The life of an expat, good, bad, and whatever. The things you never knew or thought to ask....
(And on a completely unrelated note, I have included some favorite pictures from over the years living as an expat....)
Greetings to family and friends and random strangers who are unfortunate enough to end up here. As this posting/position in Antananarivo (Madagascar) has been particularly challenging for me, I thought it was a good time to express a lot of what I spend my time doing and thinking about which may not be what many of you expect. I imagine that one could write a book from the title I have given, and indeed many books have been written on many of the topics I will mention shortly. But I am not writing a book (at least not at this point) and thus, this will be more of a conversation starter posting, than deeply informative. But I still hope it will be somewhat informative nonetheless.
Let us start with what exactly I mean when I am talking about an expat. An expatriate is a person who is in a country not his or her own. So any person could be called an expatriate simply if he or she is living in a country not their own. Thus, I (or anyone) would be considered an expatriate in each new country in which I live and get established. I suppose one could even call refugees expatriates, but it is likely that a more detailed definition and differences would become clear in that case, related to details based on choice to leave ones country of origin, and freedom to return, as well as ability to support oneself, and the temporary status of an individual in the country which is not his or her own.
Thus, the term 'expat' is a shortening of the word 'expatriate' and a common one used with humanitarian aid workers, as all of the above things apply. When one is an expat in a new country, the first order of business is to learn everything which a local person learns in that culture in basically the first 15 years of their life. (Or of course you can ignore the fact you are in a new country and the effort of engaging with the local environment and stay in a bubble of expats).
You think this is an exaggeration? Think again.
I will shortly give examples, but I will first add what might be included in 'everything learned in the first 15 years of life'; I mean more than how to get around in a particular city and how to enjoy different foods. I mean...what is considered socially acceptable behavior, what kinds of questions are ok to ask and what are not, how is acceptable to express/ display your emotions (or not), how do people look at money, how do people view or follow certain religions and all that goes with that, how various institutions are setup and what `they look like`(postal system, school system, retirement, insurance, etc.). Political establishments, elections, and how that impacts the society etc.
While many of these things are the grand-scape, there are of course the small things, like what foods are available, what is your body`s reaction to new foods, where can you expect to find a toilet, how to unlock a door, can you brush your teeth with the water from the faucet, can you /should you look who in the eye on the street, social behavior and respect given on all levels, are communications direct/circular/indirect/ implied, what clothes can you wear, hair styles/length/color/ display which is appropriate, what is considered attractive and unattractive for men and women, are animals pets, or food, or both, And of course this is all learnt and communicated via the context of a foreign language - if not for the expat then most likely for the local person trying to communicate about such things. For example, if they are sharing with me in English, this is not their first language either and thus may not always have the exact word or meaning to explain. They may also not understand what you are trying to communicate or ask of them as well as one might hope, expect, or think. Until you realize via the course of events that this indeed the case. (Examples to come.)
Ok, I think you get the idea, now for specific examples (be assured that any one who has been considered an expat at some point in their lives will have many, many examples to share with you.)
1. How to eat: US= knife, fork, spoon vs. India = with your hands
2. How to go to the bathroom: western world = sit on toilet use paper to finish (most of the time) Vs. may African and Asian cultures = squatting over hole, use water to finish.
3. Where to drive: right Vs. left side of the road
4. Where does the water come from: running water in the house all of the time Vs. running water some of the time which cannot be drunk directly Vs. no running water, must be carried, purchased, etc.
5. How to do your hair: free and down is great Vs. Muslim or other extremely conservative cultures must have hair tightly back or not showing at all.
6. How to eat an ice cream cone: US hold and lick the ice cream to eat it Vs. Morocco (and likely other countries) do NOT lick your cone in public. Nope, just don't do it. Get a spoon.
I think this is where I will leave it for this blog posting, hopefully with a little bit of laughter, and next posting I will go a bit more in to detail as to what some of these kinds of things indeed look like in the every day work and play of an expat - or actually of me.
So, many of you reading are currently or have been expats, let me know what you think? Comment or send me your funny example or story (and let me know if I can include it or reference it in my next posting(s)).
Lots of love hugs and Christ-focused greetings for the coming holidays (crazy how time flies!)
Until next time,
Jessica
(And on a completely unrelated note, I have included some favorite pictures from over the years living as an expat....)
Let us start with what exactly I mean when I am talking about an expat. An expatriate is a person who is in a country not his or her own. So any person could be called an expatriate simply if he or she is living in a country not their own. Thus, I (or anyone) would be considered an expatriate in each new country in which I live and get established. I suppose one could even call refugees expatriates, but it is likely that a more detailed definition and differences would become clear in that case, related to details based on choice to leave ones country of origin, and freedom to return, as well as ability to support oneself, and the temporary status of an individual in the country which is not his or her own.Thus, the term 'expat' is a shortening of the word 'expatriate' and a common one used with humanitarian aid workers, as all of the above things apply. When one is an expat in a new country, the first order of business is to learn everything which a local person learns in that culture in basically the first 15 years of their life. (Or of course you can ignore the fact you are in a new country and the effort of engaging with the local environment and stay in a bubble of expats).
You think this is an exaggeration? Think again.
I will shortly give examples, but I will first add what might be included in 'everything learned in the first 15 years of life'; I mean more than how to get around in a particular city and how to enjoy different foods. I mean...what is considered socially acceptable behavior, what kinds of questions are ok to ask and what are not, how is acceptable to express/ display your emotions (or not), how do people look at money, how do people view or follow certain religions and all that goes with that, how various institutions are setup and what `they look like`(postal system, school system, retirement, insurance, etc.). Political establishments, elections, and how that impacts the society etc.
Ok, I think you get the idea, now for specific examples (be assured that any one who has been considered an expat at some point in their lives will have many, many examples to share with you.)
1. How to eat: US= knife, fork, spoon vs. India = with your hands
2. How to go to the bathroom: western world = sit on toilet use paper to finish (most of the time) Vs. may African and Asian cultures = squatting over hole, use water to finish.
3. Where to drive: right Vs. left side of the road
4. Where does the water come from: running water in the house all of the time Vs. running water some of the time which cannot be drunk directly Vs. no running water, must be carried, purchased, etc.
5. How to do your hair: free and down is great Vs. Muslim or other extremely conservative cultures must have hair tightly back or not showing at all.
6. How to eat an ice cream cone: US hold and lick the ice cream to eat it Vs. Morocco (and likely other countries) do NOT lick your cone in public. Nope, just don't do it. Get a spoon.
So, many of you reading are currently or have been expats, let me know what you think? Comment or send me your funny example or story (and let me know if I can include it or reference it in my next posting(s)).
Lots of love hugs and Christ-focused greetings for the coming holidays (crazy how time flies!)
Until next time,
Jessica
