain their native beliefs or to adopt the beliefs of their host country. The first option is difficult: They are in a culture incompatible with their native beliefs and will sustain their spirituality only if it was already strongly established. In the second case, where immigrants adopt the host country's spirituality, they must learn an entirely new system. In either case Immigrants must cope with the problems of conflict between two cultures, until they reach a spiritual stage where cultural references become meaningless."

I thnk this gets to the heart of the immigrant experience, read and think...

This is surely too limited. When I become an immigrant I fully expect that I will mix'n'match my beliefs and attitudes (the best of both, naturally, ahem). There would be no point in going if I were just going to hang on to my existing world view, but OTOH I am what I am (the sum of my experiences) and I'm not going to turn into someone completely new and "native".

Cultural references don't become meaningless, they blend and produce a new culture in which you can see the influences of both ancestral cultures.

In other words I will become Australinglish. I hope!

Whereas *I* will always be Jewish.....

Anya.

What you believe, how strongly you believe in it and how deep rooted it is within your personal set-up is purely a 'personal' thing and hence why some migrants 'make it' and some don't.

Isn't that the beauty of human nature, isn't that what makes us all different?

For gawds sake, why is their so much bitchin' about who's 'made it' and who hasn't - haven't those who've returned to their homeland at least had the balls to 'have a go'? Certainly bigger balls than those who sit on their arses dreaming about it but find a million and one comfortable reasons not to.

To those who are about to go - follow your dreams

To those who are there - give it a bloody good go

And to those who've returned - well done for trying

In Australia immigrants have passed on some native beliefs into Australian culture. Quite natural for a nation wanting to develop its own identity. What is Australian culture? The answer will vary from suburb to suburb and city to city.

Very true
To fit into the society here in Tin Can it would appear you either have to be a habitual drunk, a user of recreational drugs or both
Hic.....

Pass the spliff dear

Just joking :scared:

Didn't know you studied Popeye?

"I ams what I ams ack ack ack ack"

Oh it must be bedtime,

JTL

Mmm well I could have quoting from The Strawbs' "Part Of The Union" ("I am what I am, I'm a company man") or probably many other things, but you're right, you read my mind, it was Popeye. Now, where's me spinach? (Makes a change from lettuce.)

I think that was Megs point.

In the period leading up to becoming Australinglish you will have to cope with the conflicts of the two cultures coming together.

Agree with Mark, but lets not get too hung up on assimilation etc. I'm sure there's thousands of Aus immigrants who have preserved their culture, yet fitted in. We all seem to be paranoid about remaining Pommies, yet you wouldn't think the Greeks, Thai, whatever to be quite so hung up about their mother-culture... infact there is pride there... a good pride, as opposed to the British bulldog nonsense.

Given this has not yet been achieved between native-Aussies and the indigenous people of Oz, I guess there's not much chance for immigrants, is there?

Plenty of stories of first generation immigrants clinging to custom, second generation pulled twixt parents and society. Later in life, they or the third generation discovering resonances with first generation's culture.