The word “expatriate” has many meanings and interpretations. One literal interpretation of the word and concept is from the Latin. “Ex” could mean former, as in “ex-con”; it can also mean outside of or deriving from. What it does not mean is “anti” or anything negative, though many interpret that as the meaning. This leads to great misunderstandings, at home and abroad.
What further complicates understanding this concept are the many different reasons for being an expatriate in today’s world. What motivates someone to leave home and live in another country? Let’s look at some of the classic reasons, good and bad.
There are many who marry a person from another country. From personal experience, it changes one’s perspectives. For one, we tend to idealize the country of our loved one. Love the person; it follows to love their country and culture.
Many come as students and love the experience and want to stay and become employed. Many are teachers of English. They could go anywhere, China, Taiwan, developing countries. They come to Korea, some by studied, strategic choice; some by accident, which boils down to getting a job offer. Some teachers love the experience and stay a long time. Some love the experience so much they are confused about the future.
Then there are diplomats and the diplomatic community. Usually their term is carefully defined not to permit long-term stays, but their careers amount to a series of expatriate work experiences in various countries. They are like the rest of us. They end up always being fond of where they served.
Then, there are those who are not the best expatriates. Some are moving around globally to evade criminal charges in their home countries, or tax burdens they feel are unfair and wish to avoid consequences in home country. Avoiding taxes and criminal charges, real or imagined, become strong motivations to avoid going home.
This often gets down to tax evasion (a crime), involving hiding information or fraudulent misrepresentation, or legal tax avoidance. U.S. citizens living and deriving income abroad and making a life in a foreign location are given actual tax breaks, for example.
What are the kinds of people who are expatriates? As reviewed above, some are students, some are business people working with international companies and global organizations, some are those from retiring military to family members who just love where they have been and want to stay longer. Ask them where they want to die. They are not sure.
We know from research, for example, that students living abroad go through stages of acculturation the longer they visit another country. Usually my experience is to see that students start to really get over homesickness and start liking their “new” country of residence around six months. And, usually by the end of the first year many will say they love this new place and feel they have a second country. This comes with key events of bonding — having friends and families who are showing great hospitality; getting to know the system and liking it; learning the language.
Now, what interests me here about expatriates are those who somehow have transformed into globalists. This may take even living and being an expatriate is several countries before a new perspective develops. When I was young, for example, I thought getting on a jet airplane and arriving in another culture on a different continent in just a matter of hours was somewhat magical and surreal.
At this stage of my life, after living in and learning to love four countries in addition to my own, it seems not magical at all. In fact, it is other people who seem to be in disbelief. When I go back to California on business several times a year, I talk to friends and family about how cool South Korea is to live and work. Not everyone, but some look at me with a strange look like I am living on Mars, or at least the Moon. They just cannot conceive of what it is. Now my fear is that what expatriate means to them might be something very negative, like losing love for my country or even worse, my loyalty for my country. The fact is that living abroad tends to help us all appreciate our home country even more.
The point is that it is getting more difficult to become a truly global person. It is something apart from being a “patriot” or a single country person. It is a different world. Getting on a jet and flying halfway around the world is just another plane ride to a familiar place. Nothing that magical. But when this stage develops, we know we are different than most.
So, being an expatriate is a good thing. We are a tolerant minority. We learn to appreciate others. We learn to be unafraid. We find differences “interesting,” never “disturbing.” We can see over the horizon and the world is definitely not a flat place. We become global.
And, as we say so often “safe travel” to a friend, we also say, thanks for the great hospitality!
Michael L. McManus writes twice monthly for The Korea Times. He is an adjunct professor at Gachon University and Sookmyung Women’s University, and an advisor at Hankuk University of Foreign Study. Comment is welcome. He can be reached at mcmismism@aol.com.