Spaces And Exchanges

This notion deals with the geographical and symbolic areas that all societies occupy and the interactions between men and different societies. In today’s world, exchanges can take different forms: cultural, economic, social, student’s exchanges or immigration. Our world is built on the exploration and conquest of new spaces. But what could drive people to leave their homes? First, we will look at a new life and finally we will talk about leave to a better life.

More and more people wants to leave their homes to discover a new land, a new landscape. They are fed up of the routine which settles in. Retirement homes, days and nights in the haze of television is enough. They just want adventure and leave the humdrum life. In the text « Welcome to Slab City » , an abandoned military base, we can see that many people comes to improve their living condition and escape their stressful life. People who settles are Slabers, they are a kind of hippies. They don’t like strict rules that’s why they’re come to Slab city. The goal of their life is the quest for absolute freedom so they leave everything to hit the road to discover new horizon, new faces and new experiences. They make friends from different origin and they can share their experience before and after hit the road. They don’t have to pay a rent to settle, they can do practically what they like. There is no bank, no police, only travelers who want to be quiet, in peace.

Nevertheless, they pay this freedom at the high price. If they don’t pay taxes, they have no sanitary facilities, no public service and they know that they can only rely on themselves. If one of them is sick, they have to travel a lot to see doctors. Slab City is good if you’re healthy. But in spite of the difficulties, they think this life is worth living. However hard their life is, they nevertheless enjoy it. Moreover, the road is the place where exchanges are located and a self discovery.

There are constraints to live in Slab city but advantages too, like freedom. Some people search a new life and others a better life that’s the reason of immigration.

Immigrants leave their countries in search of a better world. They want go to another country mainly because of politics problems or poverty. It’s the case for Mexicans in the text that we studied entitle « Closing the doors? ». Mexican immigration has accelerated since the eighties due to a major economic crisis in Mexico. This text refers to the Tortilla Curtains which is the border between Mexico and the USA. We can compare this border to the Berliner Wall because it prevents Mexicans to go to the other side. There is a border patrol to see to it that no illegal immigrant can cross the border or come to close to it. It looks like a prison wall for Mexicans. But despite it’s dangerous for them, they still try to cross the border. They’re so desperate and have nothing to lose, that’s why they take risks. Mexicans have no money and most of the time they must hold two jobs in order to feed and take care of their family. People who tries to cross illegally the border are peasants, poor farmers. They don’t know the 3 R’s: Reading, writing and arithmetic. This is the reason of immigration. Immigrants think that the USA are easier to get on with.

However, some americans denounce Mexicans immigrants. For exemple, in the text we have two different point

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