Top Five Reasons to Become an Expatriate

To those unfamiliar with the term expatriate or expat for short, the word may seem to communicate a rather defiant stance against one’s home country – in this case America. The expatriate appellation however, simply refers to a person who is temporarily or permanently residing in another country. None of the sentiments like love and hate, which are ascribed to the patriotic and unpatriotic, respectively, define what it means to be an expatriate. Though there are certainly some who may have chosen or will choose to leave America for reasons negatively associated with their feelings for the country, it is not a necessary component of being an expatriate. Now, with that out of the way, we can get down to the business of why somebody would, or rather should at this particular time in America, choose to brave the outside world and go into self-exile.

·         Jobs: The outlook for the job market looks bleak, if not nightmarish for recent college grads, and the horizon doesn’t look much brighter for any of the other age demographics. Today, a college degree might, if you are lucky, get you into McDonalds, Walmart or 7-11; not exactly the motivating prospective images that prompted you to persevere through the demands of a higher education. Around the rest of the world, the American college degree is still highly esteemed and there are plenty of overseas companies that are all too eager to higher a native English speaking employee.

·         Life Lessons: While it is difficult to pull yourself away from everything and everybody you know and relocate to a completely different culture and society, the pay-off yields an invaluable experience. In one month of staying in a foreign country, you can learn far more about yourself in the same amount of time spent in your comfort zone at home. The many challenges that confront you as a foreigner in a foreign country, over time, transpire into a maturity of character as you face them head on. Sitting in front of  the internet and googling a country neither qualifies as a real experience nor produces the same result of development of character.

·         Farewell to the Tourist Label: To be classed among the notoriously silly ‘American tourist’ crowd is a burden every expatriate is gladly relieved of carrying. Experiencing the daily expediencies, routines and challenges shared by the citizens of another country automatically endears you to them. The beginning of life -long relationships gradually develop and soon that great cultural divide is bridged and the expatriate in their own unique way will have contributed to cultural understanding. A week in another country hardly suffices to gain an intimate understanding of the place.

·         Live Like a King: Unless you are going to a Western European country, much of the rest of the world will be ridiculously cheap, save some items, like technological and electronic goods. Clothes, food, rent and entertainment can typically be acquired at a mere fraction of the cost of what you would pay in America. Imagine, no more of that passive existence in front of the television or living from paycheck to paycheck and surviving off of Ramen Noodles and toast.

·         Freedom From the Press: In the politically charged environment of today’s America, where vitriol and nonsense are on daily display, the liberty of standing aloof from it all and looking at it from the outside in, is a liberty dear to every expatriate. Rather than being unwillingly subjected to it, life in another country allows you greater choice in selecting what you see and hear.  After a while, it becomes a source of humor or a sufficient reason to prolong your stay in the host country.