A telling off for Iceland, with a bit of advice thrown in
Today is the date for the last payment for our old house in Garður, Iceland. We've obviously handed it over months ago but this is the final push and after that it is completely off our hands. Can't say I've thought much about the house and I certainly haven't missed the hours drive to work at 6am in the morning.
It's funny to think that in three months time we'll be living in England again ... I'm happy ... and I'm sad ... I do wish my native country had given my wife and children a warm welcome but unfortunately, as hard as it is to settle in a new culture, it is made harder for people moving to Iceland with all the bouracratic nonsense you have to go through ... it's obvious what's lacking in various governmental departments ... I know this as a former team leader and an experienced manager.
What they need are policies and procedure (which I'm sure they have to some extent) but even more importantly they need to follow them in practice 'cos they are useless otherwise. These policies and procedures then need to be implemented accross the board in all relevant areas of governmental administration. Then they need liaison between governmental departments and clear lines as to what each departments role is. As well as this they need trained interviewers that have the power and knowledge to apply governmental policy and procedure to fit each individual visitors needs and situations. That way they can get out of this sticking-everyone-in-the-same-box culture (that on their mission statements doesn't exist but in reality is all that exists). They also need an overall body to ensure that all this is being run smoothly and to frequently make adjustments and updates so as to learn from past issues that arise.
Finally, the government needs to spend money on education and prevention regarding racism, acceptance, tolerance and other cultures (maybe focusing on Polish, Eastern-European, Russian and English-speaking cultures which are the most common in Iceland). This money needs to be spent on kids from the beginning of their schooling. This way, Iceland can truly become multi-cultural, accepting in people of all different backrounds, helping these people to adapt and at the same time helping the Icelandic community adapt ... cause adaption is difficult from both sides and should be a long term goal that everyone works to achieve.
If these, or similar, measures are not taken and Iceland does not prepair itself and its children for the arrival of people from other cultures, things will go wrong! You will get what you see for instance in Denmark and France, where you have various pockets of people living in seperate communities with minimal contact with other communities. This breeds ignorance of what the other communities are like and creates tension, which creates conflict, which creates hate, crime and violence ... and indifference. Once you are at that stage it is hard to turn back. Just look at it on a global scale ... Western culture vs. Eastern religion ... it's dangerous stuff ... Iceland has all the opportunities in the world to learn from the mistakes of its neighbours ... and is using none of them ... WAKE UP ICELAND!
But alas ... Iceland is too young. If the worlds lifespan is measured in a generation then Iceland is probably in it's pre-teens ... if that ... we have alot to learn ... so, until this happens, which I don't for one minute think will be in my lifetime ... me and my family have been forced, through red tape and social exclusion, to move back to Britain, which we don't feel is particuarly safe for our children but at least they are accepted for who they are, as am I, depite being an immigrant there.
It's funny to think that in three months time we'll be living in England again ... I'm happy ... and I'm sad ... I do wish my native country had given my wife and children a warm welcome but unfortunately, as hard as it is to settle in a new culture, it is made harder for people moving to Iceland with all the bouracratic nonsense you have to go through ... it's obvious what's lacking in various governmental departments ... I know this as a former team leader and an experienced manager.
What they need are policies and procedure (which I'm sure they have to some extent) but even more importantly they need to follow them in practice 'cos they are useless otherwise. These policies and procedures then need to be implemented accross the board in all relevant areas of governmental administration. Then they need liaison between governmental departments and clear lines as to what each departments role is. As well as this they need trained interviewers that have the power and knowledge to apply governmental policy and procedure to fit each individual visitors needs and situations. That way they can get out of this sticking-everyone-in-the-same-box culture (that on their mission statements doesn't exist but in reality is all that exists). They also need an overall body to ensure that all this is being run smoothly and to frequently make adjustments and updates so as to learn from past issues that arise.
Finally, the government needs to spend money on education and prevention regarding racism, acceptance, tolerance and other cultures (maybe focusing on Polish, Eastern-European, Russian and English-speaking cultures which are the most common in Iceland). This money needs to be spent on kids from the beginning of their schooling. This way, Iceland can truly become multi-cultural, accepting in people of all different backrounds, helping these people to adapt and at the same time helping the Icelandic community adapt ... cause adaption is difficult from both sides and should be a long term goal that everyone works to achieve.
If these, or similar, measures are not taken and Iceland does not prepair itself and its children for the arrival of people from other cultures, things will go wrong! You will get what you see for instance in Denmark and France, where you have various pockets of people living in seperate communities with minimal contact with other communities. This breeds ignorance of what the other communities are like and creates tension, which creates conflict, which creates hate, crime and violence ... and indifference. Once you are at that stage it is hard to turn back. Just look at it on a global scale ... Western culture vs. Eastern religion ... it's dangerous stuff ... Iceland has all the opportunities in the world to learn from the mistakes of its neighbours ... and is using none of them ... WAKE UP ICELAND!
But alas ... Iceland is too young. If the worlds lifespan is measured in a generation then Iceland is probably in it's pre-teens ... if that ... we have alot to learn ... so, until this happens, which I don't for one minute think will be in my lifetime ... me and my family have been forced, through red tape and social exclusion, to move back to Britain, which we don't feel is particuarly safe for our children but at least they are accepted for who they are, as am I, depite being an immigrant there.
posted by Tóti Freysson at Friday, September 15, 2006
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