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How we should deal with immigrants is always a topic of discussion. Especially now when the immigration is high. First we have to separate diffrent groups of immigrants. We have those who want to move from their own country and live here for the rest of their lives and we have those who have fled from their native country because of war or famine to another country and they want to stay here for a while and return when their country of origin is in a better state. A current example of that is people who come from the war-torn Yugoslavia. Most of them want to go back when the war is over. It is not necessary to discuss whether we should integrate or assimilate these groups because they are only here for a short period. It is just important that we have preparedness to receive people in distress .
Then back to the first group; those who think they are going to stay here for the rest of their lives. I don't think we should choose either integration or assimilation. No, I think we have to blend the meaning of these words to achieve the best result. To assimilate doesn't have to mean to transform foreigners completely and it dosen't have to mean something negative. I think the most essential thing is that immigrants learn Swedish fluently. It is very important so they can communicate with Swedes and function in our society. It is also crucial if they are going to get Swedish friends and to be able to be with other people is important to the self-confidence and you can't be alone all the time. Another vital part is to learn about our culture so that they can understand how we behave and react in different situations. For example it is very rude to be late in Sweden if you are visiting someone and most Swedes wouldn't appreciate it, but in other countries it is quite the reverse. To have knowledge about a country's culture is important so you don't get misconceived. Why shouldn't we learn their language? Because we are in Sweden and I don't want us to loose our cultural heritage and it is impossible for us to learn all the languages in the world .
Integration should be a keyword besides assimilation. We have a great deal to learn from foreigners and their culture. We can try to improve ourselves by learning the positive sides of foreigners. Their culture is also important. We should incorporate other traditions with our own culture so that we will get a culture full of nuances. What whould we be without kebab, lasagne and St Valentine's day?
It is nice to go to a pizzeria and meet an Italian who speaks Swedish and makes Italian pizzas. It is a very good example of how we can mingle the two conceptions of integration and assimilation .
