Friday, October 07, 2005
More on expats....
After spending the better part of a day on an essay of expats vs. travelers, I realized I missed the most common form of expat: workers who have been sent to another country by their company, normally for a project with a specific end date. These are the true expats of the world, who takes these jobs to ease their advancement or to avoid being laid off. Sometimes people take these positions to skip town or are bored and want to see a different part of the world. In any event, these expats will usually attempt to make their time in another land as much like the USA as possible, spending time with other Americans, eating American food, using English, etc. So-called travelers do this as well, and I use myself as an example. I was in Germany with my father and I walked around his small town in the former East Germany (FEG) and stopped upon a sign for pizza. I figured you CAN'T fuck up pizza, although some places are better than others. I'm a New Yorker and picky about pizza, sue me. They gave me a slab of stale pita bread with dry mozzarella and a few splashes of tomato sauce. Never before has food made me cry; this was a first. Depressed and homesick, I hopped the train to Berlin and when I left the train, I saw a McDonald's. I fell to my knees and wept openly. I then had 3 Big Macs with cheese and a side of fries. I also grabbed the USA Today International edition and chowed down. Full, happy, and well informed (kinda), I went back to my dad's place and told him I had fun walking around. I never left the train station.
Even travelers of Rolf Potts' class are guilty of such drama now and then, but the above category of expats are infamous for it. So too are the retiree expats, who move to Mexico, Panama, Belize, The Dominican Republic, etc. and set up small versions of the US in their gated, patrolled communitites. One tickle down their right arm and these fools are on the next flight to Miami, I guarantee it. I consider such activities silly and risky anyway because you never know when the governments will abscond with your property, but we run the risk of such stealing here in America more and more. I also consider this neocolonialism on a small scale, but it isn't all bad. The money these enclaves bring in to the surroudning areas is a pittance here, but these nations would call it a fortune and results in jobs, development, etc. There's a reason Rolf Potts was able to backpack all over the world for 2 1/2 years on what I would believe was around 10,000 dollars. When he writes another book and embarks on a tour I'll ask him. The web site www.worldscheapestdestinations.com does a decent job of list nations where one can travel very cheaply, and many of the nations listed were visited by none other than Rolf Potts.
I suppose one is a traveler or an expat depending on the final aim(s) one has while in another country. If one is looking to eventually return home or ramble on to some other land, then you are a traveler or wanderer of the vagabond variety. If your aims are more concrete or commercial, then I'd call you an expat. One should also take in to account how you feel about America; the more you dislike the US of A, the more I'd call you a surly expat asshole. That would be my nomenclature, feel free to invent your own. Keep in mind that negativity may not be exclusively political or social. There are those who see more economic opportunity outside the USA than in. I'd agree with that statement, but the rule of law is much stronger here than in the nations most commonly chosen by expats, they just don't know it. I may not be rich with 2 grand in the bank, but I could live for 4.333 months in India or Indonesia in relative luxury. (Yes, I did the math....) Would I be considered rich in those lands? No, but I'd be better off than nearly 95% of the population. I could probably stretch out the money to last me nearly 9 months, not including airfare. I point here is: I'm not worth robbing in Mamaroneck, but in Jakarta, the 100 bucks in my wallet would feed a local family for a month. Ergo, I'm a target. I'm not the most appealling target, as my dimensions are not small, but I'm still a Westerner. To wit: God made man, but Colt made them equal. (I may be paraphrasing...)
Anyway, I'll end this post with a quick update on my situation: still in stasis. I'm still waiting for my results from my Dean and a review from my Director. I rmember that my Dean's results were a long time coming, so that doesn't bother me too much. I did get the second peer review finished, but the results were not really in doubt. I did get my letter requests out of the way, and all requests were approved. I'll get those on Monday. I'll write more when I know more.
Even travelers of Rolf Potts' class are guilty of such drama now and then, but the above category of expats are infamous for it. So too are the retiree expats, who move to Mexico, Panama, Belize, The Dominican Republic, etc. and set up small versions of the US in their gated, patrolled communitites. One tickle down their right arm and these fools are on the next flight to Miami, I guarantee it. I consider such activities silly and risky anyway because you never know when the governments will abscond with your property, but we run the risk of such stealing here in America more and more. I also consider this neocolonialism on a small scale, but it isn't all bad. The money these enclaves bring in to the surroudning areas is a pittance here, but these nations would call it a fortune and results in jobs, development, etc. There's a reason Rolf Potts was able to backpack all over the world for 2 1/2 years on what I would believe was around 10,000 dollars. When he writes another book and embarks on a tour I'll ask him. The web site www.worldscheapestdestinations.com does a decent job of list nations where one can travel very cheaply, and many of the nations listed were visited by none other than Rolf Potts.
I suppose one is a traveler or an expat depending on the final aim(s) one has while in another country. If one is looking to eventually return home or ramble on to some other land, then you are a traveler or wanderer of the vagabond variety. If your aims are more concrete or commercial, then I'd call you an expat. One should also take in to account how you feel about America; the more you dislike the US of A, the more I'd call you a surly expat asshole. That would be my nomenclature, feel free to invent your own. Keep in mind that negativity may not be exclusively political or social. There are those who see more economic opportunity outside the USA than in. I'd agree with that statement, but the rule of law is much stronger here than in the nations most commonly chosen by expats, they just don't know it. I may not be rich with 2 grand in the bank, but I could live for 4.333 months in India or Indonesia in relative luxury. (Yes, I did the math....) Would I be considered rich in those lands? No, but I'd be better off than nearly 95% of the population. I could probably stretch out the money to last me nearly 9 months, not including airfare. I point here is: I'm not worth robbing in Mamaroneck, but in Jakarta, the 100 bucks in my wallet would feed a local family for a month. Ergo, I'm a target. I'm not the most appealling target, as my dimensions are not small, but I'm still a Westerner. To wit: God made man, but Colt made them equal. (I may be paraphrasing...)
Anyway, I'll end this post with a quick update on my situation: still in stasis. I'm still waiting for my results from my Dean and a review from my Director. I rmember that my Dean's results were a long time coming, so that doesn't bother me too much. I did get the second peer review finished, but the results were not really in doubt. I did get my letter requests out of the way, and all requests were approved. I'll get those on Monday. I'll write more when I know more.
