Expat or migrant?

[flossybeth]

I read this article this morning and wondered how others see themselves?

 

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/mar/13/white-people-expats-immigrants-migration?CMP=fb_gu

 

I see myself as an immigrant - I don't think I've ever used the term ex-pat to describe me or my family; I see it more as an old fashioned colonial term or the old people who take themselves off to the Costa del Sol

[NicF]

I consider myself to be an immigrant, just the same as any other person here born in a different country.

[Lazy Cow]

I don't believe the article is as relevant for Australia. The examples supporting the claim that, "..white people (are) expats when the rest of us are immigrants?" seem to be relating to Hong Kong, America, Africa, and Europe.

 

Personally, I think if 'we' are grouped as anything, it would be as poms whatever colour, creed etc.

 

Since an immigrant is a " person who leaves one country to settle permanently in another" * that'll do for me.

 

LC

* the Free Dictionary

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

I see ourselves as migrants and not expats. We left the UK a long time ago and have settled into Aussie life very well. It's a really interesting topic as where we lived before had a very large number of Pommies who always referred to themselves as Expats. I have been amazed at just how accepting the local "Australians" have been and I think that this makes a real difference to how you perceive yourself.

[snifter]

I think of myself as a migrant. I've never used ex pat really. It used to get used a fair bit by some when I was living overseas in my 20's, mostly by people who had moved to a country for work reasons with their job and would probably transfer back out again and return to the UK. Or get transferred elsewhere in the world.

 

I remember in the Netherlands there was a Brit group that called themselves Ex Pats in Amsterdam or some such and had mostly professional British people employed by international companies and so working overseas for a few years. Often with partners and families in tow or else single and just wanting to mix with others from the same country. Kids from these families mostly went to the British school in Amsterdam, hardly any went to local Dutch schools.

 

There was also a big US group that was running too, a wives group, hubbys were the professional workers mostly and the wives set up a US group to keep up the ties with home and forge friendships, social activities, celebrate US holidays and the like. Again, most of them only stayed a few years, kids were in international schools and they didn't really integrate into the local way of life.

 

Me, migrant all the way. I don't move to a country to sit on the sidelines or not embrace local life. I learnt the language of the country I was in, made local friends (one or two Brit friends along the way via work usually) and embraced living elsewhere in the world. Done the same here but I think of myself as just me, living here, I don't really even think of myself as a migrant, I'm just here, living life, although I do notice the cultural differences and all that