The Expat Thread

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**d-usa**

So since there was a comment about expats and the always present threat to move away during election season I thought we might talk about expats.

Who here would call themselves an expat? Why did you move, did you move back, what was it like, what did it teach you?

Lets have some fun threads back in the OT.

**Mattman154**

Does that stand for ex-patriot?

**d-usa**

Expatriate.

Via Wikipedia:

An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing. The word comes from the Latin terms ex ("out of") and patria ("country, fatherland").

So it's not US focused, could be anybody from any culture moving to another.

**Mattman154**

Ah, thanks for clarifying!

**kronk**

I moved from Louisiana to Texas for work, which is pretty much the same thing as moving from one country to another.

I don't look back, nor would I move back.

**Jihadin**

MD to WA....I had no say in the matter...Kronk mini getting a new cowbell soon

**kronk**

Woot!

**Mattman154**

Edited

**Testify**

I moved from derby to leicester a few years ago. Talk about culture shock...

**Frazzled**

kronk wrote:
I moved from Louisiana to Texas for work, which is pretty much the same thing as moving from one country to another.

I don't look back, nor would I move back.

I work in one city during the week (Houston, conservative, big!), and go back home to another on the weekends (Austin, Berkeley wannae be, small). Does that count? Been doing it for fourteen years now*

*No wonder I'm so messed up and freaking out about a dying wiener dog.

**AustonT**

I'm a Montana expat living in this scary otherworld.

**Seaward**

I lived in Russia for a while. As well as Germany. And some places in the ME.

**Albatross**

I lived in Spain for nearly two years. Palma de Mallorca, to be exact.

Such a beautiful city.

**MeanGreenStompa**

I moved from the UK to live with my American wife, we first settled in PA for two years and have now moved to Gloucester MA, to be nearer a city for better job opportunities and so I can be back by the sea.

**KalashnikovMarine**

I honestly consider myself an Expat living in the United States even though I was born here... I feel alien enough when it comes to common values and the like between the average civilian and myself that it's just... off. I'd compare to visiting Canada, the culture has some similarities, they speak English but there's just something slightly off about the whole thing, and it's not that Tim Horton's doughnuts are made of pure happiness and starlight.

But then again I'm probably unique in that I consider the Marine Corps it's own culture, so there you go

**AustonT**

KalashnikovMarine wrote:

But then again I'm probably unique in that I consider the Marine Corps it's own culture, so there you go

This isn't really unique. In fact each branch is considered a sub-culture with its own language, values, and traditions. In a sense the whole military is a clan made up of a few tribes. Just as I'm sure you feel that Fleet Marines and Air Marines live in different worlds.

**Ouze**

While I know the technical definition of an ex-pat means changing countries, noneless I think I empathize with them a little. I was born in the Bronx, NYC and lived there until I was 25 or so. At that point I met what would become my wife, and moved in with her, to Iowa.

Iowa is a lot different then NYC, but nonetheless often feel like this might be a better fit for me. The biggest difference, aside from being a lot quieter, would be the allergies. I wasn't allergic to anything in NYC but here the air is near-toxic. It's incredible when I go back home how quickly I can start breathing normally again; usually a single day.

**KalashnikovMarine**

AustonT wrote:
KalashnikovMarine wrote:

But then again I'm probably unique in that I consider the Marine Corps it's own culture, so there you go

This isn't really unique. In fact each branch is considered a sub-culture with its own language, values, and traditions. In a sense the whole military is a clan made up of a few tribes. Just as I'm sure you feel that Fleet Marines and Air Marines live in different worlds.

Green side (everything but the wing) and wing side? Yeah I suppose, but not as much of a gap culturally speaking as say one Army unit to another. That I have observed any way, I don't claim to be an expert by a long shot, but there's a crazy amount of difference between the Airborne guys I've met, intell weenies, FIST, etc. in how they talk, how they wear the uniform etc. Where if I grab a Marine who's jump qualified, a intell Marine and a Marine from ANGLICO we're all gonna talk the same and with some differences to allow for boot camp, dress the same to assuming none of the Marines selected are gakbirds. That's the nice thing about the Corps, the culture is pretty standard across the map. It's actually a major advantage in collaboration situations. Give me a dozen Marines from a dozen different units and even a vaguely competent Corporal or Lance Corporal can have them working or fighting together with just a couple minutes of sorting things out, same basic training, same slang and lingo, same Corps.

**purplefood**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:
I moved from the UK to live with my American wife, we first settled in PA for two years and have now moved to Gloucester MA, to be nearer a city for better job opportunities and so I can be back by the sea.

Every time I see you write that you've moved to Gloucester I honestly think you've moved back to the UK...
It's actually kinda odd...

**Da Boss**

I used to live in ireland and then moved to esseengland. Now I live in dusseldorf in germany. will post a bit more later.
I

**Palindrome**

I'm a Scot who has lived in ireland for a couple of years (Kilkenny) and now lives in England due to work.

**marv335**

I'm from Lanark, Scotland and I'm working out in Saudi Arabia.
Definitely an Expat, I live on a compound and everything.
Tax is for suckers

**Do_I_Not_Like_That**

testify wrote: I moved from derby to leicester a few years ago. Talk about culture shock...

I get that every time I go from East London to North London.

**Da Boss**

Yeah, so.

Being an emigrant has made me become really aware of my national identity. I also have become more interested in some stuff that was a minor interest before, like Irish myths and so on. I think I'm lucky to be Irish, because people almost always react positively when they find out my nationality.
Essex was an interesting experience. What it drove home to me is that people in the South East of England don't have a great quality of life. Rents are unreasonably high (my slum flat in a chav tourist town cost as much as my current place in Dusseldorf, which is in a really nice district near the centre of a major city), transport costs are insane, working hours are long. At the weekends, the atmosphere in the town centre is intimidating and depressing. There's dog gak everywhere.

However, there were some upsides. People were mostly friendly, polite and helpful outside of the chavs and the scum that over ran the town on weekend nights. The beer is very good, eating out is cheap. There are some beautiful and very impressive things in London nearby, and London is an amazing city.

Mostly though, working in a public school where I was was the issue. Long hours, unreasonable demands from managers, constant attacks in the media and from politicians, antisocial behaviour from the children on a massive scale. It was dead stressful.

So far, Dusseldorf is pretty nice. It's vibrant but it feels pretty safe. It's pleasantly leafy, and people are friendly enough. I find the germans more blunt than the english, and they generally look a lot less happy even though their quality of life is better. They seem to have a pretty negative outlook on a lot of things, but the dry sense of humour keeps them likeable. Work in a private international school is much better. The workload is the same, roughly, but the managers and kids are a lot nicer so I go home happier every day. Cost of living is lower and Dusseldorf also has some great beer.

**Jihadin**

KM...Auston....its due to being regimentized. Also camaderie. Also discipline. There are others I can throw in but sticking with these three. WHen you come out of service into the civilian world there's very few people you can "relate" to due to camaderie. Discpline well that pretty much self explanatory. As for regimentized it was our life style

**Ensis Ferrae**

I agree with KM and Auston.. Within the Army, I definitely get along much, much better with the Cav guys than the grunts and fisters... Having my 3d ACR patch on my right shoulder helps some in that regard

I suppose it may be easier in the Corps, given the size of it, compared to the army. I mean, the army is just so damn big. Every base I've been to has a different culture, the towns (gakholes mostly) outside of base are all different, the units, on down the line.

**Lukus83**

Came to shanghai about 7 and a half years ago with the intent of teaching for a year so I could figure out what I actually wanted to do. Turns out teaching in shanghai was exactly it. Now happily married with a 4 month old son.

**Ma55ter_fett**

After reviewing a few day old threads for activity (including the succession thread) It came to my attention that I had used the term “expat” incorrectly and what’s worse in a way that caused offense in a number of people. This was not my intention.

After reviewing the thread (with a face flushed with guilt

) and a quick trip to Wikipedia I was more knowledgeable of my egregious error. And upon viewing this thread for the first time my shame was compounded many times over.
I had wrongly assumed that the term expat referred to ex-patriot a term that could be used to accurately describe a person who sings the praises of America while a republican is in office but expresses a desire to head for the hills when a democrat takes office. I now see that I was incorrect of my use of the term as a descriptor for such people.

I had heard the term used that way before and wrongly assumed that the person speaking knew what the hell they were talking about.

However if ever there was an example of ignorance breeding ignorance it is me.

Again I apologize if I caused offense it was not my intent.

**Cheesecat**

My family moved from New West Minister, BC (It's a city within Greater Vancouver) to Kamloops, BC when I was 5 don't remember much other than releasing the parking brake in my mom's car and crashing into the fence of our future home.

**d-usa**

Ma55ter_fett wrote:
*snip*

No worries,

I didn't even think of expat as ex-patriot until it was mentioned in this thread. I am sure that there are some people that leave the US because of political differences, but I figured this would be a good opportunity for people that moved for a variety of reasons to share their experiences.

I will throw up my story later when I have more time at work.