Expat value to your 'home' country

canexpat · 2009-09-27T17:50:48+02:00

Expat value to your 'home' country Expatriate forum forum. Find answers to your questions in the expat forum. Blogs, pictures, forum for expatriates on expat.com

Last activity 14 October 2009 by ECS

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canexpatNew member27 September 2009 15:50:48

Further to a post by Julien/ founder of this site, it is true that there are many individuals that have found a life (some temporarily & some permanently) abroad. With the exception of a few notables, many countries then turn their back on these individuals, calling them "citizens of convenience".

I strongly believe however that expats provide real and tangible value to their home country. Expats often promote their home countries and it's products in some cases creating whole markets. Expats that eventually return to their home country do so with an entire new set of unique skills (cultural sensitivity, linguistic skiils, contacts).

I would love to hear from you. What do you believe expats contribute to their home country?

-or- Perhaps you might take an opposite view, that expats provide no value to their home country. I would still love to hear from you.

JulienFounder27 September 2009 17:01:55

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Welcome on Expat.com canexpat !

Here is what I think... We, expatriates, contribute to our home country. Everyday, we represent its image, and its culture. By the way, we often generate revenues for both the country we are living in and our home country.

ECSNorway Expert14 October 2009 10:21:29

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I've often found myself demonstrating that Americans are not what's seen on TV to Europeans of all stripes who've never actually been to the US. They're surprised that I can speak more than one language, that I'm not wearing big white sneakers and eating hamburgers for breakfast (honestly, I once was at a hotel where an Italian guy was truly surprised that I was eating fruit & yogurt for breakfast), that I'm living abroad and have traveled a decent amount.

I've given travel tips to friends and colleagues when they go to my former hometown so their experience there is better too, and then they in turn go off and tell others about what a nice place America really is, and that it's not crawling with gun-totin' gangsters with saggy jeans.

So yes, I do think that expats can and do provide important services to their home country by showing that their native land represents many different types of people, and what one sees on TV/movies is not always accurate.

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