Truly, what's the difference, Taffy, between your Chinese wife and child when you return to the UK in the Spring - vs - a refugee (Muslim or other) entering the UK? Both are strangers with different values entering a country where they have to try to adapt.
When your child starts school: Will she be considered by the "native" UK children of the school as someone who is not from the UK, as a refugee,as an immigrant, as someone who is not like them?
If so, will you remember your own xenophobia when she comes home crying? Will you remember what you presently feel towards those who are different? Or will you open two bottles of wine and drink them in one shot?
If it is the case, it means you have not resolved your inner conflicts and your posts here are meaningless (except maybe for recipes)
Yep, Taffy has always had Brit nationality. However, his Chinese wife has chosen to switch nationality from Chinese to Brit, having been able to do so coz of marrying Taffy (in China). She prefers to live in the UK, as does he. Between them, they have decided to get their mixed-race daughter Brit nationality while she was very young. I believe they could have delayed doing so up to the date of their daughter's 18th birthday or so, until which she could have retained her Chinese nationality, and made her own decision.
Taffy and his wife clearly believe it's better for their daughter to have Brit nationaliy. However, China doesn't allow its citizens to have dual nationality. Besides, it's very very hard to switch from other nationalities to Chinese nationality. Their daughter will be treated just like other immigrants, legal or illegal, by some racist white people in the UK coz she looks different from them. There will be some negative things in this respect, and her employment opportunities won't equate with those of native white people, who tend to be preferred. If she were raised in China as a Chinese citizen, it would be smoother with no discrimination when applying for jobs, but doing so in a more competitive job market. Who knows if her parents have made the right decision for her! They do not know, they only think they do!
I can say as a Scottish/German mongrel that it was somewhat hard for me being raised in Scotland due to bullying at school. However, I could have gotten dual nationality. I didn't apply coz I knew it was harder to become a teacher in Germany than in Scotland. The German side of my family were very kind to me when I visited Germany, kinder than my Scottish side were in Scotland, but that was dwarfed in importance by my desire to obtain a decent job! And the Brits were certainly lazier than Germans. I reckoned things on the job front would be easier for me in the UK, and it was indeed so!
- Re Beware Beijing Huijia Private School -- Davyhulme -- 2016-11-15
- To Taffy -- Curious -- 2016-11-15
- Re To Taffy -- Former FT in China -- 2016-11-16
- Re: To Taffy -- BeenThere -- 2016-11-15
- Re: To Taffy -- Xian -- 2016-11-17
- Re: To Taffy -- shroger -- 2016-11-18
- Re: To Taffy -- BeenThere -- 2016-11-15
- Re To Taffy -- Former FT in China -- 2016-11-16
- To Taffy -- Curious -- 2016-11-15