Who am I? Who are you?

Who am I? An expat or an immigrant? Wait, aren't these two terms simply describing the same person? Or is it rather a politically loaded approach to terms we do not often want to speak about?

Sadly, the world gives us all various labels throughout our existence, some of them may be considered to be better than others, and some are often misinterpreted by the general public due to the lack of knowledge about the terms used when creating them.

I bet some of you asked yourself "Who am I going to be now?" not once or twice, but more times in your lives as you were leaving behind all you once knew as your own or adapting to the unknown whether as an expat temporarily or as an immigrant...

( I promise you will get better clarity around these two terms after reading this.) If not, please message me directly, and let's have a chat!

Did you know that there were already over 85 million expats* around the world in 2021 and such a number continues to grow? Quite a huge number of lonely people considering that both expats and immigrants catch such a feeling at times when they do not immediately integrate into the new environment they choose/are put in, isn't it? Two different groups, with the same exact dilemmas: Do I work on adjusting/adapting or do I isolate myself as part of a self-defense mechanism?

Let me break it down a bit: expats leave their native countries only for a certain period of time knowing they will be returning to their comfortable reality, plus; they can plan their "when", while immigrants leave all they know behind with the clear goal of permanent relocation in their mind. There is no looking back for them most of the time.

Reasons for moves for expats are quite different than for immigrants. The most common for expats are the following:

1. Seeking better life quality for themselves and/or their family (with fast results in place). They often get relocated abroad by a company they work for with the purpose of a specific career goal accomplishment.
2. Lifestyle choice - being somewhat already familiar with the region relocating to (expats like to go back abroad to places they once studied in)

Immigrants choose to move for different reasons. Their moving abroad journey is also often more challenging than it is for expats for the following reasons:

1. Immigrants seek a better life for themselves and their families. They often start with low-skilled low-paid work in a relocated country due to the language/culture barriers before they get to work their way up to desired financial freedom.
2. Political situations may be forcing them to flee their home countries and seek peace elsewhere.

Whether someone is going to be labeled as an immigrant or an expat depends on origin – as it’s all about the intentions behind their decision to actually move abroad. It is so simple. Have you thought for a minute that expat carries a more positive connotation than an immigrant? I have not.

Most people here in the US (they came from different parts of the world) I personally have the privilege to know have one thing in common: an intention of settling into a new country and staying there indefinitely despite so many challenges ahead. Whether it is the language they do not speak fluently (yet) or the culture that offers a dose of a daily shock, they strive to do their best and they are relentless in giving their all. There is no giving up: hard work and dedication to make it through. After years of separation from friends, the cuisine they grew up on, and local bands they used to listen to, some of them eventually consider going back and swapping the infamous label from "an immigrant" to " an expat".

Hey! Living abroad is not for everyone, especially when one carries a label regardless of what is written on such. Let's be kind to one another as we are much more than the writing on a piece of paper that intends to describe us.

* Source: Finaccord Report 2021

#languageindustry

#expatlife

#immigration

#labels

#culturechange