NATIONALITY

I don't think it is about being ashamed butterfly. I think it is a question of anonymity. I am not ashamed of my name either but I don't want everyone on here to know it.

Moudir...yes that's me! :) I can see where you would find that funny....but honestly, I do have 32 years of expat experience. :) I was born out of my home country, and lived out ever since. Kind of qualifies me then right.

If you want to get to the nitty gritty, I wouldn't even know 'when' I became aware of being an expat..... maybe at 3? So okay, I'll give you that.....lets say 29 years then...... :)

ok, whatever...

So it's about anonymity.

My name isn't butterfly. I am Mustafina, 87, from Fiji.

Butterfly, LOL! My first real laugh of the day. Thanks for your great sense of humour! :)

Moudir, I thought you were a thinker...

I am currently unemployed, yet I live abroad. I am, therefore, an expat.

Expatriate is defined as "living away from one's native country" (Collins english dictionary). A child can be an expat, same as a retired older person.

LOL :) :) :)

Butterfly, i never say "it's my way or the highway", but sometimes you do. I am only expressing an opinion here...

And in my view, if you are 'financially dependent on somebody else', you cannot be an Expat, because in 90% of cases, you expatriate yourself voluntarily for one reason; to pay the bills.

So... can a 3 year old be an Expat, or... (i shiver to think what i'm gonna say next, but i'll try my best in the most politically correct way):

"would a 30 year old with the mind of 3 year old, be an Expat...?" somehow i don't think so... LOL

B I agree with you ....moudir ..why are u nitpicking??.lili.

kkkkkk, read this :
"An expatriate (in abbreviated form expat) is someone temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of their upbringing and/or legal residence. The word comes from the Latin ex (out of) and patria (country), and is sometimes misspelled as ex-patriot or short x-pat, due to its pronunciation.

The term is often used in the context of Westerners living in non-Western countries, although there are many instances of Westerners living in other Western countries, such as Australians living in the United Kingdom, or Britons living in Spain.

A nickname in the UK for former expatriates who have returned to Britain is the "When I"s, or "When we"s, as they are accused of starting conversations by saying "When I was in Rhodesia" or "When we were in Singapore". Similarly, they are sometimes even viewed by their fellow citizens as foreigners, particularly their children, whose accents may seem strange to their classmates. The children of expatriates are often considered Third Culture Kids (or TCKs) and later in life consider themselves "Adult Third Culture Kids" (or ATCKs). These children often hold passports from multiple countries, speak several different languages, and have a hard time defining where "home" is.

The difference between an expatriate and an immigrant is that immigrants (for the most part) commit themselves to becoming a part of their country of residence, whereas expatriates are usually only temporarily placed in the host country and most of the time plan on returning to their home country, so they never adopt the culture in the host country.[citation needed] While Europeans or North Americans living in the Middle East and Asia may marry local people and have children, most see no advantage in adopting citizenship of their host countries, usually because they consider their stay only temporary. In countries like Saudi Arabia, expatriates are required to live in segregated compounds, meaning that integration into their host country's society is not an option. As a result a lively virtual community of social blogs evolved among some. "

I like this forum , because everybody is right and no moderator and no administrator to edit, move or delete "offtopic posts"

Enjoy life , I'm a Big World citizen :)

 

keep cool