Writing in the August 2013 edition of Expat.com, English Expat, Barry says, You know you've become an Expat, when. I've added four-items I've collected during my 8-years of expat life in Argentina.
- You want to do and see everything
- You realize expat life isn't a vacation
- You miss the weirdest things
- You start a bucket list for back home
I've also collected questions from friends, ‘back home'.
What should you know to become an expat?
Technology and online resources make it easy to live in a foreign country. But packing it in and leaving suburbia means more than just packing your bags. Tax codes, residency restrictions, health care systems vary, and each country opens its arms in a different ‘welcome' to expat life.
What does it mean to become an expatriate?
We are people who have left our country of origin to live in another country. We have left home for work reasons, romance, or ‘just because'. Some of us live overseas temporarily, and others have renounced their citizenship in favour of another.
We earn more as an expat than we would at home, and more than locals. Besides salary, many businesses offer expat employees relocation assistance and housing allowing.
Being an expat can be exciting while presenting us with an excellent chance for career advancement and global exposure, but it's also emotionally difficult and involves separation from friends and family while become used to an unfamiliar culture and work environment.
Is expat the same as immigrant?
Oxford defines Expatriate as 'A person who lives outside their native country', and Webster's says an expat is 'a person living in a foreign land'.
These definitions contrast with those of other words with a similar meaning, such as immigrant.
The Oxford Dictionary defines an immigrant as 'a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country'. Webster's says an immigrant is 'one that immigrates: such as a: a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence'.
How can I get the most of living abroad?
- Understand your visa and working rights.
- Learn the language.
- Plan ahead and get a career — not a job.
- Figure out the culture.
- Make friends.
- Don't get too comfortable and challenge yourself.
- Travel and see your host country.
